Smart Notebook Tips & Tricks - Embed YouTube Videos into Notebook

Up until very recently, the only way to embed a YouTube video into SMART Notebook was to convert it to a Flash Video File and then import it into Notebook.  The biggest issue with this method, besides the time it took to complete, was the degradation of quality when you enlarged the video.  For those of you who haven't given up on YouTube in Notebook, it's time to celebrate!  Watch the tutorial below which will walk you through the process of setting up a widget for embedding video into Notebook.  Note:  In the video a download is referenced...you can get it here.

Presidential Town Hall Debate T-Pain Style

When it comes to the presidential debates, I find that a lot of students are interested in watching while others are completely avoiding it altogether.  For those students who are not really sure about the debates and their content you can offer them this video which is a condensed version of the town hall debates where audience members are allowed to ask questions of the candidates.  This video is a little different because it has been remixed to be a song complete with T-Pain autotune effects.  Very interesting three minutes...

If you would like to show your students the actual debate from Tuesday night, you can view it here.

H/T to Mashable

YouTube for Teachers

I recently checked in on the YouTube Teacher Channel to see if there was anything new and what I found is something very useful for teachers using YouTube in their classroom.  On the YouTube Teacher Channel you can now search by subject and grade level to find videos that will fit with your curriculum standards and class lessons.  Check out the image below to see how nice and easy it is to find videos that have been hand selected by teachers for your classroom.  In addition to the video library, users can also access content about how to start a YouTube channel as well as other tips for getting started with YouTube in the classroom.

Now What?

You may not be ready to start recording your lessons and "flipping" your classroom but YouTube is a great resource for bringing concepts to life and engaging your digital natives.  If you are using YouTube already, be sure to check out "A Cleaner YouTube" which is a Google Chrome extension for removing the clutter around your video.

Periodic Table Videos

I recently discovered a great site created by the University of Nottingham in the UK called The Periodic Table of Videos.  On this site you can click on each individual element and watch a video about that element and it's characteristics.  All of these videos can also be access on their YouTube site which also has other videos about scientific stories as well as their latest creation The Molecular Videos which are focused on molecules and compounds.

Now What?

The Periodic Table of Videos is a great site to use while teaching about the different elements and what makes them special.  The videos on their channel are very short (for the most part one minute or two) and very informative.  While we are talking about elements, you can check out this interactive period table which allows you to sort them in all different ways and this visual periodic table which has some great information about each element.  Ready to test your knowledge...check out these games by Sheppard Software broken out by knowledge.

Cleaner YouTube

If you are using Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Sarari you have to check out this app created by a Cleaner Internet.  In short...it takes a convoluted YouTube video page and cleans it up leaving just the video (you can choose to show comments, etc.).  You can even dim the lights to focus on the video itself and my favorite feature which is to share a link to the cleaner video for other users.  Check out the difference below:

YouTube Homepage

YouTube Homepage with Clea.nr

Video View on YouTube

Video View with Clea.nr

Chill | Find and Share Video Playlists

Chill is a website similar to Pinterest where you can search for videos grouped together by subject.  On the Chill website you can create an account with Facebook and then start creating folders of video to share with the world.  As a teacher this would be a great place for you to go looking for new video content to share with your students.  Currently Chill supports YouTube, Vimeo, VEVO and Hulu but I also found videos from the Huffington Post as well.  Take a look below for a screenshot of a search results page...

Now What?

The next time you are looking for some video for your classroom give Chill a shot.  This could also be a great place for you to start curating the web and collecting playlists of video that you want to share with your students for each unit.  I'm still wondering how they were able to secure the domain chill.com in the year 2012!?!

YouTube Teacher Channel

Is there a better way to connect with today's students than video?  Many teachers will tell you that multimedia and video in particular is what is engaging to today's tech savvy students.  Those teachers are using YouTube on a daily basis to mesh with their lesson plans and instruction.  For quite some time, YouTube was a place where "anything goes" was the attitude.  Today is different.  EDU YouTube is now a place where teachers don't have to worry about inappropriate related videos or annoying advertisements surrounding their selection.  Furthermore, the teacher's channel on YouTube is an extraordinary place.  On this channel, you can search by content area as well as grade level to find videos that are appropriate for your students and focused on your topic.  

Now What?

Not sure how to incorporate video into your classroom?  Check out the video below for some ideas...

YouTube Resources

Just about every teacher is using YouTube in their classroom these days but there are a lot of speed bumps that could derail you and prevent you from using a video.  Some of the common pitfalls are that YouTube is blocked entirely, videos have ads and comments surrounding the content, the part you want starts halfway through video, you want to show the video in Smart Notebook, etc.  Let's take a look today at how you can account for these issues and move beyond them...

Showing YouTube Video without Comments, Related Videos, etc.
You have a great video to show to students but YouTube always has inappropriate related videos or comments popping up.  You could embed the video (see below) or you could use ViewPure which is a site designed to clean up YouTube videos in a jif.  ViewPure couldn't be easier to use...simply paste in the video's URL, click "create" and voila you have a link to a completely clean YouTube video without anything surrounding the content.  You can even get a toolbar button which will provide you with one-click cleanup.


Modifying Start and End Times of YouTube Videos
There is a great video you want to show but it's twenty minutes long and the part you want to watch is ten minutes into the video.  You don't want to have to mess around with the play slider to find the right spot so what are you going to do?  TubeChop is a site designed to allow you to chop a YouTube video into segments to share with others.  Once on the site, drop in the URL and then use TubeChop's editing features to snip the segment you want to use.  From there you can then embed the video or share it using a link.


Showing YouTube Video without Access to YouTube.
You have a great video to show to students but YouTube is blocked and you cannot find the video anywhere else.  You could embed the video (see below) or you could use ViewPure (see above)


Embedding YouTube Video in Smart Notebook or Other Applications
You're creating a lesson on public speaking using Smart Notebook and you want to include a video of a bad speech from YouTube.  There is no way to embed using Smart Notebook and you cannot access the code to include a link.  What do you do?  Simply head over to Online Covert and drop your URL into the box provided.  Shortly thereafter you will have yourself a FLV file that can be downloaded and imported into Smart Notebook for viewing.  On this site you can even start and stop the video at a certain time or resize it.  Once you have the FLV file from Online Covert, click on insert in Smart Notebook and then choose "Flash Video File".  This is also a great way to download YouTube videos for showing them on the go without internet access.

YouTube Companion Sites

Many teachers love the videos that are a part of YouTube's community but don't really like the fact that the students will then see the related videos, comments and sidebar advertisements that come along with watching a video on YouTube.  ViewPure is a super simple way to get around this issue.  You simply copy the URL for the video that you want to watch and then paste it into a box on ViewPure and your video is created.  You can even link to the video like this.  Other sites to check out include A Cleaner Internet and SafeShare.

Now What?

This is an excellent way to share YouTube videos in your class with students who are easily distracted.  The link feature is also a great way to share a video with your students when they are viewing from home and you don't want them to watch other videos on YouTube by clicking from your homework assignment.  

Embed a Video on Edline

Using video in your classroom is an excellent way to get students engaged and thinking about a topic outside of the traditional avenues.  Embedding video is a clean way to share video with students and it can even be done within Edline.  Check out the video tutorial below to see how you can embed a YouTube video on your Edline site.