SchoolTube: A Safer Video Sharing Option
Click here to view this site on the 5 best alternatives to YouTube
What Is SchoolTube?
SchoolTube.com is “the nation’s largest K-12 moderated video sharing platform, specifically designed for students and educators and is exclusively endorsed by over twenty national education associations.” Their goal is to empower students and teachers through the use of video with a safe, informative, and fun video sharing experience.
What Does It Have To Offer?
Students:
- Create your own videos for projects, homework, and events.
- Watch Schooltube videos created by students and teachers about everything.
- Safely share projects and assignments with teachers, classmates, and peers.
- See what other students are doing around the world.
Teachers:
- Easily & Safely Share Videos.
- SchoolTube is approved for access in schools.
- All videos are moderated by teachers.
- Spark student engagement and classroom discussions with video.
- Show your projects, lessons, and students’ achievement.
- Impact thousands of students and teachers around the world by sharing your ideas.
Click here to read this Time Magazine article on SchoolTube
The Origin And Growth Of SchoolTube
SchoolTube was created by father and son, Carl and Andrew Arizpe in St. Louis. They wanted to make a website that schools would allow to utilize and pass through their strict firewalls. The Website was established in 2007 and has since boasted over 400,000 videos and is used by at least one user from 40,000 schools nationwide.
Why Use SchoolTube?
Many schools block YouTube, so SchoolTube is a safer, more controlled alternative. A teacher in the district where the student uploads the video must approve it before it is posted to the site. SchoolTube is educational and serves as an exciting and engaging alternative to assignments such as reports, and offers an alternative option for a video project. A student can learn a variety of skills and the project can by deemed as authentic because it will be published for a large audience outside the classroom, which encourages students to produce their best quality work. SchoolTube is a large network of educational videos categorized and filed in one location for students to browse and learn from in a safe, educational environment.
How can teachers Get Started With SchoolTube?
Here is a great link from SchoolTube on how teachers can navigate the website in order to ensure their students learn to their potential and have access to this educational vault.
Breathing Life Into Literature Through Technology 
Way to think of both parties for this one Rachel! You talk about how this Schooltube can be used by both students and teachers, which is an obvious win win. You quickly mention how it can be helpful for students and teachers to use, stating that students can use it to learn how to make and publish their own videos, as well as teachers being able to monitor the whole process. Teaching a tool like this can help reinvigorate your students and also develop a technology skill that can be used in the real world. Nice job Rachel.
SchoolTube sounds like a great website. It is so true that Youtube is often blocked and it isn’t always very safe. I will have to remember this site. This is a way to ensure that you are getting a good quality video that is meant for students. This can be very helpful, especially if a teacher wants to use a video to introduce a topic. This is also helpful for students who want to find a video to share in class for a project. Instead of spending a lot of time trying to find a legitimate video on YouTube, they can search through certified and school approved videos. Working with SchoolTube will help teachers to integrate technology in a fun way. Thank you for sharing this valuable source.
This is a great post! I love how this site is school-friendly. I do think watching videos in class can be beneficial to students, but sometimes YouTube doesn’t always have the best options, and most of the time it’s inappropriate stuff. Having a site that serves the same purpose but with teachers moderating it makes the process a lot safer for students. I also think students uploading their own work lets them demonstrate their creative aspects, something every teacher wants for their students.
Raven (Yeah, I said it),
I have heard a little bit about SchoolTube, but your explanation is very informative. Granted YouTube and other sites like it do have merit in the classroom they are not always safe or appropriate for kids and are usually blocked by schools. I think it’s great that teachers have a free option such as SchoolTube and use these technologies to benefit students in a way that is safe. I also heard there is something similar called TeacherTube, which is more of an adult perspective, sharing insights and information about topics. These videos have a lecture like structure as they are designed and usually reported by adults rather than students like in SchoolTube (must check that out as well!). I liked your comments about the teacher connecting students with information. That truly is the essence of education. Great work!