YouTube is undeniably a great source of entertainment, but it is also equally packed with all sorts of educational materials. As a student and as an insatiably curious person in general, I spend a lot of time doing research and attempting to find resources that allow me to better understand my work and the world around me. These are a few of the channels I most often find myself turning to for help or just to satisfy me need to cram my brain with as much information as possible.
Crash Course
Crash Course, hosted primarily by author John Green and his brother Hank, is a great channel to find information about a wide variety of subjects. From Biology, to Literature, to World History, Crash Course offers easy to follow, incredibly entertaining videos that are bound to be helpful. For the full lowdown on Crash Course, check out Richard’s post all about it here.
asapSCIENCE
Run by fellow Canadians Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown, asapSCIENCE offers short, concise and equally entertaining videos debunking scientific myths and answering your most pressing questions. What’s cooler is that most all of their videos are done using whiteboards with constantly changing visuals to enrich the experience. Although not particularly useful for your studies (for the most part), asapSCIENCE is a great way to learn about something you may be interested in without having to go through a million web pages. If you like their videos, check out their second channel, asapTHOUGHT.
MinutePhysics
Somewhat like the previous channel, MinutePhysics offers short and to-the-point clips, however, they are more useful for school. Created by Henry Reich, this channel is great for not only passing time learning about really cool science, but for creating a deeper understanding of the world around us.
Bozeman Science
The least “professional” of all of these channels, Bozeman Science is run by science teacher Paul Andersen out of, you guessed it, Bozeman, Montana. Sorted into playlists tailored to AP Biology, Chemistry and Physics and several other smaller subjects, this channel has been my saving grace on multiple occasions. Andersen’s easy to follow podcasts complement the Alberta high school sciences curricula quite nicely and are great for enriching classroom learning.
Wisecrack
Formerly just Thug Notes, Wisecrack is a slightly vulgar yet still amazing source of information surrounding specifically literature, philosophy, cinema and pop culture. Laugh-out-loud commentary does nothing but make the experience of learning even more relatable and engaging. Their videos are great pick-me-ups if you’re having a tough time understanding anything from To Kill a Mockingbird to Othello.