YouTube for learning and entertainment?
Where do you go when you need to learn something? You may take a class, ask a
friend, read a book in the library or Google it? But do you ever go on YouTube? For
me, it’s often one of the first places I look. Read on to find out more.
How does YouTube work?
Everybody’s heard of YouTube. But most people think about as a source of funny
clips about cats or the place to find music clips. But YouTube is so much more.
YouTube is also a community of YouTube creators who call themselves YouTubers
and many of whom now create content for YouTube as their main job and have
hundreds of thousands of even millions of subscribers on their YouTube channels.
They make money by sharing advertising revenue, selling T-shirts or consulting with
companies.
YouTube has also generated YouTube stars with huge followings who there are
creator conferences that draw thousands of fans (like Vidcon). Among the most
popular genres on YouTube are:
 Let’s plays: recordings of people playing video games with commentary
 Music: From professional music videos to tutorials on how to play the guitar
 Life and beauty advice
 Vlogging: YouTube personalities sharing life and thoughts on video
 Sketch comedy
 How to videos, reviews and education
YouTube safety
Parents and teachers will wonder how safe is YouTube? On average, YouTube is
safer than the Internet as a whole because it excludes explicit adult content and
most egregious violence. However, many videos will use adult language and deal
with adult themes. YouTube also has a comment section that (as any online forum)
can be a place of personal attacks or even bullying.
On balance, the good far outweighs the bad and avoiding YouTube means giving up
on wonderful learning opportunities. But parents should definitely monitor what
their children watch on YouTube – which is made easy by the viewing the History
tab.
What can you learn on YouTube?
You can learn almost anything on YouTube. From small things to whole courses.
Technology
 Reviews of hardware and software
Tip: Before you buy something online, search YouTube to see if somebody’s
reviewed it. It helps seeing things in real life.
 Tutorials on using hardware and software
Tip: When you need to learn how to use some software, search YouTube. You will
likely find several people showing you how to use it.
 Load2Learn tips on assistive technologies
Tip: To get an overview of assistive technologies, have a look at our collection of
tips we created for Load2Learn.
Life skills and hobbies
There is no end of people sharing their hobbies or skills on YouTube. Almost
anything you’d like to see or learn how to do is presented on YouTube. Some
tutorials are of very high quality.
 Cooking
 DYI / Car Repair / Maker skills
 Driving
Page 2
 Make-up and hair
 Musical instruments
 Sailing
 Swimming
Personal YouTube tips
I use YouTube to learn all the time. Here are the things I’ve looked up in the last few
years:
 I bought a Ukulele and a Mandolin and learned to play them entirely using
YouTube tutorials. I also use YouTube videos to learn how to play particular
songs on the guitar or the piano.
 I use YouTube as a cookbook. I find it much more useful to see the process of
cooking something rather than just a recipe.
 I was wondering if I’m swimming the breast stroke correctly, so I looked up a
demonstration video on YouTube.
 I’ve looked at a video on how to change a headlight on my car (and decided it’s
better to have someone else do it)
 I’ve made the decision on whether a phone I wanted to buy is too large by
watching someone demonstrate it on YouTube. It was just right.
 I learned how to remove the background from a photo in Photoshop.
School subjects at all levels
But YouTube is also the place to go for more academic learning. There are videos for
learners of all ages and all subjects. From learning to read with synthetic phonics to
particle physics of Greek philosophy.
General Learning Channels
Some channels cover a variety of subjects.
 Khan Academy is the best known and focuses on school subjects. It is
comprehensive (covers the entire curriculum) and comprehensible but very
learning focused. It is particularly good for maths and science revision.
 Crash Course covers more highlights of various subjects and focuses on making
learning fun.
Page 3
Maths and Science
In addition, there are channels that have a very particular focus.
 Mathematics
 Numberphile
 Vi Hart
 Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology)
 ASAP Science
 Brainscoop
 Doctor Mad Science
 MinutePhysics
 Periodic Videos
 Veritasium
 Vsauce
 SciShow
 Smarter Every Day
 Sex education
 Laci Green
 Sexplanations with Dr Lindsey Doe
Humanities
 Crash Course
 CGP Grey
 Tom Richie
 Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Languages
 English
 Phonics in different styles
 Foreign languages (for instance French)
Entertainment and Gaming
 Let’s Plays for children, teenagers and adults (for examples: Stampy - minecraft)
 Cereal Time
 Good Mythical Morning
Page 4
 Vlog brothers
 Epic Mealtime
 Epic Rap Battles of history (contains adult themes and language)
 Mental Floss
Alternatives to YouTube for learning from video?
There are other places you can learn things by watching instructional video. These
are often not free but may be worth the money if you need specialist skills.
 Lynda.com paid subscription to courses and tutorials on all subjects (mostly
related to technology).
 Udemy.com free and paid courses on many subjects.
 Sites for specific subjects (IT Pro TV for course certification, Drupalize.me for
videos about the free CMS Drupal).
Share your favourite channels
Let us know what are your favourite YouTube channels for learning on Facebook.
Page 5