YouTube as a Source for Invention

Through personal thoughts and conversations with colleagues, I have long thought that Facebook and Twitter could make good sites for invention, but I had not thought about similar possibilities with YouTube. In a presentation entitled "Teaching Invention Through YouTube," Ruijie Zhao looks at the site and ways to effectively use it in the writing classroom.

Before even looking at YouTube, Zhao contends that "an isolated and introspective dialogue within the writer definitely helps him/her select information, digest information, and raise questions, but such functions should not lead people to believe that prewriting itself is asocial and anti-collaborative." The thought here is that if understanding, ideas, meanings, and connotations are indeed created socially, then the choosing and initial construction of those ideas for writing assignments can also be done socially.

As a social media site, YouTube enters the picture.

Essentially, YouTube allows students to first start researching their topics. It is important to remember that YouTube allows anyone to post videos on the site. Students have the potential to look at videos on their personal--or class--topic posted by a reputable source on the subject or simply an amateur looking to share an opinion. Each has merit in a class room, although in widely different arenas.

Zhao argues that the site "assimilates different voices, represents the interests of different groups. It allows people from different ethnic groups, cultural and political backgrounds to share their knowledge, attitudes, and opinions through dialogues. These dialogues, in turn, encourage students to articulate viewpoints, express opinions on opposing arguments, assess bias, evaluate strengths and weaknesses of each argument, and make their own judgments. the key to maximizing such potential is de-centered learning where every participant’s voice is heard and valued."

Zhao asserts, however, that "to fulfill this goal, the instructor should be aware of the importance of creating a non-threatening class atmosphere." After students watch videos on YouTube, they must be given time to discuss the videos as a class and make sense of them on a personal level. As members of a visually based society, students might relate to or better understand a topic after watching a video on it. In this respect, YouTube can get students talking and, ultimately, entering the conversation.

As further encouragement to use YouTube in the writing classroom, Zhao asserts that "the idea that one’s sense of vision is not merely a receptive sensory skill but, rather, an active focus of one’s intelligence, is a critical concept for writers who wish to use visual thinking in their writing process."

As with every social media site, it is important to monitor students during the invention session to ensure they are using YouTube for academic purposes.