What do you use YouTube for? Figuring out how to open the hood of your car? Rewatching that hilarious SNL skit? Carpool Karaoke? Uploading a video from vacation for your blog? Obviously this is what I use it for. In the past several weeks, as I have been spending new, and creative time with my students, I have found that YouTube is waaaaaay different for the younger generation. I mean, it’s not like there weren’t warning signs. PewDiePie for instance. I didn’t even have to look up how to spell that (deep sigh). I’d heard about how “hilarious” he was, but didn’t ever, actually watch him, I just learned the spelling to help students spell correctly in their writing. And there have been the various students at 5th Grade Progression that have wanted to grow up and be a “YouTuber”. What does that actually mean? I helped them with their speeches, but just sort of shrugged it off, because they’re 5th graders!
But then last week happened. I went down (or was drug down) the rabbit hole. Did you know there are gobs of videos that are people playing video games and recording themselves? Who would watch that? Oh — me! Pick me!! Me and my 5th grade BFFs. ;) In an effort to connect with my students while they are at home we’ve had some purely social hangouts. I’ve watched Flamingo and Albert play Roblox, more times than I care to say. I mean I’m mortified just saying that. Spoiler alert, they may be the same person. I’m priding myself on not really knowing the answer to that.
When I first started teaching (1998), a spin on Disney Channel at night and a download of Britney Spears was all it took to make me relevant. Hit Me Baby One More Time. That seemed scandalous at the time, but I’m pretty sure I understood the innuendo, thankfully better than any 4th graders. I was really “popular” the year I helped hold the giant Burmese Python at an assembly, very similar to the one that Britney sang with at the VMAs. Being relevant seemed…easy!
But here we are some two decades later, and it appears that times have changed, or (GASP!), I’m old! Ahhhhhhh!!!!! I didn’t come to this conclusion lightly, but evidence is mounting. At one of our Meets last week we encountered some dude, possibly named Phillipe, that reminded me of the Phantom of the Opera - half his face was mushed off. Well not him, but his avatar. There was an uncomfortable silence on the Meet after I said that. No one even asked, it was just discounted as a random comment! LOL. I also made the mistake of thinking the word “subs” meant sandwiches, and said something inane, like “Who could have that many sandwiches?”. It totally means “subscribers”. And it makes sense (sort of?) that a person would have a million subscribers, and not a million sandwiches. I mean, that's a lot of sandwiches!
Am I under caffeinated? Becoming irrelevant? Old....? Or, and I'm choosing secret option number four, it's totally them, not me. That works for this situation right? RIGHT? 😉
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