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O2learn

http://www.o2learn.co.uk

You have to wonder about their motives, but heck, why not applaud an excellent initiative from O2? They have done their own version of Teachertube. I'm not sure the latter has ever really caught on now that Youtube is widely available to teachers in schools, but o2learn is an upload site which aims to help students with their studies and exam revision. Teachers record and upload five minute "micro lessons". The site specifically targets students aged 13-18, so that may be an advantage over Teachertube. It is moderated for taste, though not necessarily total accuracy, as their FAQs page points out. Even so, they claim to have subject specialists from an external agency who do the checking. A ratings system may deal with that to some extent.

All videos are viewed before appearance on the site and it is supported by a wide range of respected educational organisations. It's in beta form, but a few teachers have already uploaded short teaching videos. I looked at a couple of French ones and discovered local Knaresborough teacher Paul Keogh (MonsieurDerrière) doing his "spelling with your bum". I also watched a sober but effective presentation of compound verbs for AS students.

The site loaded quickly on my ipad, looks good and was easy to navigate, with a separate category for French. They are attracting teachers and schools with monetary prizes for the most watched and highest rated videos too. Worth a look and could be recommended to students. Catchy and clever title too.

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