YouTube and a 1925 Ford Model T?

In a previous post, I paid tribute to my grandfather who recently passed away at the age of 95. He had a very fine collection of vintage cars, and when he passed, many of them were scheduled to be sold at auction. He was particularly fond of his 1925 Ford Model T, because that was the same make and model that he drove to high school as a kid. Due to his affinity for this car, I did not want it to leave the family. Fortunately, I was able to buy the car at auction and keep this heirloom within the family. I look forward to the day when I can show my grandkids the car their great, great grandfather drove as a high school student.

Although I was euphoric that I was able to obtain the car, I soon realized that with this purchase came some interesting challenges. First, when I encounter engine trouble of any kind, I am one of those guys who opens the hood and looks inside even though I have absolutely no idea what I am looking at. If being mechanically challenged were a disability, I would be the poster child!

First, I didn't even know how to start the "Tin Lizzy". I turned the key, but nothing happened. Hmmmmm.

Furthermore, when you sit in a Model T, there are three very confusing pedals on the floor and two even more confusing controls on the steering wheel. I quickly found myself wishing that I had asked grandpa how to drive this thing!

So here I was with this beautiful antique car that we had pushed into my garage (because I couldn't drive it!), and I had absolutely no idea how to start it; let alone drive it. What to do? YouTube of course.

Excitedly, I went inside and began searching YouTube for videos. I quickly found a video explaining how to prepare the car for starting and how to work the unique crank start system. I watched the video and then went right out to my garage, and the car started like I actually knew what I was doing.

Then I watched another video showing how to work the various controls so I could actually pull the car out of my garage. I then watched another video just to make sure the two gave consistent instructions. After this, I was ready to put my new learning to work, and believe it or not, my daughter actually witnessed me drive it around the block.

After basking in the glory of my modest success, I starting thinking about the irony of using a Web 2.0 tool to learn to drive a car that is nearly 85 years old. It also reinforced much of what I have been reading regarding the value of YouTube as an instructional tool. With the vast array of information being posted on a daily basis to YouTube, we educators can find video to support nearly any classroom topic we discuss. Say you are looking for video to support your classroom study of "To Kill a Mockingbird", the Pythagorean Theorem, the Theory of Relativity, the Gettysburg Address, or the proper dead lifting technique, you can find it all on YouTube.

The plethora of free multimedia information available via Web 2.0 makes me believe that the classroom videos and DVD's we used to show will soon be considered ancient relics of the past. Instead, the multimedia we use in the classroom will be "just in time" via the web, which will provide a richer and more meaningful learning experience for our students.

Web 2.0 is rapidly changing the classroom as we remember it. Technology is quickly replacing the textbook as well as the support materials we have traditionally used. If I can learn to drive a 1925 Model T via YouTube, don't you think kids could benefit from this learning tool as well? The kids are ready for us to move to Web 2.0, because most of them are already there. The question is, will public education lead the way or follow?