YouTube
Principal function(s): Autonomous learningVirtual ExchangeGroup/pair work - outsidersPresenting (e.g. lecturing, storytelling)Whole classListeningSpeakingPronunciationTeacherStudentYou SupplyWebsite/other users supply
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 view videos, but signing up is required to upload videos and gain access to features such as commenting, adding videos to favourites, following channels, and more. YouTube is available for all kinds of devices in browser and app versions. It was developed by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and was launched in 2005. In 2006, Google acquired YouTube.
Evaluation: YouTube is a practical and 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 to a class channel, and comment on each other’s work. Importantly, videos on a channel can be made visible only to those with a link to them. YouTube also offers user-friendly editing tools for uploading videos.
Cost: Free + premium plan available.
Website: https://www.youtube.com
Best practice
Pronouncing a poem
Youtube based task
Categories
Type Of Interaction
- Group/pair work - outsiders
- Individual work
- Presenting (e.g. lecturing, storytelling)
Skills
- Listening
- Speaking
- Pronunciation
Content
- Website/other users supply
- You supply
Usability
Interface 
User-friendliness/complexity of the tool´s interface
Intuitive, straightforward.
Time efficiency Time needed for mastering the „how-to“ of the tool and a production of a task
High.
Interface language(s) The number of languages in which the tool is currently available/adaptable to
Dozens of languages.
Respect for privacy Does the tool require registration? Who can see my data? Can I remain anonymous?
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 data security. 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 Possiblity to save your or others´ work for reuse/reproduction
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.
Tailorability (If so, how?) Possibility of the tool to be used for a range of different activities (e.g. to what extent you can organize a project assignment with a central activity based on this tool)
To some extent; users can browse YouTube to find thousands of user-made videos to suit their needs.
Technical requirements
Installation required?
Not for the browser-based version; yes for the apps.
Compatibility/ Operating System
Any browser; Android, iOS.
Other technical requirements