YouTube, an online video streaming site Online video streaming site
Autonomous learningVirtual Exchange
Description: YouTube is an online video-sharing platform where users can view, comment, share, and upload videos. Users can search for all kinds of multimedia content, create channels, and interact with other users through likes, comments, and subscriptions. YouTube is free to use with advertisements. Users do not need an account to visualise videos, but are required to sign up to upload videos and gain access to functionalities such as commenting, adding videos to favourites, following channels, and more. It is available for all kinds of devices in browser and app versions. YouTube was developed by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and was launched in 2005. In 2006, it was acquired by Google.
Evaluation: YouTube is a practical and extremely versatile tool for finding authentic material in a target language. Teachers can find tutorials, explanations, and examples of real-life speech, or even create their own video blog for students. YouTube can also be a collaborative tool where students create their own video projects, upload them on a class channel on YouTube, and comment on each other’s videos. Importantly, videos on a channel can be made visible only to those with a link to them. YouTube provides some editing tools when uploading a video, which require some IT skills.
Cost: Free without registration + premium plan available
Type Of Interaction:
Group/pair work - classmates,
Group/pair work - outsiders,
Individual work,
Individual work,
Presenting (e.g. lecturing, storytelling), 
Skills:
Listening,
Vocabulary,
Grammar,
Pronunciation,
Intercultural,
Content:
Website/other users supply,
You supply,
Usability and tech notes ▼
Time efficiency 
Time needed to learn how to use a tool and its time-saving potential: High.
Interface language(s) The number of languages in which the tool is currently available/adaptable to: Dozens of languages.
Respect for privacy What data does the tool collect and why? What security measures are there? GDPR compliant? : Medium/low. Youtube is owned by Google, which is well known for using user data for behavioural advertising and marketing purposes. However, it offers a high degree of security for data. Youtube collects viewer data to customise its services, such as providing recommendations, personalising search results, and displaying behaviourally tailored ads. Youtube has had multiple copyright issues in the past, as well as occasionally breaching children’s privacy laws. It does not explicitly state compliance with the GDPR. See more here.
Saving work for future use Can work be saved for future use?: Yes, users with an account can save work for future use when uploading and editing a video. They can also save videos to watch later.
Examples of use