Everyone knows what YouTube is. It is the most popular video sharing website on the Internet. YouTube has millions of videos, many of which could be used as an educational aid. However, neither teachers nor students have access to YouTube, as it is blocked on the high school’s Internet.
Usually, websites are blocked for a good reason. In the eyes of an insular administrator, YouTube is just another social media website with nothing beneficial to offer. The videos on the site are just a waste of time, time that could be spent reading a book or studying.
Honestly, YouTube is not detrimental to students or staff. It’s agreed that not every video on YouTube is educational, and even some videos contain material inappropriate for viewing at school. But in an age where technology is only expanding, the only option is to embrace it. Take the new high school for example. Everywhere you turn, you see new technology. Big screen TVs throughout the halls display various videos, Wi-Fi routers in every room are being constantly connected to, and smart projectors make learning easier than ever.
Websites should be blocked if and only if the website offers no educational material. Many videos on YouTube are very educational, some of which are exclusive to the site. This means that currently students are missing out on tons of unique videos that could actually teach a lot.
Uninformative videos will not cause students any more harm than they already cause for themselves. If students have free time on a computer, they are usually visiting unblocked sites to access games, music, or social media. It is up to the individual to use YouTube wisely, but allowing students to access the site is not giving them privilege to abuse it.
Those who would use YouTube for entertainment probably already use electronic devices for entertainment throughout the day. Everyone with a smart phone has access to YouTube at any time, plus many students walk around with headphones in all day. Not to mention proxy servers used by some to bypass the school security system in order to access YouTube, or any website for that matter.
YouTube is an issue I have heard multiple teachers complain about, and for good reason. Now, if a teacher wants to show an educational YouTube video to the class, he or she must jump through hoops to do so. The procedure is to download the video at home, and share it with the class via flash drive, CD, or email. Instead of wasting time, the teacher could just load the video on YouTube and show it.
Summarily, YouTube, if unblocked, would have as much educational potential as students and teachers give it. Teachers would maximize the knowledge gained from YouTube, without any downside. On the other hand, students themselves could use the site for good or bad. The downside of YouTube, unimportant entertainment, is simply a comparable alternative to what many students already do on school computers, kill time. Watching pointless YouTube videos is not the only unproductive thing to do on the Internet.