A Safer Way to View You Tube Videos in The Classroom

You Tube can be a great resource for adding a little flare to science lessons.  Let's face it, there is no way I could write and perform a clever song about photosynthesis in the 5 minutes it takes me to find one on the internet.  However, You Tube can be trouble in the classroom.  More than once I've had to quickly blank out my screen to avoid students catching a glimpse at inappropriate language or graphics below, next to, or following a video.  It gets even more risky when allowing students to view educational video clips on ipads or their own devices.  So, I want to share my latest solution... http://safeshare.tv/

Here is how it works:

Go to You Tube and find your video of choice.

Highlight and copy (control-c) the entire URL address.

Go to http://safeshare.tv/

Paste (control-v) the URL into the space provided and click "generate safe link"

Here is what my students will see!  Its a much nicer version for school use. * This prevents them from clicking any pop-ups and seeing any inappropriate material while viewing the intended video.

Use the link in the address bar for this safe version to direct kids to the video.  You can copy and paste it into your presentations, onto your website or directly onto an assignment.  Here is the sample one I did for my class.   http://safeshare.tv/w/rqbUuUFvEJ

This is also a great chance to use a QR code, since the addresses can be long and complicated, but more on that later.  I'll be doing a post on QR codes soon, as there are some really fun ways to use them with middle schoolers!

*Note:  You should always preview online videos start to finish before using them in the classroom...OF COURSE!

I hope this helps make video viewing safer in your classroom.  Do you have any other technology tricks of the trade that help make the internet a safer classroom tool?

Happy Viewing and Teaching...