Video is moving image footage and can be available via the internet (eg on sites such as YouTube) and on DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).
Use of video
Useful to gauge opinion on current issues, but beware – videos on sites such as YouTube can be posted/uploaded by anyone…
More organisations and institutions are now using YouTube in addition to their websites and publications, to publicise their agendas to a wider audience.
What to look for:
Purpose
- What do you think the owner’s purpose was in creating and uploading their video?
Does this affect its usefulness to you?
Authority
- Who made the video?
Can you find out the details of who uploaded the video, or is there only a pseudonym available? If so, is it reliable?
- If it looks like it comes from an academic institution, is this true?
Look out for links back to the university homepage, for instance.
Relevance
- What keywords are used to describe the video?
Video is a visual medium which can be useful for popular culture and creative arts: you can see other people’s work and share your own (especially when uploaded onto YouTube).
Useful links
Open culture (free cultural and educational media) at http://www.oculture.com/2008/04/teaching_on_youtube.html
E-Learning Queen at http://elearnqueen.blogspot.com/2008/03/youtube-criminal-justice-evaluating.html