10 Recommended YouTube Edu-tainment Channels

These YouTube channels provide a wealth of entertaining educational content for use in or out of the classroom.

Guest Post By Katie Brunson

YouTube can be a great technological resource for teachers to use in the classroom. But with so many videos and channels, how can educators find quality content without watching hours of video? Here are ten great channels that are certain to provide educational content worthy to spark student’s minds.

By the way, if you are concerned about having students come across inappropriate content on YouTube, you can choose to embed selected videos or a playlist in a web page, so they don't have to go to YouTube to watch them. This page provides resources that show you to tackle this.

1. Smithsonian Videos – From the national museum complex in the nation’s capital comes this channel, with resources on everything from art and history to science and technology. The playlists on this channel are well organized so that it’s easy to find what you’re looking for.

2. TED Talks – These lectures from experts in all areas are best for high school and college students. This is another well-organized channel that organizes videos by topics such as the ocean, the workings of our brains, and life lessons. Some talks have featured famous speakers such as Bill Clinton, Jane Goodall, and Bill Gates.

3. PBS – This resource is great for showing children artistic performances, scientific documentaries, and more. It is also a great way to access programs such as NOVA and Masterpiece Theatre.

4. Biography Channel – This channel is great to use when your class is leaning about important historical figures. The lives of authors, scientists, presidents, thinkers, and more can apply to lessons in almost any subject.

5. National Geographic – Unlike other YouTube channels, this one offers full programs. There are over 3000 uploaded videos on all kinds of science topics. While there are ads on this channel, the quality of the content makes up for it.

6. The Real Bill Nye the Science Guy – Bill Nye is still one of the best video resources for teaching science to children. This channel offers clips from each one of his 100 shows on various science topics.

7. Discovery Channel – Here is another resource for educational clips in science and technology. This channel offers clips from their popular shows such as How Stuff Works and Mythbusters.

8. Reel NASA – This is the official NASA resource for students who are learning about space and space travel. There are videos featuring inside views of the International Space Station, interview with real astronauts, and much more.

9. American Museum of Natural History – If you teach science, biology, geography, or another natural history field, this is the channel for you. There are playlists on all kinds of interesting topics such as dinosaurs, space, and the human brain.

10. Khan Academy – The mission of Khan Academy is to provide a free education to anyone anywhere. It offers videos on practically every topic imaginable, so you’re likely to find just what you need to show in class. It’s also a great resource to offer to your students for extracurricular learning.

And No. 11 – a bonus! The YouTube Education Category: www.youtube.com/education, which provides lots of educational video content, grouped by grade levels and related categories.

This article was written by Katie Brunson, who has over 15 years of experience working in student services at various colleges in the Midwest. Her website, Associates Degrees, is a resource for students interested in earning an associate's degree.

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