Zamzar

Many teachers--myself included--have found great videos from YouTube that they want to show in class only to find that there is a block on the website. Zamzar is a website that will convert the YouTube video into a format that you can to show to your students. And, it's surprisingly easy to use.

Go to http://www.zamzar.com/, and in the middle of the page you will see a box like the one to the left. Under Step One, click on URL, and paste the URL of the YouTube video in the box. Under Step Two, convert the file format to mp4. For Step Three, enter your email address, and for Step Four click convert.

Within 24 hours, you will receive an email with the file of the video you requested. So easy! Click on the link in your email, and when a dialog box comes up click on "Open." The video will then pop up. Click on play, and there you have your video.

The downside to Zamzar is that you cannot save the video to use again any time. You would have to convert the file again if you want to use the video after 24 hours. There is a a version of Zamzar that you can purchase to be able to have the capability of saving the video file in an online storage box. The prices vary depending on what you want.