Here It Goes Again by OK Go

Here’s the world (in)famous Here It Goes Again treadmill video from the band OK Go. I think educators and instructional designers should take note of the success of this and other insanely popular viral videos and consider the implications related to teaching, learning, and motivation. (A viral video is a video that has been passed around many times and has gained popularity largely by word of mouth, email, instant messaging, or online bulletin boards, rather than a publicity campaign.)

We Didn’t Start the Fire: A Brief History of the U.S.A.

Scott Allsop has taken Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire and created an educational video that depicts all the historical events that Joel sings about. Tracey Osborn uses Allsop’s video and takes it even further. Osborn created this webpage that provides the song’s lyrics and hyper-links all of the historical events metioned to related online resources. Wow!!! I could see some kids just going crazy with this kind of activity. You know they’ll even do this at home and come back the next day still talking about all the history that they’ve absorbed.

You can watch the video here…

…or you can also view/download this video (and many other great videos for use in the classroom) from the awesomely cool TeacherTube.com.

What impact do you think this kind of lesson would have?

Happy Easter

Happy Easter, everyone.

Hear the bells ringing, they’re singing that you can be born again
Here the bells ringing, they’re singing Christ is risen from the dead

The angels up on the tombstone
Said He has risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the word, He has risen, hallelujah
He’s risen, hallelujah
He’s risen, hallelujah

Easter Song, Words and music by Annie Herring © 1974 Latter Rain Music (ASCAP)