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I’m an instructional designer by trade, so I had the joyous opportunity to study learning and instructional theory. Piaget, Vigotsky, I get sleepy even typing their names. One theorist, John Dewey, proposed that the best way to learn is through experience. You learn by doing. If you touch a hot stove and get burned, you will likely ‘learn’ from this event. You will be wary of hot stoves when you approach them in the future.

But there is also a debate about learning from observing the experiences of others. If I see little Johnny touch the hot stove and then burst into tears, will I be as wary of the stove or do I have to touch it for myself?

Personally I fall into the camp that argues that you can learn from observing others. And because of that I’ve wondered if I should start using YouTube in my parental lessons.

Take, for example, an experience I had the other day. I’m pumping gas and my son is opening and closing the car door. I know the chances of this causing a fire at the pump are small, but if he would just keep the door closed, the chances are smaller still. I’ve giving him a lecture about keeping the door closed, but maybe a YouTube video showing a fire at the pump would help drive the point home? Think of the hundreds of kids who have made a video of themself while having a ‘momentary lapse in judgement’. It’s an instructor’s dream! Think of the learning by proxy that could happen!

Of course my only concern is that when he gets a little older, YouTube and similar services change from a voice of warning, to a resource for ‘good ideas’. I don’t think I need my son getting ideas from some of the ‘not-so-bright‘ youth of the Internet.