How to get involved!

So you want to...

...add existing videos and generally help build the website?

Yay! We want you involved! Here is how to get started. Check out the Help? bubble that appears on every page for more. Did you know you can even contribute anonymously? Yep, but your work will be checked.

...create new videos for WatchKnow to use?

Wonderful! We don't host videos ourselves now (if we ever will). We only embed videos hosted by other services. Click on "New Video" in the blue navigation bar, then look for the "Source" drop-down list. Those are your options. YouTube and TeacherTube are both there. Once you've created your video and uploaded it to one of those services, then come back here to WatchKnow, click "New Video" and put in the embed code. For help with that, see this page.

...make an account?

Go here. It's quick and easy. You can choose from three kinds of accounts: Simple, Confirmed, and Contest.

...discuss WatchKnow with participants?

If you want to talk about the project, feel free to do so on our e-mail discussion group, WatchKnow-Discuss.

...get occasional announcements?

WatchKnow-L is our main way of announcing developments about the project. If you're a participant or you're interested in the project, you should join. Go to this page and add your e-mail address (it's easy). It is a low-volume announcement list, and we will not give your e-mail address to anyone.

...get involved with the Media Review Panel?

Our Media Review Panel is a group of experienced teachers and skilled video makers who rate videos, moderate submissions, and edit the directory. The general public can do these functions as well, but the panel has more authority: they serve together as community co-moderators. Volunteering for this important role takes just an e-mail. If you are an experienced school teacher, or some other sort of education professional (e.g., ed tech person, education professor, or advanced student in related disciplines), please send a short note with information about your relevant experience/training to sanger@watchknow.org. Thanks in advance!

Why get involved?

Collect and organize existing educational videos...

...because you want to help find and organize lots and lots of really useful educational videos--that either you, or your students, or your children can use. Think of it as community bookmarking, except that the links are all part of one directory, and everyone can immediately view the content (the videos are embedded). Once you've built a collection of videos, if the collection is useful to you, it's bound to be useful to others too.

Rate and comment on videos...

...because WatchKnow provides a single, central location that we can use to find the best free videos from all across the Internet. And because the ratings are more credible here--they're part of a teacher-led, free, non-profit service!

Create new videos to embed in WatchKnow...

...for the prize money, of course. But also because the world needs even more free educational videos!

Who can participate?

Anybody.

If you just want to help out by adding a link to an educational video, you won't even have to log in. Just add a URL. Somebody (another volunteer) will check the video and zap, the video should be appear on WatchKnow soon.

If you want more of a say, you'll have to log in. And if you want to participate in the contests, you'll have to log in and also confirm your identity.

Can even kids get involved?

Yep. They can create accounts without using their real names, or even contribute without signing in.

Since a lot of kids and teens know how to use video equipment and regularly upload stuff to YouTube and social networking websites, and since a lot of kids and teens are very smart, we think that some of our best videos might just come from them.

What the lower age limit for contest participation will be remains to be determined.