YouTube Club - Status Report 1/2 way Through

This school year, I launched several new clubs to replace Minecraft Club (which could no longer run due to recent technology limitations beyond my control). I brainstormed with some classes about what would make good replacements. Based on my schedule, availability (and let's be honest, my own interests), the new clubs offered were

• Comics Club (offered for Primary students, Junior students, and Intermediate students, on Mondays at lunch for a two-month chunk per division - one month for reading comics, one month for writing comics)
• Keva Plank Club (offered on a month-per-grade basis, either on Wednesdays at lunch or Wednesdays after school)
• Board Game Club (open to Grades 4-8, one grade at a time, one month at a time, during lunch on Fridays)
• YouTube Club (reserved for Grades 7-8 together on Thursdays after school for a three-month period)

We are halfway through our YouTube Club time and I thought it'd be beneficial to examine how this new, experimental club was progressing. 

To be frank, I wasn't exactly sure what YouTube Club was going to be like at first. Someone in one of the intermediate classes suggested it, probably not entirely seriously, and the idea intrigued me. When the sign-up list was being circulated, many asked what would happen in YouTube Club and I admitted that I wasn't sure. They told me what they thought could or should occur and that helped shape some of the content. I decided to limit the club to just the intermediate students because there was a chance that they might see something inappropriate and you have to be a certain age to have a YouTube account. (Plus, I didn't want the group to be too big and unmanageable!) I talked about the formation of this YouTube Club with fellow members of the board of the Association of Media Literacy (AML) and they had some fantastic recommendations about possible activities, challenges, videos to watch, and discussion starters. 

There are a couple of things we've done as part of this club that I haven't tried in other clubs I've been involved with. 

1. We established a "code of conduct" and some "ground rules" together. For instance, we limit watching of a single video to five minutes. We also said that no one should be forced to show or watch a video that they don't feel comfortable seeing/hearing.

2. I take meeting notes. I record who attended, link to the videos that were suggested, and summarize some of the discussion that takes place.

I think I've learned more from YouTube Club than the students have! For instance, Neil Andersen, president of the AML, told me about Social Blade, a website that " tracks social media statistics and analytics. Social Blade most notably tracks the YouTube platform, but also has analytical information regarding Twitch, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Mixer, and Dailymotion" (Wikipedia)

To my surprise, not only did the students already know about Social Blade, they had some interesting opinions about accounts that YouTube favours and those it doesn't, regardless of popularity.

Another example - speed settings. I only recently learned how to use the Speed Settings on YouTube, during my attempt to complete all of Sylvia Duckworth's Sketchnote challenges. It was driving me bananas to constantly pause and rewind segments of her tutorials, but then someone told me to change the speed setting of the video to 0.25 and then I was able to follow along at an easier pace. Watching and drawing simultaneously isn't easy!

Me with my Sylvia Duckworth certificate!

Some students were unaware of the speed settings options, but many were. They had plenty to say about why viewers would want to watch a video at a different speed, and they shared a really cool story about a YouTuber who filmed a segment in one speed and had his fans watch it in another, manipulating the viewing stats in a unique way. (I'm not describing it adequately here, so I may need to copy and paste from my meeting notes to properly convey the clever tactic.)

YouTube Club members also took it upon themselves to discuss the advertising that appears before some of the ads, comparing those that pop up at school vs at home, whether or not they skip the ad, and the impact of the ad on them as consumers. (One YouTube Club member is a proud supporter of Grammarly, it seems.)

Another benefit for me is that I've learned more about the interests of my students. We have a lot of students who are huge fans of BTS (a K-pop group). I knew about BTS, thanks to my students and to educator and tweeter Rafranz Davis, but I had never taken the time to watch BTS videos or listen to their songs. YouTube Club provided that time. BTS videos are filled with impressive dance choreography and incredible video production. I think the one I like the best is "Idol", featuring Nikki Minaj, although the students scared me with their description of why it was (or wasn't) appropriate viewing for school. The students like to share the history and fan theories behind the songs, and that makes it interesting. Some members of the YouTube Club have tried to insist we put limits on the number of BTS videos we watch during a club meeting, "because it's YouTube Club, not BTS Club", but so far, we're sticking with our student-centered playlist.

So, it sounds like things are going quite well but there is one part of YouTube Club that has me concerned. YouTube Club, like Comics Club, incorporates multiple grades. For YouTube Club, it's for the Grade 7s and 8s. However, for some reason, the Grade 7s and 8s do not mingle or interact with each other almost at all. In the presence of the Grade 8s (some of whom are big and boisterous), the quiet Grade 7s who are part of the club say nothing. I've made a point of insisting that no one can have a second turn at sharing their favourite YouTube video (with an explanation of why it's beloved) until all those who haven't had a turn and want one get to go. The Grade 7s approached me after all the Grade 8s were gone with their video idea for the following meeting. They wanted to share a video but did not want their names attached to the link and their reasons. How do I ensure they feel comfortable? How can I decrease the divide? 

And while I'm on a roll of asking questions ... what other things could I do with YouTube Club? I still have a list-full of possibilities, but is there anything I'm missing?