For my final project, I will examine the ways in which video can enhance learning in our unit on Westward Expansion in U.S. history. I am inspired by the new character education program in our school, which used several brief, 2-minute video scenes as launching points for great discussions about character. I am encouraged by the new YouTube channel for teachers, which demonstrates a growing need for educationally sound and child-safe videos. I am intrigued by the potential of video to capture moments in time and historical perspectives. And I am challenged by the possibilities of using video as the basis for a flipped classroom.

For my final project, I will be asking, and hopefully answering, a number of questions, about the use of YouTube and other video sharing sites:

·        Do these video sites offer meaningful video content for my classes?

·        Do these video sites offer developmentally appropriate content?

·        How can I safely share these videos with my students?

·        How can I use video to prepare my students for the flipped instruction?

·        How can I find good video material?

·        How can I store the links or the material itself?

·        How can I edit the material so that I only use what I want?

·        How can I do all of this efficiently?

When I am done, I expect to be a much more efficient and effective user of video in the classroom, demonstrated by the ways that I embed video into my unit on Westward expansion.