YouTube: also known as the place that made Justin Bieber and the one-stop shop for cat videos, pop-anthem covers and makeup gurus. It’s a center for all things pop culture and a platform that crafts content based on viewership, making it easy to interact with information production. However, institutions and individuals alike have expressed issue with the content on YouTube. Being a platform in which anyone can post videos, like and comment, it’s no surprise that some content is not suitable for younger viewers. Much like Wikipedia, YouTube also gets a bad rep for providing poor or under-researched information. With these views spreading, it’s not surprising to see schools and parents completely banning the use of YouTube in and outside the classroom. This being said, both sites have actually been proven to be extremely useful in acquiring information in a way that is easy to access as well as comprehend. And instructors of all grades, from kindergarten to master's programs, have started to notice that perhaps incorporating YouTube into the classroom has exactly the opposite effect on the learning process that critics have rallied behind.

Inside the classroom, teachers have started to reap the benefits of YouTube video production and introduction into in-class lesson plans. Incorporating YouTube videos into lectures, such as Ted Talks, Nova clips, and other reputable channels, have been seen to hold a viewer’s attention better and improve overall understanding. These videos are normally short and engaging, diverting away from the traditional lecture style of teaching. Others have also found YouTube videos as a way to connect information to students with humor by inserting funny yet educational clips into regular class lectures as a way to solidify what was learned in class that day. Personally, I’ve had Marxism explained to me using "Super Mario Brothers," and I’ll be the first to admit that it made much better sense to explain commodity fetishism using Toad and his buddies.

But it can also be used as a creative process. Students can create videos themselves, say, for class projects, in which they can present them in class locally, as well as make them available for others globally. This contributes to an overall increase in information present on YouTube that other students can seek out and use to grasp a specific concept. Teachers can also create content, such as online aides, which can re-explain or clarify certain concepts in a way that is on-the-go and present for students to reference come time for homework or exams. I’ve had the opportunity to learn using guides similar to these in a subject that I was pretty positive I would have never been able to understand if it wasn’t for the ability to have the concepts explained clearly. Hearing it step by step was extremely valuable to me in terms of long-term learning.

Outside of the classroom, YouTube videos continue the learning process in a way that is easy to access and is also enjoyable. Being able to search any topic that interests an individual, whether it’s the science of human consciousness or fun facts about dinosaurs (both are highly recommended), many doors open up for kids and adults to learn much further than what a traditional 101 or intro class would be able to teach in the given timeframe. This, over time, creates both a renewed willingness to learn, as well as continue that willingness into becoming a lifelong learner. It allows people with specific interests to research and learn as much as they can and want to about a given topic, as well as even contribute to the discussion with the knowledge and personal experience that they've had.

Overall, integrating YouTube and other similar platforms opens up a much more global conversation, as well as a larger capability of exchanging new ideas faster and with more clarity. Using reputable channels as a way to gain information is not just a plausible way of grasping a concept, but an exceptional opportunity to expand learning past the confines of more traditional research. And hopefully, with time and advancement, we can see the educational system implementing these tools in a way to create well-rounded, engaging conversations.