I am continually looking for ways to share videos that don’t require students to visit Youtube or view all of the ads and additional content that usually accompanies them. I previously swore by Quiet tube, but more recently have been happily using and recommending ViewPure.

Viewpure allows you to “wipe the edges” of any video – one you created and uploaded, or one you located on youtube – and share it in a big clear page. The process of purifying a video is super easy! Simply add the Purify button  to your browser’s bookmark bar and you are ready to go. You do this by visiting http://viewpure.com. This simple page has the directions on it, and a nice clean image of the Purify button. You grab that button and drag it up to your own browser’s bookmark bar and that’s it! You can now visit any youtube video page and click the Purify button in your browser bar. The video will reopen in a new window – with a nice pure view!

One of the things I love about this app is that it is so easy to use! There are very few teachers these days who aren’t using youtube videos. Many of them are either sharing them in front of students using their projectors and interactive whiteboards, or are sharing them in some type of website or learner management program. Most have expressed the frustration of having all the other “crap” around their videos. Viewpure solves this problem beautifully!

I like to add the use of a URL shortener to create ease of sharing – and have also had good success showing teachers how to share the video through the use of a QR code. We’ve had students and teachers sharing book trailer videos that they have created themselves, and they’ve posted these through QR codes right beside the library books on the shelves. Lower elementary students can use QR code links to watch a video of a favorite story. Classrooms who have created class videos will find this to be a safe and easy way to share videos. Any time you want to share any type of video with students Viewpure is a great way to do it! If you haven’t used it you will definitely want to try it out today!