I remember the days (and it's not that I'm old - although I am!- it's not that long ago!) when using video in class meant booking out the TV and video, lugging it through to the class, and then finding that someone had gone off with the remote and you couldn't use it anyway! Mostly I didn't bother. The IWB has revolutionised this and now it is a matter of a few clicks to a wealth of resources on the net.
You Tube is, of course, a brilliant site, with such a wide range of material that most of us don't ever look any further, but this website has a list of other video material that is also good for a change.
One example is the How Stuff Works website. This has lots of great text as well as video clips, on a wide range of factual stuff. This example is about bullfighting in France (who knew?!). The French version doesn't kill the bulls and they are the star of the show, which is quite nice. It's a nice little video - only 2.5 minutes and with lots of opportunity for discussion of animal rights, risky sports, etc. There are loads of other videos about different countries and cultures - you're bound to find something that will appeal.
Another good video site is CNN Student News. It sells itself as:
'CNN Student News is a ten-minute, commercial-free, daily news program for middle and high school students produced by the journalists and educators at CNN. '
and it really is good. Although it is aimed at teenagers, it's also very good for adult language learners. Each show has a transcript, which is great, and a daily discussion and newsquiz, so all of your materials are there for you. What more could you want??!! As with any topics that might be upsetting, controversial or sensitive, you will, of course, have to make your own judgement about what will work with your class.
Finally,of course, don't forget the TED site (see other blog entry on this) - if that doesn't make you think, nothing will!
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