The other day I was driving in the car with my 12-year-old son, Maddox.  He was under a blanket listening to someone talk about a sinking ship.  Because my son is self-proclaimed Titanic historian, I assumed it was another video about the Titanic.  When I asked him, he said it was actually about the  Costa Concordia.  Huh?

He explained to me this was a cruise ship that sank off the coast of Tuscany in 2012 and at least 11 people were killed.  The captain was charged with causing the ship to sink and abandoned his ship.  

I sat in silence for a few minutes because Maddox was watching a documentary ON HIS OWN.  He wasn’t sitting in a classroom with four walls and desks in straight rows, he was curled up in the car with a blanket over his head and absorbing every bit of information he could get.  

I asked why he was watching it, thinking maybe he had a project in school he has to research.  Nope, he just said he liked to watch all things involving cruise ships and what happens when they sink.  Because really, what boy doesn’t want to watch every documentary they can get their hands on?

It made me reflect on something I heard someone say, although I can’t remember who.

The statement was simple.  

YouTube is where your kids are learning more than they are in schools.  

Whoa!  Is this true?  Did my kid just prove it?

How many of us have “YouTubed” how to do something?

How many of us have “YouTubed” something in history we wanted more information?

Have you ever “YouTubed” a speaker or a presenter to learn something new?

My son has immersed himself in learning about a topic he is interested in and has probably learned more just by watching YouTube videos.  He also has a favorite “YouTuber” that I’ve watched with him who is actually a great role model for positive character.  My daughter has used YouTube to learn how to do her makeup, create a DIY project and get ideas for photography.  

So, if our children can learn something at their fingertips, how are we providing something different?  Students can access knowledge level in many different ways.  If we know this to be true, how do we rethink how we teach and design lessons?  

The world is changing indeed.