Technology allows structural changes that make significant improvements and achievements in productivity when integrated into a system. It infuses classrooms with digital tools of learning when used as a support pillar for teaching and learning. Such digital devices include computers and handheld gadgets, which help in the expanding the course learning materials, and experiences. Technology has managed to enhance a twenty-four-hour learning regime in institutions and marks the basis of the twenty-first-century academics. Moreover, technology can link teachers and students by introducing new models of connected teaching. One of the primary teaching methods that prove vital in technology is the teacher tube. The following article will be discussing teacher tube, its purpose, and an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses as well as education theories that support its usage.
Purpose of Teacher Tube
Teacher tube is a website designed for sharing videos and is based on and similar to YouTube. Its design allows persons in the educational industry and more so teaching staff, to share educational resources like audio files, photos, and videos. The website comprises of a mixture of teaching materials used in classrooms and others that aid in training. However, not only teachers can upload educational materials but also students. The privilege is well extended to the students with some having uploaded videos of their own. Statistics suggest that Teacher Tube has a multimillion membership with over four hundred thousand educational videos. The site has gained the love of educators who have their content blocked by filtering systems.
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Literature Review
The history of Teacher Tube dates back to its launch on March 6, the year 2007, initiated as a project by Jason Smith, a superintendent from Melisa, Texas. Jason Smith with the assistance of his younger technology genius brother, Adam Smith found the site and described its purpose. The site has since then grown to greater heights scaling a multimillion fan base that see it get not less than ten million page views every month. It has since its inception managed to run many creative educational competitions using other companies like Texas Instruments as associates (Thiyagu, 2010). Currently, institutions like libraries are the primary users of the service that help them transfer information efficiently. The site proceeded to make partnerships with NASA and the NASA Ares TV show in the year 2009 helping the Ares videos reach many students across the globe with information that no other site provides. According to (Harder, 2014), the partnership has grown the American history tremendously among the students with almost fifty thousand views on NASA Ares every day.
In the year 2010, Teacher Tube made collaborations with the Glogster education program, a web 2.0 stage enabling users to make virtual posters and load videos and music as well as other links (Thiyagu, 2010). Glogster has a partner profile with Teacher Tube that allows users to see it as of similar service to the teacher tube itself. Apart from the sites mentioned, Teacher Tube facilitates the creation of channels for the Non-Profit Organizations that require media attention and publication (Cummings, 2014). In light of this, the site has collaborated with UNICEF to form the TeachUNICEF initiative accompanied by the adoption of a classroom in the History Centre of North Texas (Thiyagu, 2010).
Teacher Tube experiences serve the best examples of how the site functions in serving its core purpose. According to (Cown, 2012), the aim of teacher tube was to development an interaction site for educators and students that were not too formal. The online site allows teachers to give instructional videos to students that will benefit both their colleagues and students. O’Neil (2016) describes his experience with the site as mind-blowing saying that he posted a blog that received many likes immediately afterward. O’neil (2016) remains insistent that the site is what educators need because it takes the aspects of youtube in sharing and production of materials that fills the gap between students, technology, and teachers in the modern day world. However, it is not meant to be a replacement of YouTube but rather a place that allows one to make full advantage of uploaded content such as shared videos. Not only is it simple to use but the service is simple to obtain (Brändström, 2011).
The consistent care from the support is warm and ensures that users do not lack for anything at all. Therefore, it is safe to say that Teacher Tube is a stage for the efficient transfer of educational materials permitting everyone to partake in the exercise and become a member. Harder (2014), is amused that it is now easier to make a small piece of learning content and have it distributed to the entire world in a matter of seconds. Not only does it helps people but connects them as well. Clips are well organized on tags or channels in the case of universities and high schools as well as workgroups. All these materials can be downloaded for use depending on the purpose of usage.
Discussion of strengths, weaknesses, and benefits
Well to acknowledge the learning takes place in a class through information technology. Brändström (2011) insists that the internet is well put into use in education because it allows communication, learning, and teaching. The strengths of teacher tube include its ability to make content viral or rather has a large following. Teacher Tube has established itself as an educational site where the content of education-related materials is exchanged between learners and educators. It is due to this reputation that it continues to thrive and grow. A vast majority already know it as an educational ground. Due to this status, teacher tube does not need any other form of publication to sell itself (Brändström, 2011). People already know what it is and what it entails. Secondly, teacher tube lacks formidable competition.
According to (Brändström, 2011), the site is similar to YouTube but different regarding content. YouTube does not restrict uploaded content to particular items but rather takes all videos. On the other hand, teacher tube has marketed itself as a site for exchanging educational materials and thus only the right audience approach the site. People are well aware of the services offered at teacher tube and understand what they can get from there as well.
Weaknesses of teacher tube vary with individuals. However, one weakness is that it is highly dependent on the internet. Therefore, people with limited or no internet connection at all cannot find help through the site. It thus limits educational material to individuals with a good internet connection unlike libraries and other forms of learning materials. According to Rawson (2011), teacher tube allows content from any creator but with fewer credentials of the author. There is not much concerning the person that made the creation, and hence the information must undergo serious verification and scrutiny (Rawson, 2011). However, the most significant weakness with teacher tube is its limited scope. It hardly serves as a replacement to YouTube because of its limits in content availability and materials. Also, there are some persons available in the teacher tube channels courtesy of made partnerships, something that disallows other players with information from participating.
Teacher Tube is beneficial because it helps many students obtain learning materials in videos and audio meaning they can replay them repeatedly until they grasp the most important points and concepts (Brändström, 2011). Moreover, they can refer to the videos for such items as demonstrations to understand what the teacher is discussing.
Educational Theories
Educational theories have long influenced the usage of technology in education. The two theories, instructivist, and constructivist have been in play since the mid-sixties and have allowed for the understanding of educational technology (Issroff, 2012). However, constructivism has been the most dominant theory significance to the topic of concern stating that knowledge develops from learners through their experience. The theory is inspiring for the educational technologists who design appropriate experiences for learning. It makes part of the HCI principles that are systems designed for effective and efficient usage with the primary focus on the task and how users perform the task. Constructivist theory appreciates the social role of context and processes in learning to pay attention to learning through interaction (Issroff, 2012). Conclusively, the theory has facilitated collaborative learning with the ideology that integration is the best way of making progress.
Recommendations of Nursing Education Technology
University and other learning institutions needs to develop a program that provides an improvement in the technology-related skills of teaching To reap the most from technology, The program motivates and rewards members of a faculty that ensure innovative teaching to nursing students. The program will provide more and more innovation takes place with more participants included. It is well that the nursing department is included as part of the program. Integration of the technology department with the nursing one allows for faster reception of information and transfer of knowledge. It is from such a move that online courses for nursing can be developed and strategized.
Identify implications for future nursing education research
In spite of the numerous advances in education such as improved accessibility to educational materials, nurses face a major challenge in employing the concepts of practice (Axley, 2009). The technology setting still has a major problem in upgrading its effectiveness (Axley, 2009). However, the positive side is that nurses will have numerous improvements in safety effectiveness in reducing patient issues.
The setting for teaching/learning
The setting for teaching or learning using the technology includes four sections, the large classes, sections for discussions, engineering and science laboratories and lastly the studio pedagogy. Large classes include teaching strategies and large spaced rooms as classes. Discussion sections entail teaching methods that involve immense discussions (Cummings, 2014). The engineering laboratories include lab writings and studio pedagogy describes the faculties from online works.
Physical/human resources required to utilize the technology
The human resources include the intellectual property of employees, their time and motivation. It is imperative that a firm dwells on having the utmost of all these from their employees to get the maximum out of technology (Cummings, 2014). Training entails improving the skills of the human resource, which is a very important tool towards achieving the best technological position in the organization.
Application of Technology to a course
The idea of the learning method is revolutionary where the objectives revolve around the student involved and not the teacher or teaching methods. The best way of learning for a person is doing by action and that is how this technology enables student to learn with ease (Harmer, 2016). Various instructors will focus on the topics in a course curriculum and make a teaching on them in a simple but conclusive way for the student.
Conclusion
Technology has made significant steps in the educational sector by allowing easy and fast access to learning materials by students. Teacher tube is one example of such technological advancement in education that has gained fame and a large following. The site allows for transfer of educational materials from creators to learners in the form of audio, video and image files. Such technology allows for the spread of materials and improves learning in institutions. Teacher tube has a promising future in that it is picking and more and more people are learning about it hence will have a larger audience in the future.
References
Axley, L. (2009). The integration of technology into nursing curricula: Supporting faculty via the technology fellowship program: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , 13 (3).
Brändström, C. (2011). Using the Internet in Education-Strengths and Weaknesses: A Qualitative Study of Teachers' Opinions on the Use of the Internet in Planning and Instruction.
Cown, W. (2012). Focus on the Student: How to Use Learning Objectives to Improve Learning. Boxes And Crowns , 1-18.
Cummings, T. G., Worley, C. G. (2014). Organization development and change : Cengage learning.
Harder, K. (2014). You Tube: Advantages vs. Disadvantages, 1-6.
Harmer, Jeremy (2016). The Practice of English Language Teaching Essex: Pearson
Issroff, K. Scanlon, E., (2012). Educational Technology: The Influence of Theory: Journal of Interactive Media in Education. 2002 (2) p.Art 6 DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/2002-6
O'neal, C. (2016). Teacher Tube Is a YouTube for Educators. Edutopia , 1-5. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teacher-tube-educational-video-resource
Rawson, B. (2011). Pros and Cons for Teacher tube. Integrating Media & Technology into K12 Curriculum
Thiyagu, K. (2010). Web 2.0 Tools for Classroom applications E-Learning , 1 , 2010.
