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Technology In Practice

Tips For Teaching w/Technology

Youtube & Streaming Videos in the Middle School Classroom

Are you thinking of streaming a movie in your classroom? Please let us know in advance, and we will see if we can find the movie for you (and your students) in the most effective way possible, while also practicing Berkeley Carroll's expectations of digital citizenship, and respect of intellectual property.

It is crucial that you consider issues of equity when doing this - not every student has access to a Netflix account, for example.

With notice, our Tech + Library team can:

  • See if the movie is on our paid streaming platform (Swank), which has an extensive selection of films, and can be accessed by all BC students. In some cases, we can add a film to Swank if it isn't there. With enough planning, we have now done this successfully numerous times in the middle school! (More info on Swank in the box below)
  • Search to see if your movie can be found through another library resource (More info in the box below)
  • Search to see if your movie has been "approved" for sharing with a class for educational purposes - many creators of educational films have allowed their movies to be shared in classrooms without permission
For the 2022-2023 school year, the Youtube site will be blocked on school devices for the 5th & 6th Grade. This is a continuation of last year in both lower & middle school practice. This is only happening on 5th & 6th Grade school iPads currently (we can’t control YouTube at home on any personal devices).
How might this affect your teaching?
  • 5th & 6th Graders will not be able to click on a direct Youtube link you post, or share in Google Classroom (or anywhere else)
  • 5th & 6th Graders will not be able to go to the Youtube site and search for videos (it will show up as a blocked site)
  • 5th & 6th Graders still will not have the Youtube app on their school iPad
What you can do as a workaround in the classroom:
  • Project/Airplay (live), or screenshare (over Zoom) any Youtube video from your faculty Macbook
  • Embed an approved Youtube video onto a Google Slide, and share the link for the slideshow with your student
  • Embed an approved Youtube video into an Edpuzzle
  • Embed an approved Youtube video into a Google Site (recommended that you only assign this if you created the site yourself)
  • Important! You must approve the embedded videos you assign to students or else they won't be able to watch them, even on a Slide/Site. Do this before you embed the video. Every teacher can approve the videos they assign.

For detailed instructions on how to embed videos, view the slideshow below (instructions start on Slide 4)!

Videos to Play in a Pinch

Looking for a video to play in a pinch? These videos can be played during lunchtime/play if students are inside, or if you want something to put on for a portion of class. These are all videos that stream from our library & school subscription services, so you won’t be violating any user agreements, or copyright laws by showing them in your classroom!
You should not be prompted for login information if you are accessing these at school, but if you are - follow the color coded key for usernames & passwords (listed at the bottom of the doc). Or as always, you can visit our Database Passwords page to access login information for all of our library resources.

"Videos To Play In a Pinch" List!

Swank & More Streaming Options

Berkeley Carroll now has a subscription to Swank Digital Campus - a streaming platform for educators.
Read more about Swank Digital Campus here.
If you'd like access to Swank, let Aidan know and he'll send you our educator login!

Swank is a K-12 video streaming service that makes it easy for teachers to both watch films in class, and assign them to students to watch outside of class, without worrying about what services they subscribe to at home. We have access to a small library of 200 films, though they have been selected for their appropriateness in K-12 settings. Additionally, we can add from a huge library of films as we desire. Once a film is part of our library, our teachers and students can watch it as many times as necessary, in or out of the building. Let's take a look at how it works!

To Start Using Swank:
  • To see our Swank video collection go to this link (bookmark it for easy access!) & log in with these credentials:
    • username: bcsinstructor
    • password: Welcome1

  • If you see a movie in the collection and it says "Request" - hit request and fill out the quick form. We should have it available in 48 hours or so. Please state an academic reason in the request form (ex: Requesting for 8th Grade Humanities class, Requesting for an Advising Lesson, etc.)
  • It is about a 48-hour turnaround for us to get movies that you would like to view into the Swank library (unless it says "Watch" next to the movie - then it's ready immediately!) 

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Check out the Images & Video databases page for more video resources from the library.
Passwords, and access info for these video resources & more, can always be found on the Database Passwords page.