Advantages of using YouTube for online training

YouTube is the largest video sharing platform, and since the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, it is an interesting tool for elearning experts.

Social media has penetrated deeply into every space of our lives. Our every little need is just a click away, which has made our lives relatively easier and more convenient. Social media covers updating and learning about everything, such as health, politics, technology, finance, science, math, and education. This article focuses on how YouTube is affecting education.

The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, and 90 percent of the information transmitted to the brain is visual. YouTube has proven to be an effective educational tool because it responds to these characteristics of the human body (as it shares videos) and because it connects academics, educators, and researchers around the world and provides interesting, reliable, and engaging content that has added a new dimension to education by making it innovative and more creative.

A growing trend for education

The availability of free, high-quality informational videos on platforms such as YouTube is a key aid in modern learning environments. Educators and students agree on the effectiveness of online videos as a learning tool since they can be easily integrated into a variety of educational systems, both in traditional and online education. Video-assisted learning is a new trend in education as it offers students an interesting way to learn and understand complex concepts and topics. In fact, since the pandemic, YouTube channels dedicated to education and eLearning have gained a huge number of subscribers as students around the world have been asked to take lessons from home.

YouTube: the features

YouTube is home to 2 billion active users, and approximately 500 hours of video content is uploaded to this platform every minute. One of the key features of YouTube for training is that the duration of videos can range from less than a minute to several hours, unlike other major social media where the duration of videos is a few minutes at most. So YouTube can be a great tool for online learning because it can play a significant role in making the learning process effective and enriching. When the learning experience is interesting and effective, the retention and engagement rate increases to increase the overall effectiveness of an online lesson or course. Using YouTube videos in the classroom can be useful for teachers and fun for students. Students are more engaged with visually motivating activities and are more likely to focus when watching videos rather than reading text in books and notes.

For further clarity, below we have explained some advantages of using YouTube as a resource of learning materials for your online education.

• A rich source of learning resources.

YouTube educational videos help students take advantage of a variety of visual learning sources. Visual learning is becoming increasingly important since we are surrounded by the screens of our cell phones, computers, and TVs. This social media provides students with free access to quality visual content. For now, educators tend to select videos to share with students, but there is also a growing trend to encourage students to self-study by asking them to do research to find relevant instructional videos on a specific topic. In this way, teachers can focus more on students' learning needs instead of spending more time explaining complex concepts and topics.

• Reduces the cost of online training.

Creating an instructional video is not very expensive, and educators can create videos without spending a lot of money, even if they simply use a smartphone camera. Once the videos are created, you can upload them to your YouTube channel for free. From YouTube, the videos uploaded to your channel can then be easily integrated into any online education system to help students. Similarly, students can access all videos anytime and anywhere at no cost. As a result, YouTube videos can play a key role in reducing the overall cost of online education and help students learn even if they do not have enough money.

•  Mobile and micro learning

Microlearning is one of the great advantages of using YouTube for online education. Since videos of any length can be uploaded to YouTube, instructional videos can be uploaded to use or share exactly what is needed to facilitate student learning. These can be 15-minute videos summarizing lessons and short videos of a few minutes to introduce the lesson. Since YouTube videos are easily accessible on various mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops, they can be watched perfectly anywhere.

• Facilitates admissions and other processes.

Educational institutions can use video content to facilitate online learning for distance learners in several ways. One of them is to facilitate students' admissions processes through video content. They can create short but detailed videos to help students understand what they need to do for course registration and admission, even without visiting the institution or asking others. Providing more details about courses and campus areas through YouTube videos also helps prospective students feel excited as they receive useful information about the institution they are about to enroll in.

The Studies

In a study published in 2021 and titled "A study of YouTube as an effective educational tool," the question is asked whether YouTube has benefits for education.

According to the study, YouTube has a great impact on students' education and learning experience. Specifically, the researchers concluded that YouTube: "It helps add an innovative and interesting new dimension to the traditional educational system. From students to teachers, YouTube has made the method of learning and teaching simple. Topics with difficult concepts and complex theories become fun thanks to audiovisual content. Educators around the world upload content to YouTube that gives students the opportunity to learn the world's view on the topic. Teaching, concepts, ideas, and information from around the world are available. With YouTube, you are not limited to the knowledge of one teacher or one way of teaching, but you have different options regarding educators and ways of teaching. The old routinized method of learning is replaced by conceptual and visual learning. This pedagogical method engages students and helps them memorize things by knowing how it actually happens."

However, another study published in the same year warns us about some of the platform's limitations. The study, titled "Potentials and Limitations of Educational Videos on YouTube for Science Communication," shows that both social status and individual predispositions influence the outcome of educational videos. Specifically, the study points out that the operation of YouTube's algorithm can pose a problem for education. In fact, this algorithm recommends user videos based on information such as social status, political views, gender, etc. In other words, the platform suggests content based on the information it has about me, and this has an impact on the quality of the videos that are recommended to me. The study also points out that educational videos on YouTube could function as a tool for disseminating scientific information. However, the platform itself, users' socio-economic status in media use, preferences and literacy, social status and interests are likely to influence the search for instructional videos.

This makes it imperative for both educators and those who use YouTube for educational purposes to know how to use this platform properly. Knowing how to behave on social, from recognizing the sources from which information comes, how to protect students from sensitive content, and how to respect copyright rules is essential for those who want to use social media for purposes beyond being a pastime

Tips for those who want to use YouTube for education

Resources for educators

If you are an educator you may be interested in using the educational content offered by YouTube. For interesting lessons and educational resources, visit channels with content certified by the platform itself, check out such as youtube.com/teachers and youtube.com/GoogleforEducation.

Using videos in the classroom

YouTube does not own the content posted on the site and is therefore unable to grant permission to use it. Only the actual owner or creator of the content can grant such permission and you should contact them before using it.

Teach students to stay safe

Teaching students the concept of "Digital Citizenship" is an important initiative to protect them and teach them how to use these platforms. Several videos can be found online, some promoted by YouTube on topics such as:

• YouTube's policies
• How to report content on YouTube
• How to protect privacy online
• How to be responsible members of the YouTube community.
• How to be engaged digital citizens

Avoid potentially controversial content

If you use YouTube in a class of minors, we highly recommend to turn on the content "Restricted Mode," a feature that allows you to specify that you do not want to see potentially controversial content on YouTube.