Faculty Resources: Film Streaming Collections

Through testing, we have determined the best manner for sharing the following streaming resources is through direct linking in Canvas, or send to students via email. Use Chrome browser for best results.

Accessing National Theater

Access the library's National Theater page to find the video you need. You will be asked to login to the college's Single Sign on (SSO) system. To access the West Valley databases you must use your school email address. Instructions can be found here.

Getting the Direct Link

At the video's information page, copy and page the URL from the browser's address bar for the film to either place it in Canvas or send to students via email.

Questions?  Contact Rachel Sandoval  at email: rachel.sandoval@westvalley.edu

Through testing, we have determined the best manner for sharing the following streaming resources is through direct linking in Canvas, or sent to students via email. Use Chrome browser for best results.

Accessing Kanopy

Access the library's Kanopy page to find the video you need. Click on the Watch Now button.

Next, you will be asked to click on the Log In To Westvalley button.

Then, you will be asked to login to the college's Single Sign on (SSO) system. To access the West Valley databases you must use your school email address. Instructions can be found here.

Getting the Direct Link

You will then be at taken to video's information page, click on (#1) the Share button, then an accordion will open, click on (#2) Share and the (#3) Share link will appear. Copy the link to either place it in Canvas or send to students via email.

Questions?  Contact Rachel Sandoval  at email: rachel.sandoval@westvalley.edu

Films on Demand and FMG Archival Films & Newsreels Collection can be embedded in to your Canvas class. Use Chrome browser for best results.

Accessing Films on Demand and Archival Films & Newsreels

Access the library's Films on Demand or FMG Archival Films & Newsreels Collection pages to find the video you need. You will be asked to login to the college's Single Sign on (SSO) system. To access the West Valley databases you must use your school email address. Instructions can be found here.

Getting the Embed Code

At the video's information page, click on the Share link and a pop-up window will appear with the (#2) Record URL. Copy the Record URL to either place it in Canvas or send to students via email.

A pop-up window will appear, click on the Embed/Link tab.

You will then have the Record URL option, use this to copy the direct link to the video which you can include in a Canvas page or send in an email to student. The next options are the Embed Video Size, keep the size at least Medium so that the video controls and Closed Caption options are visible when embedded in a Canvas page. Copy the Embed Code to use in Canvas.

Embedding Video in Canvas

You can embed videos in any Canvas page that has a Rich Text Editor available. The example below is for a page in Canvas. Click on the Insert/Edit media icon. 

A pop-up window will appear with the three options, click on Embed.

Next, paste in the code you copied from the Films on Demand page in to the input box and click ok.

You will then see the embedded video in the page. Note the video controls at the bottom of the video, this is why it's recommended to use the Medium size embed code. Remember to click Save on the Canvas page.

Questions?  Contact Rachel Sandoval  at email: rachel.sandoval@westvalley.edu

How to show a film during an online class

Need to show a film during your class?

You can stream a DVD during your class online with a few conditions.

What you need to do:

1. Access to the film, either: ability to stream it directly online (this would be through a personal account you have or through the library's video streaming database, for example Feature Films for Education), or the DVD (can be a library copy or a personal copy). 

   • If you have a DVD, you will also need video software to play the disc on your computer. Contact Alfred Yee in Instructional Technology & Services on obtaining software and what they recommend (there are free software options, such as VLC player!).

2. A Zoom account and to set up a Zoom meeting for the film showing. 

Instructions to stream a DVD or online film during a Zoom scheduled class:

• Open your video-playing software and pull up the DVD menu or get the online video ready to play. Set any settings as you want them during the film showing (captions, mute your participants, etc.).

• With your video-playing software open on your computer, start your zoom meeting. Use the “Share Screen” button on the bottom of your Zoom screen to share your screen with all of your participants. Select your video playing software to share.

• In Zoom, go to the top of the zoom screen so that the below button menu pops up (it will have a mute button, start video, manage participants, etc.). Use the far right button labeled “More” that has three dots on it. Click this, which will open a sub-menu. Scroll down to “Share computer sound"

• Play your DVD or online video. We recommend you turn your sound up all the way in your playing software. You may want to pause the video a few seconds in to ask your participants if they can hear the sound okay, before resuming.

There are some restrictions with this practice:

1. You must post a copyright notice on your Canvas course. Example: 
   
   "Material on West Valley College course and project sites may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code), and may be restricted from further distribution, retention or copying. West Valley College’s Copyright Policy and Acceptable Use Policy forbid the use of West Valley resources to copy and distribute copyrighted material without permission. Unauthorized use of copyrighted materials may be subject to civil and criminal liability provided under federal law."
    
2. The film can only be streamed during your scheduled class time. If your class is shorter than the duration of the film, you would need to show the film during separate scheduled class periods. You cannot extend your class from 1.5 hours to 3 hours to watch the film in one sitting.
3. You cannot record your Zoom session while streaming/playing the video. The film should only be available for students during the class you plan to show it.
4. If a student misses your online class when you streamed the film, you could not stream it separately for them; they could come to the library and check out our physical copy and watch it on their own (or they could try to pay to rent it on their own, if it is available).

Modified content with permission from Carroll College.

Browser Settings

Library subscribed videos include public performance rights, and may be watched by authorized viewers (West Valley faculty, students, and staff). The Mozilla Firefox browser is recommended for streaming films using Zoom. To use Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers for streaming, you will need to disable hardware graphics acceleration to ensure the film will play.

-Chrome Instructions: Under "Advanced Settings" deselect "use hardware acceleration when available"

-Edge Instructions: Under "System Settings" deselect "use hardware acceleration when available.

Questions?  Contact Rachel Sandoval  at email: rachel.sandoval@westvalley.edu

Modified content with permission from Xavier University.

Can I show Netflix films in my class?

The short answer is no. Netflix does grant permission for a few Netflix Original documentaries for classroom use, see the section "Netflix Educational Screening Policy and Terms" below. Netflix does not offer institutional accounts, so you will need a personal account to access documentaries. 

Netflix has created a YouTube playlist of its educational documentaries for instructors to stream in their online classes.

The Netflix End User License Agreement, which you agreed to when you created an account, specifies that the account is "only for your personal, non-commercial use." Netflix is not alone here; Amazon Prime, Hulu, and other personal streaming vendors do not grant rights for institutional or educational use.

This is important because licenses overrule copyright exemptions. Showing your personal DVD during class is covered by a specific copyright exemption (Section 110), and showing clips can be covered by fair use (Section 107). However, streaming videos from personal subscription vendors in your classroom when the license prohibits such viewings? There is no copyright exemption for that and the situation is problematic.

This is why the library obtains streaming videos through institutional subscription vendors like Kanopy, Films on Demand, Feature Films for Education, and National Theater.

Netflix Educational Screening Policy and Terms

Netflix and Educational Screening (taken from their website):

Some Original educational documentaries are available for one-time educational screenings. To find out which titles are available for educational screenings, go to the "Only On Netflix" section of media.netflix.com. From here, navigate to "All Alphabetical." Titles that are available for educational screenings will display the following grant of permission on their details page:

GRANT OF PERMISSION FOR EDUCATIONAL SCREENINGS 

Netflix is proud to present original documentaries that speak to our users in a meaningful way. We know that many of you are as excited about these films as we are; and because of their informational aspects, you'd like to show them in an educational setting -- e.g., in the classroom, at the next meeting of your community group, with your book club, etc. Consequently, we will permit one-time educational screenings of any of the documentaries noted with this information, on the following terms:

• The documentary may only be accessed via the Netflix service, by a Netflix account holder. We don't sell DVDs, nor can we provide other ways for you to exhibit the film.
• The screening must be non-profit and non-commercial. That means you can’t charge admission, or solicit donations, or accept advertising or commercial sponsorships in connection with the screening.
• Please don’t use Netflix’s logos in any promotion for the screening, or do anything else that indicates that the screening is “official” or endorsed by Netflix.

We trust our users to respect these guidelines, which are intended to help you share and discuss our documentary content in your community.​

Modified content with permission from Chambers Library Streaming Media Guide by Jennifer Flygare, Online Studies Librarian