By high school, most students are well-versed in the use of technology. From social media to gaming to chatting with friends, teenagers almost expect a certain level of technology use in their lives. To better keep their wandering attention away from their phones in your classroom, check out these useful YouTube channels that will help you boost your high school classroom lessons.

1.       Kahn Academy

Khan Academy is perhaps the leading channel when it comes to bringing in YouTube to the high school classroom. With free lessons and exercises on a variety of subjects, including test prep, this channel is absolutely invaluable. Not only can you bring in some of these videos to help you teach difficult concepts, but students can use them on their own to help with homework!

2.       Numberphile

If math is your subject, Numberphile will be like a godsend to your classroom. The channel takes on interesting mathematical information and makes it relatable, which means your students will finally realize that math is indeed used in the real world!

3.       Veritasium

Don’t be put off by the hard-to-say name – this channel is created by an actual scientist. Derek Muller showcases fun experiments and interviews with experts in their field to help students understand the ins and outs of a variety of scientific concepts.

4.       Big Think

One of the most common questions that high school educators hear throughout the day is “when are we ever going to use this?” Sometimes it’s a hard question to answer because the concept we’re teaching is part of a greater whole. And sometimes, you bring in videos from Big Think to help students comprehend the importance of science, math, even philosophy. With prominent cultural figures taking on different subjects, this channel is a goldmine of solid resources for any high school classroom.

5.       The School of Life

A humanities-based channel, The School of Life channel provides a wealth of information relating to literature, history, politics, and even pop culture. Done in a pseudo-animated style, the videos are perfect for holding teenagers’ attention while they outline important real-world topics.

6.       DNews

As teenagers wend their way toward adulthood, it’s important that they begin to understand current events happening in the world around them. DNews offers the most interesting news stories from around the world. With new videos every single day, this is a perfect bell activity or Do Now to get your students thinking before you begin your lesson plan.

7.       Brightstorm

This channel is extremely versatile in the way that it can be used. The videos are collections of master educators teaching concepts at a whiteboard. You can watch these yourselves and mimic the teaching style and information presented or assign them as homework or extra tutorial work for struggling students. The material follows standard US material, and even includes SAT/ACT prep courses.

8.       CrashCourse

Created by the Green brothers (including author John Green), this channel produces animated videos on topics relevant to literature, history, government, and a variety of scientific subjects. Because the channel has gotten so popular, you can even find online lesson plans created by top-notch educators that center around these videos.

9.       Vihart

Math and music are the names of the game at Vihart. The animated videos are engaging and fun, which means your students are more likely to pay attention. They’re also just complicated enough to make sure they learn a little something. Off-the-wall real-world applications add a hilarious side to the videos.

10.   Real Rap with Reynolds

Sometimes, in order to make sure your lesson plans go smoothly, you have to make sure that you are doing well. On this channel, Mr. Reynolds discusses the real-world challenges that accompany teaching high schoolers. Check out his videos on discipline and classroom management to make sure that your lesson plans go as smoothly as possible.

 Concluding Thoughts

Teaching high school is fun and challenging. Bringing worthwhile technology, like YouTube, into the classroom will not only show your students that you understand the world they are living in but will also give you a leg-up on your lesson planning. Hopefully, the above channels will assist you as you work with those incredible teenagers.