How To Use YouTube In Your History Class

Written by Lee Crockett | June 25, 2014

"There are so many informative and fascinating videos on YouTube, generously provided for free by caring subscribers wanting to share their knowledge and expertise. Find out from Katie Lepi how to make the most of this great classroom resource for history in the following Edudemic article."

Can you imagine the level of first-hand knowledge today’s students would have if their classrooms came equipped with time machines? Well, believe it or not, they do. Teachers can turn to YouTube to create a virtual time machine.

Thanks to uploads of old footage, documentaries and reenactments, YouTube offers a plethora of opportunities to experience history. But wading through countless hours of videos, some appropriate and many not, can be a major undertaking. The handy infographic below allows teachers to take their students on an educational trip through history. Keep reading to learn more!

How To Use YouTube To Relive History

What historical events can you ‘relive’ via YouTube (even if video hadn’t been invented yet)?

The Gettysburg Address
Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
JFK Assassination
Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have A Dream’ Speech
The Landing on the Moon

Where To Start There are a lot of ‘big name’ places that have YouTube channels that offer tons of educational content. Here are a few favorites.

Council on Foreign Relations
US National Archives
World History and Other Stuff
NASA
Education
Library of Congress
Timelife
US Holocaust Memorial Museum

A Few Tips

Make sure to watch all videos in full to determine classroom appropriateness
Use tools to cut videos if necessary (there are lots of free options online)
Start with videos from reputable channels
You can ask for password protected access to YouTube if your school blocks it
Or, you can download videos at home and show them in class

—Via Edudemic