Contributed by: Jason Keith Demdam and Fatima Buen Jose
Graphics by: Marianne Lois M. Boncolmo
The demands of online learning prove to require far more self-motivation and time management compared to onsite classes. Students have to ramp up self-studying to absorb the gist of the video lectures – all given from only within the four corners of their screens through a Zoom meeting – to keep up with the ever-heavy academic workload.
In ordinary times, some students would solely turn to their reliable classmates to ask for academic help. In the new normal, however, video lectures on YouTube are proving to be an increasingly viable option.
YouTube is an online video-sharing website where people can upload or stream countless videos by other users. Students, scholars, experts, and educators within their respective fields have given rise to numerous educational channels as well – leading many to call the platform YouTube University. While there is an abundance of these channels, here are some of the most informative ones that self-learning Mapúans can surely rely on.
3Blue1Brown
3Blue1Brown, or 3b1b, is a YouTube channel handled by Grant Sanderson. The channel’s mathematics-centered content aims to provide its viewers with a solid understanding of mathematical concepts that are not commonly explained in school. As of writing, 3b1b has 112 videos spanned across the channel’s 5 years of production.
Though uploads are separated by about a month each, the said timeframe for the video production should be expected given the quality evidently separable from traditional lecture-style videos.
As said by Grant, “3b1b centers around presenting math with a visuals-first approach.”
The beautiful animations in his videos help shift perspectives around the topics such that he “can make difficult ideas more graspable.” True enough, the channel has received positive praise from 3.39 million subscribers as of January 2021.
The Organic Chemistry Tutor
The Organic Chemistry Tutor (TOCT) is an anonymous instructor who uploads YouTube videos commonly centered around STEM-related topics ranging from organic chemistry, general chemistry, physics, algebra, trigonometry, precalculus, and calculus, among many others.
In contrast with 3b1b, TOCT’s content focuses more on providing the viewers with a basic understanding of the topic and practicing these concepts by solving a problem set through each video. This offers a more school-like feel to the content, as many commenters have expressed how they use the videos in studying and reviewing previously discussed topics in preparation for an exam.
As of writing, The Organic Chemistry Tutor channel has over 2,336 videos since their first upload in March of 2015, ranging from 10 to 20-minute per-topic reviews along with 60 to 120-minute compilations of these topics uploaded on an almost weekly schedule.
Khan Academy
It is safe to assume that almost all Mapúans have encountered Khan Academy at least once in their university life. Salman Khan, the founder of the nonprofit organization, takes it as his mission to “provide a free and world-class education for anyone, everywhere” by lending a hand to many with a wide range of educational content.
As of recent record, 6.42 million are subscribed to the Khan Academy YouTube channel while the mobile application has 120 million registered users from around the world. The video lectures – covering various levels of mathematics, sciences, computing, economics, reading and language arts, arts and humanities, and life skill topics – are uploaded weekly, translated into more than 36 languages, and are bite-sized at an average of five to 10 minutes each.
Moreover, with Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk having donated $5 million to the online learning organization, Khan Academy is expected to provide more content and software that are more engaging and easier to learn in the upcoming years.
Numberbender
Raising the flag for local YouTube educational content creators, Dr. Peter Esperanza, the man behind Numberbender, uploads flipped classroom videos of mathematical concepts in the English and Filipino languages.
He instills to many Filipino students that mathematics is not as hard as it seems. “Tulad ng parati kong paghahambing, ang pag-aaral ng math ay parehas din sa pag-aaral ng second language–dapat marunong tayong magtranslate nang tama,” the math prodigy emphasizes.
As of today, Esperanza’s videos have over 10 million views with content ranging from 20-30-minute series uploaded on a weekly basis. He also sometimes streams for an hour talking about intriguing concepts in mathematics.
One of Numberbender’s videos, “5 tips kung paano ba gumaling sa math,” gained over 1.3 million views. The said video highlighted the importance of perpetual reading and practicing in learning and understanding mathematics. With the YouTuber’s will to help people overcome their fear of the subject, Esperanza continues to upload materials on different social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and even on his own website, numberbender.com
Enginerdmath
Another helpful local content creator is Engr. Jayson Bañez Zamora, who’s also known as Enginerdmath on YouTube. His accumulated 84.7 thousand subscribers follow his channel for its wide variety of tutorials in advanced mathematics and engineering content, which are commonly part of the scope of board examinations. He also provides tips for solving complex problem sets through scientific calculators.
Enginerdmath alternately uploads 20-minute video lectures and 5-minute practice problems daily, in line with his aim to help struggling students become better at math.
In ordinary times, Mapúans mostly turned to each other for academic help, but in the new normal, a lot had relied more on YouTube for educational content to assist in e-learning. True enough, virtual classrooms can be limiting, but the online streaming platform can be that one classmate a Cardinal can always rely on.
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