School’s out for summer, but still open on YouTube

Summer is a time for teachers to get some well-deserved R&R, but it’s also an opportunity to develop new methods for the coming school year. One of our YouTube EDU partners, Teaching Channel, shares advice on how teachers can stay busy this summer on YouTube.

June brings dreams of lazy summer days, vacations and the old “no more pencils, no more books.” But with the changes in education today, summer’s less of a languorous break and more of a brief pause from the pressures of teaching. Year round learning, adjustments to new teaching guidelines and the constant race to keep up with requirements often mean that educators are more likely to be looking for professional development than singing “ School’s Out For Summer.”

To support teachers’ professional growth, Teaching Channel captures great teaching on video – sharing knowledge with anyone looking to improve learning for students. On our YouTube channel, you can see everything from using rhythm in teaching reading to explaining the beauty of haikus with fruit. Many of the lessons are aligned with the new Common Core standards being adopted by many states for implementation in the coming school year.



If you have a great idea for a video, know a teacher we should check out or just want to discover some great ideas, subscribe and post feedback in our channel comments. You can also come by and see us at the NEA (June 30-July 1) or AFT (July 13) conferences. Because guess what — we’re too busy to take a summer vacation this year, and school’s always open on YouTube.

Guest to The Official YouTube Blog Candice Meyers, Teaching Channel Head of Product Development, recently watched, “Is 'Teach' a Big Word?”

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YouTube EDU partners Dartmouth College and Stanford University to live stream commencements on YouTube

To kick off the 2011 graduation season in the United States, we featured some inspiring commencement speeches available on YouTube. Since then, many new addresses have been uploaded, including Amy Poehler’s speech at Harvard Class Day, Denzel Washington’s address at the University of Pennsylvania, and First Lady Michelle Obama’s (Part 1 and Part 2) at Spellman College.

While you can spend hours watching these and other addresses on YouTube, sometimes there’s nothing like watching a live event. So to tune in this Sunday June 12 and watch the commencement ceremonies of two YouTube EDU partners live — Dartmouth College and Stanford University will use YouTube’s live stream platform to broadcast their ceremonies beyond their own campuses.

Dartmouth College will kick off the festivities this Sunday at 9:30am ET from Hanover, New Hampshire. Conan O’Brien will deliver the commencement address, likely to be as entertaining as his visit to Google. You can also stay tuned as honorary degrees are presented to former President George H.W. Bush; philanthropist and retired executive Russell A. Boss ’61; New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast; Native American leader and activist Elouise Cobell; actress Ruby Dee; brain scientist Michael S. Gazzaniga ’61; physician and researcher Howard Hiatt; and Joel Klein, former chancellor of the New York City public school system.

Then, travel from small town New England to Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California, to watch Stanford University’s 120th commencement ceremony at 12:30pm ET. The day will start with the traditional “Wacky Walk” processional of graduates wearing zany costumes and carrying signs, props and even floats into the stadium with them. Mexican President Felipe Calderón will speak, expected to discuss leadership, social justice and international cooperation. Stanford President John Hennessy will also address those gathered and awards will be presented to the graduating students.

Whether you’re a relative or friend of a graduate unable to attend the day’s events, or simply interested in tuning in to catch the speeches, we hope you enjoy your front row seat at the ceremonies. Hats off again from YouTube to the graduates of 2011!

Will Houghteling, YouTube Marketing Manager, recently watched “Justice series: What’s the right thing to do?”

More about → YouTube EDU partners Dartmouth College and Stanford University to live stream commencements on YouTube

Apply to the YouTube Creator Institute’s inaugural class

People who create content for YouTube today come from all walks of life: aspiring filmmakers, moms with cooking shows, teenage gossip vloggers, fantasy football commentators, ironing skydivers—the list goes on and on.

Very often, these dedicated YouTubers wear several hats at once: actor, writer, director, producer, cinematographer, studio head, and lead marketer—in other words, to get their videos to the world, they need to know how to do it all. But we figure there are people out there who’ve always wanted to express themselves through video, but may be limited by funding, video-making skills, insufficient tools, or just knowing where to start. That’s why today we’re establishing the YouTube Creator Institute - the first initiative from YouTube Next - to help nurture these content creators, existing YouTube partners, and the next generation of stellar YouTube talent with the skills they need to thrive online and offline.

We’ve worked with some of the world’s leading film and television schools to put together the YouTube Creator Institute. Based both at YouTube and onsite at the campuses of our institutional partners, participants will learn from a unique new media curriculum, apply new media tools, find out how to build their audiences, be promoted globally on the YouTube platform, and engage with industry leaders and experts. Participants will learn everything from story arcing to cinematography, money-making strategies to social media tactics. The wider YouTube community will be able to learn along the way, too, by following the rise of the YouTube Creator Institute’s inaugural class on YouTube this summer.



The inaugural YouTube Creator Institute programs begin in the United States in May this year.

The University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts is the country’s first film school and regarded as one of the leading schools in the world, with an alumni base of industry leaders and an array of notable accolades. The YouTube-USC Creator Institute takes place from May 25 until June 22 in Los Angeles, CA.

Columbia College Chicago’s Television Department has been innovating around new online media strategies for years, with students creating award-winning web-isodes while investigating new opportunities in the online space. The YouTube-Columbia College Chicago Creator Institute begins on May 31 and ends on July 22 in Chicago, IL.

Any U.S. citizen over 18 is welcome to apply, and candidates may apply online at www.youtube.com/creatorinstitute from now until March 25. Applications include two short answer questions and a maximum two-minute demonstration of the creator’s craft, whether it be a short film, a clip of a personal cooking show, or a snapshot of a nature expedition. Afterwards, the YouTube community will vote for two weeks between March 28 and April 8 for their favorite creators. The top voted candidates will move on to the final round, where our film and television school partners will choose the inaugural class for each of their programs, which will be announced on April 20. Learn more about the application and judging criteria.

Stay tuned for more YouTube Creator Institute and creator opportunities in the near future.

Bing Chen, YouTube Creator Initiatives and Product Marketing, recently watched, ““Rocketeer” cover, mastered by Kurt Hugo Schneider.”

More about → Apply to the YouTube Creator Institute’s inaugural class

How to share videos on YouTube (and 50 other things you might want to teach your parents)

My mom recently purchased a new camcorder and she’s having a blast capturing just about everything on video. She often calls me to describe what incredible event she’s just documented and suggests that we watch it together the next time I visit. Unfortunately, now that I’ve moved across the country, my trips back home are rather infrequent. If only she knew how to share videos online, I’d be able to view them with her no matter where I am.

I’ve already set aside time to teach my mom how to share videos when I visit for the holidays, but I’m sure many others could also benefit from such a tutorial. In fact, thoughts like this inspired a handful of us at Google to create TeachParentsTech.org, a place where “kids” of any age can send basic how-to videos to their moms, dads, uncles--whomever. Here’s the one I created about sharing videos on YouTube.



To see more videos or to send someone a tech support “care package” of your own, visit TeachParentsTech.org.

Rita Chen, Associate Product Manager, recently watched "YouTube 2010: Year in Rewind".

More about → How to share videos on YouTube (and 50 other things you might want to teach your parents)

EDU Summer School, Session 6: Economics

This week marks the last session of our summer series, but do not fret, all of the fascinating lectures and material we’ve surfaced for you over the weeks will still be available on YouTube EDU. In only six weeks, we’ve learned some interesting things about topics ranging from classical mechanics and differential equations to exploring drawing techniques and French history. While we’ve had fun pulling these videos together into topic playlists, we hope you take some time on your own to explore the vast array of educational videos on YouTube. Who knows, maybe you’re really an entomologist at heart!

Our parting gift is a handful of lectures about economics. But before we go, the answers to your final YouTube EDU quiz for summer 2010:

1) Worker bees and queen bees start life with the exact same genome, so what external factor distinguishes the queen bee from all others? the queen eats royal jelly
2) Dartmouth guest lecturer Terry Chapin has published nine books and over 300 papers that have been cited more than 27,000 times. What musical instrument does he play? fiddle
3) Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station tracks white sharks off the coast of California near what islands? Farallon Islands



Alright, get out there and enjoy the rest of your summer before it’s too late!

Mandy Albanese, Communications Associate, recently watched “The Economics of Happiness.”

More about → EDU Summer School, Session 6: Economics

YouTube Summer School, Session 5: Biology

Have you ever wondered what makes a queen bee the queen? Or perhaps pondered the process of photosynthesis? We have too (nerd alert...again) and we’re glad that we’re not the only ones! In fact, a few of our university partners have helped us find the answers to our biology questions and a variety of other topics on YouTube EDU. Take some time to scan this week’s playlist to learn more about your immune system, the Alaskan ecosystem and biofuels.



While we've got our thinking caps on, see if you can answer the questions below. If you know the answers, please leave them in the comments below (note: comments are moderated due to spam):

1) Worker bees and queen bees start life with the exact same genome, so what external factor distinguishes the queen bee from all others?
2) Dartmouth guest lecturer Terry Chapin has published nine books and over 300 papers that have been cited more than 27,000 times. What musical instrument does he play?
3) Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station tracks white sharks off the coast of California near what islands?

Finally, answers to last week’s quiz, on math:

1. Where did Terrence Tao learn the numbers and letters that enabled him to start teaching his peers at age two? Sesame Street
2. Based on probalistic aggregation studies, Gettysburg College would be able to withstand an attack of how many robots? 252
3. Cornell math professor Allen Knutson holds a world record in what? Juggling

Mandy Albanese, Communications Associate, recently watched “Stanford Tracks White Sharks.”

More about → YouTube Summer School, Session 5: Biology

YouTube Summer School, Session 4: History

While we enjoy looking ahead and thinking big, we also take to heart the famous quote from George Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." That’s why for this week’s session of YouTube Summer School, we’re taking some time to review the past, to help us better understand the people, events and decisions that have shaped our times. Here's a playlist of important history lessons from top institutions:



And while we're in a scholarly mode, let’s look at last week's session on math and test your knowledge. If you know the answers to the quiz questions below, please leave them in the comments below (please note comments are moderated due to spam):

1. Where did Terrence Tao learn the numbers and letters that enabled him to start teaching his peers at age two?
2. Based on probalistic aggregation studies, Gettysburg College would be able to withstand an attack of how many robots?
3. Cornell math professor Allen Knutson holds a world record in what?

Finally, answers to last week's quiz, on art:

1) What color house did Frida Kahlo grow up in? Blue
2) Malaquias Montoya, professor of Chicano studies and art history at the University of California in Davis, is known for what item of unique clothing? His hat
3) The African art exhibit in the Valparaiso University Brauer Museum is from what century? Late 19th and early 20th centuries

Mandy Albanese, Communications Associate, recently watched “The Witch Hunt in Early Modern Europe.”

More about → YouTube Summer School, Session 4: History

YouTube Summer School, Session 3: Mathematics

Welcome back, life-long learners! We’re in our third week here at YouTube Summer School and today we’re shifting gears again. After our lovely stroll through the art gallery of YouTube EDU, we’re headed to the hall of mathematics and will be crunching numbers for the next week.

Ever have any trouble with algebra, geometry, calculus or trig-a-what? For some, putting numbers in their place isn’t as easy as Captain Picard makes it look. Sometimes we simply can’t “make it so” without a little help. That’s why we’ve scoured through YouTube EDU to find what professors from top universities around the globe are teaching about everything from differential equations to probalistic aggregation studies (try saying that 10 times fast!).



And to review what we covered last week, take a minute to test yourself with the following questions. If you know the answers, let us know in the comments below (please note comments are moderated due to spam). We’re on the lookout for our “Grade A” students!

1) What color house did Frida Kahlo grow up in?
2) Malaquias Montoya, professor of Chicano studies and art history at the University of California in Davis, is known for what item of unique clothing?
3) The African art exhibit in the Valparaiso University Brauer Museum is from what century?

Until next week!

Mandy Albanese, Communications Associate, recently watched “Nilsequences and the Primes.“

More about → YouTube Summer School, Session 3: Mathematics

YouTube Summer School, Session 2: Art

Alright, alright...settle down, class. It’s time for another session of YouTube Summer School.

You’ll remember that the semester started last week with a deep-dive into physics; now we’re on to a loftier subject -- art! Our educational platform, YouTube EDU, brings world-class art lessons from esteemed professors right to your desktop. So whether you’re simply curious about drawing techniques and portraits, or looking to learn more about new forms of art, take a look at this playlist for a sampling of art videos on the site. Topics range from making comics to surveying Roman architecture:



We can’t promise you’ll be the next Bob Ross after watching these, but we can guarantee videos like this will be available anytime you’re in an artsy mood, and will continue to grow as our university partners add new content.

And just to review what was covered last time, take this pop quiz on some of the material covered in videos in our physics module. Please list your responses in the comments below (please note comments are moderated due to spam). At the end of the semester, we’ll crown some of our “Grade A” students.

1. According to Professor Walter H.G. Lewin at MIT, are you taller standing up or laying down?
2. What is the name of University of Minnesota’s wide receiver that got hit with 10.78 Gs of force when he scored a touchdown against UC Berkeley?
3. A vacuum uses the power of 8-10 horses. A plane taking off uses the power of 100,000 horses. On a typical day, the world uses how many “horses”?

OK, class dismissed!

Mandy Albanese, Communications Associate, recent watched “Ceramics Inspired by Marine Life.”

More about → YouTube Summer School, Session 2: Art

YouTube Summer School, Session 1: Matter & Motion

School’s out for summer, but around here we’re (nerd alert) still pretty excited about numbers, facts and learning in general. And it looks like we’re not alone. More than half a million people are now subscribed to YouTube EDU channels, and since October 2009 we’ve seen a 77% jump in channels and an 89% jump in videos on the educational platform.

While summer often provides a welcome respite for students, we know that some are looking for ways to keep their brains active over the break. If you want to keep those math formulas fresh and foreign languages top-of-mind, this could be the stuff that gives you a leg up on the non-YouTubers in your class come the fall. Since we want nothing more than to help you rule the world, we are creating playlists, by topic, of the videos you might want to watch to get ahead of the curve. Each week, we’ll post a new playlist to the blog and the YouTube channel. Think of it as a mini virtual summer school, but without the research papers and early-morning start times.

First up, class, we’re focusing on physics, the study of matter and its motion through space and time. This playlist has everything from Einstein’s general theory of relativity to physics of football:



Next week, we’ll feature must-see videos about art. And throughout our little summer school, do let us know if or how EDU has made an impact on your life, whether in school or achieving your dreams overall. Please leave a comment below (but note: comments are moderated due to spam). We’d love to hear about your experiences in online education.

Class dismissed!

Mandy Albanese, Communications Associate, recently watched “Bicycle Wheel Gyroscope.”

More about → YouTube Summer School, Session 1: Matter & Motion

More courses, more colleges: YouTube EDU turns one

A college education is something many people take for granted, but only about 1% of the world actually gets one. A year ago today, YouTube EDU (youtube.com/edu) launched with a very simple mission: deliver some of the world’s greatest university courses to anyone with an Internet connection and a screen.

Whether it’s Salman Rushdie reading poetry by the last mughal king to Emory University students, or a lecture in electrical engineering at UC Berkeley, YouTube EDU has helped some of the oldest institutions on the planet blaze a trail into the 21st century by opening up a rich and empowering corpus of video content to aspiring students everywhere.

YouTube EDU is now one of the largest online video repositories of higher education content in the world. We have tripled our partner base to over 300 universities and colleges, including University of Cambridge, Yale, Stanford, MIT, University of Chicago and The Indian Institutes of Technology. We have grown to include university courses in seven languages across 10 countries. We now have over 350 full courses, a 75% increase from a year ago and thousands of aspiring students have viewed EDU videos tens of millions of times. And today, the EDU video library stands at over 65,000 videos.

We have also rolled out new products to make this coursework more accessible, including adding automated captions and auto-translation to videos spoken in English. In just a few clicks, you can generate captions and translate courses into one of 50 different languages.

At the end of the day, YouTube EDU is about using the democratic nature of the Internet and the power of video to make higher learning accessible to all. We’ve heard from thousands of users like trainerstone, who writes: “Thank you so much for your videos. I live in provincial Philippines and have very little access to the arts and academic stimulus.” But perhaps one user put it best: “This is what the Internet was created for.”

Here’s to another great year of great educational content on YouTube. Until then, keep watching and keep learning.

Obadiah Greenberg, Strategic Partner Manager, recently watched “Khan Academy on PBS NewsHour.”

More about → More courses, more colleges: YouTube EDU turns one

YouTube 101: Educational Series for New Users Launches

If you subscribe to the YouTube channel, you may have noticed a slew of new videos uploaded recently. They're part of an initiative called "YouTube 101," a series that explains basic features to new users. With hundreds of thousands of people creating new YouTube channels every day, there are a lot of folks out there who may not know that they can share a video privately, customize their channel or even how to upload a video -- in full HD, no less.

Each video has a unique flavor and you may even recognize some familiar faces helping us out (Happy Tree Friends, anyone?):



These tutorials will be embedded in our Help Center, the Creator's Corner, and other places where you're most likely to need quick, entertaining tutorials on how to use YouTube.

Let us know what you think in the comments below, particularly if there's a feature you find mysterious and think deserves the 101 treatment.

Mia Quagliarello, Community Manager, recently watched "A Pluto Song."

More about → YouTube 101: Educational Series for New Users Launches

Webinar on Basic Editing Techniques: Dec. 17, 2009

YouTube's Creator's Corner and Videomaker magazine are pleased to offer another free Webinar to help newer videographers get comfortable with every aspect of the production process. This time, the topic is Basic Editing Techniques, and it will take place on December 17, 2009, at 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET. You can register here for the free, hour-long seminar. (Once you've clicked the link, you'll be redirected to an external page provided by our partner, Webex. Please fill in the required information and click "Submit." You'll then be registered for the event.)

We want to make sure this session addresses the topics most useful to you, so we hope you'll take a minute to answer the survey in the top right corner of this blog: When it comes to editing techniques, what do you want to learn about? Check off as many topics that apply in the poll, or leave a comment beneath this blog post. The Videomaker team will consider your requests when putting together their presentation.

This Webinar follows the Basic Production Techniques course held in October.

Mia Quagliarello, Community Manager, YouTube, and Scott Memmott, Content Director, Videomaker

More about → Webinar on Basic Editing Techniques: Dec. 17, 2009

The Global Classroom on YouTube EDU

Class is back in session at YouTube EDU (youtube.com/edu). We're excited to welcome many new college and university partners and a few enhancements that will help you discover the wealth of educational material that they provide.

The open educational video movement is a worldwide phenomenon. That's why we're proud to announce that YouTube EDU now includes universities from the UK, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, and Israel. Cambridge University, Open University, Bocconi University and Open University of Catalonia are among the 45 new additions who've opened their doors to a global audience of students, teachers, alumni, and self-learners.

Meanwhile, the number of colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada now participating in YouTube EDU tops 200 -- 2x what we launched with six months ago -- providing more than 40,000 videos of lectures, news, and campus life. Recent highlights include an Art & Technology lecture series from Columbia University and the seminal course "Justice" from Harvard.

Now that YouTube EDU is international, we are introducing a language menu so you only receive videos that you understand. In other words, if your YouTube EDU language is set to English, you will only see YouTube EDU videos in English, be they from American, British or other schools. Viewers with the French language setting can enjoy videos from HEC Paris, as well as those from French-Canadian University of Montreal. You can change the language of YouTube EDU videos at any time or even set languages to All for the full spectrum.

With so many videos to choose from, we are also providing the ability to browse by subjects such as Business, Engineering, and Literature. This is English-only for now, but look for it to expand to other languages as more universities come on board.

Happy learning!



Obadiah Greenberg, Content Partnerships, recently watched "Save the University."

More about → The Global Classroom on YouTube EDU

If Only Every Homework Assignment Had Prizes Like This...

As a new school year unfolds, here's an assignment for America's students from the U.S. Department of Education and YouTube: in two minutes or less, make a video showing the nation and the world how education will help you achieve your dreams, and upload it to the submission platform on the Department of Education's YouTube channel.

The good news is that there are no failing grades and the top three submissions, as voted by the YouTube community, will each be issued a $1,000 prize by the DOE. Learn more about the "I Am What I Learn" video contest from Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education:



The contest is open to U.S. middle, high school, college and post-grad students, ages 13 and up, and the deadline to submit is October 20. For complete rules and FAQs, please visit www.ed.gov/iamwhatilearn.

Ramya Raghavan, News and Politics, recently watched "Media Multitaskers Pay Mental Price."

More about → If Only Every Homework Assignment Had Prizes Like This...

How Do We Build Better Schools? Ask the Students

Okay, YouTube -- it's time to trade in those water balloons for some #2 pencils. A new school year is upon us!

Thankfully, an organization called Architecture for Humanity (AFH) is trying to make the idea of heading back to school a bit more palatable. Earlier this year, they launched a competition for architects to design a "classroom of the future" and address the challenges schools face in trying to provide smart, safe and sustainable learning spaces.

A large number of entrants used YouTube to convey student input on their designs. This mashup shows how youth from schools around the world were involved in the planning process. Students also learned how to use various building tools through a YouTube series sponsored by AFH. In this video, students are taught to do modeling using Google Sketchup:



Architecture for Humanity had over 1,000 teams from 65 countries participate in the challenge and today they announced the winner, who will receive up to $50,000 to build or upgrade a classroom. Here's a video about the winning design from the Teton Valley Community School:



Interesting features of the Teton Valley project include a building that is heated and cooled geo-thermally, a greenhouse, and an outdoor area for each grade level.

What features do you think are essential to the classroom of the future? Leave your ideas in the comments below.

Ramya Raghavan, Nonprofits & Activism, recently watched "Jazz Guitar Lesson."

More about → How Do We Build Better Schools? Ask the Students