YouTube, GoogleVideo, and More

Lately, I've been posting some articles with video content from YouTube and GoogleVideo. Both services allow anyone to upload and share their videos on the Internet. All kinds of videos can be found... some high quality and some low, entertaining, educational, bizarre and, of course, inappropriate. Teachers who have found valuable content on these sites have asked me, "How do I display this video and prevent students from viewing the other inappropriate videos?" There are several options; my two suggestions are:

• Download the video and a free Flash video player
• Embed the video into your TeacherWeb site or blog

Download: The advantage of a downloaded video is its location. Now that it's stored on your computer, network, or flash drive you do not have to worry about the Internet connection being slow (or down) during class time. For this reason, most teachers choose the download method. Follow these steps:

1. Copy the web address of the video
2. Paste the address in the empty box at KeepVid.com
3. Click the Download button
4. Select a location to save the video, click the Save button

Great!... but when I double click on the downloaded video, my computer cannot open it. Well, unlike UnitedStreaming, these videos are downloaded in a format called Flash (.flv). This means your computer needs a Flash video player. Download the free player by doing the following:

1. Go to: http://applian.com/flvplayer/?src=GFLV_PLAYER
2. Scroll down to FLV Player
3. Click the Download just FLV Player link
4. Click Run... and Run again
5. Click Next... Install... and Close

The FLV Player is now installed. Open the player by doing the following:

1. Select Start... All Programs... and FLV Player
2. Click File... locate the downloaded video

Embed: The suggestion above works great, but what if you want to post the video on your TeacherWeb site? YouTube and GoogleVideo both give the option of "embedding" videos to websites and blogs. This means the video will play directly from your webpage without seeing other posted videos that could distract students' attention. To embed a video, do the following:

1. Locate the video on YouTube or GoogleVideo
2. From the column on the right, copy the Embed code (when using GoogleVideo, you have to click the Email - Blog button to see the Embed HTML code)
3. Go to your TeacherWeb site, webpage, or blog
4. Paste the embed code in the desired location

If you've located a video, but all of this downloading and embedding seems too hard... give me a call. I'd be glad to guide you through the process.