Platform Choice and Justification
For this assignment I have chosen to analyze Youtube. Youtube is a great place to learn about a variety of topics from how to do your math homework, to how to fix your car. Youtube is filled with tons of creators who publish videos on every subject there is. For me personally, I have always found Youtube useful when I need a visual demonstration on how something is done. For example it is where I go to learn how to do certain math equations, and to learn how to work a specific crochet stitch. Youtube is probably the social learning platform I use the most, second only to brightspace, but what makes a social learning platform useful?
Analytical Framework
The characteristics of a great social learning platform vary depending on how the specific platform is going to be used, but there is a general set of rules you can follow to evaluate a platform on how useful it could potentially be. The acronym STUDENTS, from Opentextbc, (2015) in this week’s readings, lays out eight goals to keep in mind when choosing a social learning platform. The acronym stands for Students, Ease of use, Costs, Teaching functions, Interaction, Organizational issues, Networking, Security and privacy. Each of these goals invites you to think about how the platform you choose could potentially benefit learners, along with what its downsides may be. This is very important information to keep in mind when deciding what social learning platform to use, whether in, or out of a classroom.
Platform Analysis
When we look at Youtube with students in mind what we are doing is asking ourselves, is Youtube taking into account differences in how students learn, will it be easy for students to access, and does it fit the student demographic. Youtube does a brilliant job at explaining subjects to students who learn differently. For example you can find step by step math videos that show the problem with physical objects, or on a white board. Most topics can be found explained multiple ways on Youtube. Personally, I have an autistic cousin who will watch someone on Youtube talk about how much they enjoy a certain subject while making that subject fun, in turn they are able to better focus on the subject of interest. Youtube will most likely be widely accessible for any student who has access to a device, and wifi. Most schools, and/or people have a device that can connect to wifi so students can learn from almost anywhere. I know I will watch Youtube in the most random places, like the airport. When we look at Youtube in terms of how easy it is to use, most of us will agree that it is really easy to use. All you have to do is search up a topic of choice and scroll till you find a video that looks interesting, and if you start watching and realize you don’t like that specific video all you have to do is pick a different one. Youtube even allows you to easily reply, like, dislike, or save a video to watch later which can be helpful tools. In terms of the cost of Youtube, it is free for anyone to use, unless you want to pay for a subscription to watch it without ads. For a teacher, or anyone else wanting to use Youtube as a social learning platform, it is a huge bonus that it is free. There are so many platforms out there that want you to pay a subscription in order for you to use it. As for teaching functions, Youtube doesn’t really have specific teaching functions, other than the content of videos. When we take a look at how one can interact with Youtube we see that it is very easy to interact with, with lots of affordances present, showing us how the platform can be used. For example the like button, share, and search buttons which are specifically shaped like the symbols we see everywhere that we identify with these. When it comes to organisational issues one has to consider how their organisation, and the platform they chose will work together. For example some platforms require a paid subscription to use, and not all organisations have the money to pay for that. Luckily, Youtube is free, but organisations still have to consider whether Youtube will work for them. When I went to high school Youtube had a filter on what we could, and could not search on the schools wifi to make sure we weren’t looking up inappropriate things. This could be a good measure for lower grade levels where students may, or may not know what is appropriate to search. Next, when looking at Youtube in terms of networking it is shown that while we get a broad perspective on many subjects, we don’t get the opportunity to network with others as much as other platforms. For example Brightspace allows one to reach out to other classmates, along with teachers for support. Youtube only allows you to reply to videos, where your comment may, or may not be replied to. Lastly, when looking at the network, and privacy of Youtube we are met with some mixed reviews. Some say Youtube doesn’t have a good privacy policy, while Youtube itself shares that they let users control how Youtube collects, and uses their data. Youtube does this by allowing users to change their preferences in privacy settings, so that they can control how Youtube uses their data. This can be a helpful tool when it comes to a social learning platform, because we do not always want the platforms we use to control our data, or store it for alternate uses. Personality I like having the ability to control how my personal data on Youtube is being used.
Reflection and Implications
After analysing Youtube it became apparent that the learner, and their needs/capabilities matter when considering if the platform is the right fit as a social learning platform. In this case Youtube can be great for older individuals who are able to sift through a vast variety of videos, be mindful about their data, and consider what is appropriate to search. This platform could prove more difficult for younger learners who do not understand these things. It could also prove harder for learners who want to network, and connect with others because Youtube doesn’t have as many opportunities for that. While Youtube is great for me as a visual learner, these key concepts on how to choose the right social learning platform can be useful when considering other potential platforms.
References
YouTube privacy settings to protect your data. (n.d.). How YouTube Works. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.youtube.com/intl/ALL_ca/howyoutubeworks/privacy/
Chapter 8: Choosing and using media in education: The SECTIONS model – teaching in a digital age. (2015, April 5). Opentextbc.Ca. https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/part/9-pedagogical-differences-between-media/