You tube : Education

How YouTube is part of a global economic transformation

February 2, 2012

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The United States used to be the most educated society in the world. That's no longer true. (Credit: OECD)

Life in this world is not like it used to be just a few decades ago, and the availability of world-class education on-demand, at almost no cost, is likely to help things change all the more as this century unfolds.

YouTube now hosts more than 500,000 educational videos, on a wide variety of topics. The new mobile-friendly iTunes U also offers 500,000 educational resources and says that 60% of its viewership comes from outside the United States. This global consumption of U.S.-created online educational content may be the newest chapter in a radical transformation of global education over the past 50 years.

During the past 50 years, the expansion of education has contributed to a fundamental transformation of societies in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries,” wrote the authors of this year’s lengthy report, Education at a Glance 2011: OECD Indicators. (500 page PDF).