YouTube Origins

When I started this blog I said that I was striving to become one who was a contributor to the internet and not just a consumer. Yesterday I finally felt like I contributed something to the internet- I posted my first two YouTube videos. Honestly, YouTube has been this final frontier for me. I think of YouTube as the New York of the modern day- If you wanted to make a name for yourself, New York is where you went. I personally don't think that these videos will net that many views in their lifetime but I just enjoy the fact that I have now become a part of this collaborative community of YouTube. A world in which every video is a window into somebody's life and that they are proud of what they are doing. There's something really cool about finally being a member of that community. 

The videos that I posted are a couple conducting practicums that happened this past week. Neither one of them particularly exceptional but I thought that I had to start somewhere. Looking back at all of the old episodes of the YouTube channels that I follow I notice that many of their early videos were less produced and usually at a lower quality of a video. However, if they never started they would have never produced some of the great videos that we have today. These people wanted to do something and went out and did it- conquered challenges that they were sure to have faced.

In whatever way you view YouTube this principle of exploring something that interests you is a great thing to do and an awesome trait to develop in your students. The truth is that not very many of us are truly great when we first start doing something. Take musical instruments for example, yes we can have some aptitude when we first pick up the instrument, but the truth is that we are usually only good compared to the amount of experience that we have- we need to realize this and focus on where we're going. If we only look at where we are we either get caught up in a sense of arrogance or inadequacy- both of which are hindrances in the long-term development of an individual. As people we need to focus on the goal that we are moving towards; as teachers I feel like we should pass this mindset onto our students so they can realize that learning, as well as life, is all about our constant development, celebrating the big and little things, and moving forward every day. 

Lesson for the week: Take a chance and explore what interests you. Look to where you're going, celebrate your accomplishments, but do not lose sight of your goal by getting caught up with the immediate.