Blocking of You Tube within TAFE - feedback required!

Ready-Made Videos that work behind Firewalls or Embedded in Web Sites

From a discussion on Sue Water's eTools and Tips for Educators

One of our members has asked on her page "Where to find ready-made videos suitable for learning (that work behind TAFE firewalls or if embedded somewhere)." Now I know for many this is a very important question!

 This discussion on institutional blocking of video sites such as You Tube is timely for me.

I'm preparing a report for our Technical Services division to:

• justify why social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo, MySpace etc, and video sharing sites such as YouTube/Google Video should be unblocked on the student network
• implications for bandwidth usage and cost if we open up access.

I am Ed Tech manager at West Coast TAFE.  One project currently running under the Australian Flexible Learning Framework, Youth at Risk, Heutagogy funding, has granted access to GATE (Gaining Access to Training and Employment) students to these sites.

We are gaining valuable knowledge about potential and implications 

Initially, I believed that if I just demonstrated the potential of the tools, I would achieve change.

As time goes by I think we do ourselves a disservice if we don't look seriously at the implications being raised.  These are influencing the blockers. We need to be actively creating innovative solutions to manage the risks. 

If we work collectively on developing these solutions, it will become difficult to justify blocking. 

Anyone interested?

Comments

[Michael Coghlan]

Very interested Harriet. And good on you for getting this ball rolling. I'd be happy to read and maybe add to any drafts you come up with.

[Louise Kelly]

I think we are being arrogant as educators to not attempt to communicate with the 'yof' by trying new forms of communication. Myspace etc is obviously the method that they use and they cannot understand why we don't use it. It is burying our heads in the sand pretending and not aknowleging that things have changed and communication has evolved. I would like to be able to use myspace at work and also show some of the incredible videos available from youtube. It is crazy to block good resources, especially as the students in the know quickly pass around bypass codes and systmes to each other anyway. Keep up the battle Harriet!

[Joseph De Araujo]

Hi Harriet,
Did you get anywhere with this in your college/institute? I'm glad to say that after months of working with picasa & google video to broadcast videos our institute finally unblocked youtube. If you are still behind a firewall that doesn't seem to be coming down for youtube, you might want to look at using google video to host your videos. I can give you some pointers and links to tools, so give me a holler if you need help.

[Harriet Wakelam]

Hi Joseph, yes, things relaxed considerably and I know in NSW You Tube was recently unblocked - so I think significant changes are happening, and finally these tools are being seen as essential to teaching and learning - thanks for the support :)