Adam Qazei, a fifth-grader at Covington-Harper Elementary School, has amassed over 240,000 followers in just four years on his YouTube channel. The hobby started when he learned how to use an iPad as a kindergartener at school.At Covington-Harper Elementary, students use technology in their classes, but not just for the sake of learning how to use a device. Students are taught new programs, then challenged to apply their knowledge.
"Technology gives students an outlet to take their learning beyond the content being taught, as well as to tap into their individual interests. At Covington-Harper, we feel it is imperative that our students are future-ready and learning through technology to prepare them for jobs and career paths that do not even exist yet," shared Instructional Technology Coach (ITC) Jessica Rowe.
Qazei, with his YouTube channel, is making strides in applying what he has learned at school in the real-world. More importantly, he's having fun doing it.
Qazei, who refers to himself as Adam the Tiger on his channel, chooses his video topics based on trends that interest kids.
"I post many videos on my channel, ranging from kid's toy reviews, gaming videos, and other inquisitive content. I don't have genre-specific content. It's mostly kid friendly videos," Qazei explained.
One of his most watched videos is titled "American Kid Tries Tasty Snacks from Around the World." In this video, which has over 203,000 views, Qazei taste tests candies from the Netherlands, Turkey, Germany, Poland, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
It's not only content that has led to his large following, Qazei has researched other successful YouTubers.
"People put a ton of time and energy into making videos and it's important for me to understand how they get discovered, how viewers find videos, where content surfaces, and what to do to give videos the best chance for success," he shared.
Qazei's tips for anyone interested in starting a channel include choosing content that can be created on a regular basis and setting up a small video studio, so when you feel inspired, you simply turn on the lights and start recording.
Check out Qazei's YouTube channel and see why he is #PositivelyPWCS.