Introduction

Google appears to be the king of all search engines and knowledge. When the letter “A” is entered into the search box it brings up countless information from names of people to what is the habitat of the aardvark. It seems that the website YouTube.com is at a steady increase too, and “ …it has quickly become the most widely used resource for online video in the United States” (Burke, Snyder, Rager, 2009, p. 2). Their links can be found on other sites such as Google.com. YouTube has made such a giant impact that, “…people are watching 2 billion videos a day on YouTube and uploading hundreds of thousands of videos daily. In fact, every minute, 24 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube” (YouTube, 2010). The countless numbers of videos ranging from respectable films to disturbing iPhone clips fill the web-space, and among these are the “how to” videos that seem to be easier to access than going to a lecture.

“How to” videos on YouTube mainly consist of cooking demos, software trouble-shooting, hair care tips and other various videos that will teach even a seven year old how to build a car. Also “…some information is educational, and may be provided by various government and community agencies” (Burke, Snyder & Rager, 2009, p. 2). These sources of information appear to be not only a replacement for the every day textbook, but the every day teacher. As new media continues to creep in, students are connected more to sissy311@youtube.com on YouTube, than to Mrs. Larson in the classroom.

Is this true? If so, then why are teachers still here? It seems as though a war has begun between the students, teachers, and the ever-changing technology.