Video via the Internet = Thumbs ^UP^

I took a look at TED Talks, which I have loved for several years.  The things one can learn in these 20-minute videos range from awe-inspiring to innovative to just plain cool (& sometimes all three at once!).  I also looked at Math-a-Tube, to see what sorts of things were included on the site.  As in any aggregating site, this one had a wide range of embedded videos -- some looked more useful than others.  I think teachers would need to assess the quality of the content video by video; the most useful aggregate sites are the ones in which the "quality control" selection process has already taken place.  Still, it is great to find video sites that gather and sort a large number of possibilities on a subject/topic, all in one place.

I also love YouTube.  I have watched countless videos; I have shared many, sometimes via email, now more often on my Facebook page.  I often watch the YouTube videos my FB friends have posted on their profiles.  I own an iTouch/iPod, and one of the pre-loaded apps is "YouTube"; I have actually taken the time to search and save to that app YouTube videos that I wanted in my iTouch "video library" (mostly Beatles' performances and clips from "Pride & Prejudice").  I keep intending to do more with YouTube, like exploring Channels... but there are so many other distractions :-)

Here at the Newton Free Library, we could have our own YouTube channel.  We could post videos of Druker programs (author visits, lectures, concerts, etc.), librarian booktalks, and screencasts of how to use databases.  We could also have a widget on our website that would link to our YouTube channel (similar to the Flickr link that we already have).