"Step"ping into YouTube

The Hope

No matter what you teach, you're probably using YouTube videos. Whether its your own content or videos from other creators, YouTube (and video is general) allows learners to watch and re-watch content as much as they'd like. What if there was a tool that would allow you to make YouTube videos even more accessible for students? Enter Stepify.

The Dope

One the best things about using video is its "repeatability." When something is discussed in real life, it's a one time opportunity. When it's recorded, it can be paused, rewound, and played as many times as necessary. In addition, YouTube features closed captions that can be read. When YouTube videos are added to Stepify, the video is broken down into steps. This allows a viewer access the original video on YouTube as well as the "steps" of the video. Think of these "steps"as a summary of the video that is organized into "chapters."

A viewer can now get the gist of the video without have to watch the entire thing especially if the video is a longer one. This is a great tool for all learners to have access to, but especially English language leaders. The text steps can present the big ideas of the video, but can also be copy and pasted into translation tools like immersive reader, which is integrated into tools like Wakelet and Canvas Learning Management System.

Did I mention that Stepify is free, keeps track of any YouTube videos that have been "stepified," and can be embedded into your learning management system through the use of an iframe generator?

The Nope

There's not a lot to complain about with Stepify. It would be great if they added time stamps to steps so that a viewer would know where to go to listen to the content they're reading. With a price tag of "0," this would be nitpicking. Like any ai tool, care should be given to evaluate the output of the tool for accuracy before sharing with learners.

Have your tried Stepify? Comments with your thoughts.