Hi guys, this is my first review and I will be reviewing YouTube. I will be discussing how I utilise the tool and the positive and negatives of the learning tool.

Youtube Review

Youtube. A multinational video sharing service, this website is one of the most popular on the internet and may be seen as just a way to pass time and watch videos from your favourite uploader. This however is not the case, YouTube is one of the best sites for learning, there are hundreds of thousands of educational videos out there. Upon just searching for a topic you will find many videos dedicated to the topic of which will more than likely be informative and useful. I myself have watched many hours of videos on YouTube and during revision and exam period I find this tool very helpful. You have hours upon hours of examples and questions that are walked through if you are studying a topic such as maths, even maths teachers upload videos to help students with A-level maths and further.

Here is an example of an educational channel:

Image taken from: https://www.youtube.com/user/HEGARTYMATHS/playlists (November 2016)

How it works

YouTube works by allowing all users with an account to upload content, like or dislike other peoples content, comment on other peoples content and subscribe to other users channels. YouTube has age restrictions on content which is not for younger viewers but does not tolerate explicit content and will remove the video if necessary. YouTube uses a search bar to be able to navigate the content, you can search for a channel name or video, once you have searched the results will be displayed and if you search for a topic there will be results related to that topic. When commenting on a video other users can reply to you.

The pros

The pros of using YouTube is that there are millions of users which allows for a broad amount of knowledge to be shared and a vast amount of videos to be uploaded on almost every topic there is. Another pro about YouTube is that you can subscribe to a channel and you will receive notifications, this is extremely useful if the channel you are subscribed to is uploading videos that you want to watch. comments are also a useful tool on this website as other users can reply to any questions you may have and can even recommend  other videos and provide a hyperlink. YouTube also features a pause option and you can rewind or fast forward some content if you’re stuck and need to go back through a topic or are only looking for a certain part of the video. YouTube is great for a visual learner as most videos will have worked examples or graphics to help explain a topic. A lot of videos will post their sources in the description which means you can review the source yourself or even learn more on the topic or better understand what you are trying to learn. Navigating YouTube is very simple and does not require much skill with a computer even a novice can navigate the site there is a search bar at the top of the page and when you are on a video you can view suggested videos. This suggested videos feature allows you to view videos of a similar nature which could mean you could find another video on the topic you are trying to learn about or gain extra notes about.

The cons

Although there are many benefits of using YouTube as an educational tool there are also some downsides of using the service. Smaller channels are harder to find and this means you could be struggling to find the exact video you want if your topic is scarce of videos. Another downside is that a channel may not be reputable and may not quote sources in the video description which if you don’t understand the topic from just the video, you then can’t have a thorough read on the information which may help you understand. A downside of YouTube is for a specific group only, if you’re not a visual  learner YouTube may not be the best place for you to learn there is however a way to combat this and that is if the video features worked through questions you can pause the video and work through the question and then skip ahead to view the answer.

My Overall Thoughts

In my opinion YouTube is a great place for revising but should not be the only source of revision but it is an amazing source of information and help. When using YouTube you should look for the source they used wether it is stated in the video or credited in the description. Blog side watching videos you should also practice questions on the topic and re read notes.

By Alex Simpson