youtube??? blocked??

To be completely honest, I dislike the fact that my school district blocks youtube. I can understand that my district wants to prevent the students from accessing inappropriate material through youtube (to be in compliance with CIPA), but they are also missing out on great posts and channels that would aid in their learning. That being said, I wish they would unlock youtube for the teachers to use. That way they are allowing the site to be used for educational purposes, but also preventing the students from having the opportunity from listening to or watching anything inappropriate. There are many history teachers that post great videos that would be beneficial to my class. There is one channel that takes popular music songs and creates videos to explain historical events. I would love to use this in my class.

I understand the concern that my district has over youtube and staying in compliance with CIPA. THere are many videos on youtube that are inappropriate and might violate CIPA. The district does not want to take the risk that students will view pornographic/inappropriate materials and be faced with a lawsuit or other sanctions for violating CIPA. There is also the risk of viewing copyrighted material.

The best solution in my opinion is to leave youtube unblocked for teachers, but leave it blocked for students. I teach 8th graders and I definitely think some of my students would try to look up inappropriate/obscene material. "Epic Rap Battles" is an example. They can be graphic and may fit some people's definition of obscene. Maybe there is a way for our IT department to unblock specific videos, if needed, for the students.This way the students are protected from viewing obscene/pornographic material, but they aren't losing the educational value that youtube can bring to the classroom.