Video Guidelines

Somerset ISD Video Guidelines

Somerset ISD has put in place the ability for teachers to access YouTube and other video resources for instructional use. This document is intended to provide guidance on the opportunities these digital resources have to offer. Somerset ISD encourages teachers to use the multimedia resources available to them. These can include, but are not limited to Discovery Education, SchoolTube, TeacherTube, YouTube and other video web sites to enhance instruction as Somerset ISD strives to engage students in the learning process to promote thriving, technology-infused classrooms. These guidelines are designed to help teachers harness the power of media while avoiding its pitfalls. Follow these strategies and best practices.

Fair Use Copyright Guidelines:

  • Videos, films and television clips: Use up to 10 percent or 3 minutes, whichever is less of an individual program.
  • Music videos: Use up to 10 percent but not more than 30 seconds from a single work. If a video has music in the background that is copyright protected and you can’t separate the music from the visual material, there is a 30 second limitation. There are sources on the Internet for royalty free music, sound effects and images that would not be bound by copyright limitations.
  • Fair use provisions of the copyright law grant educators the right to use certain copyrighted materials as long as we meet the defined guidelines. Fair use balances the free use with the rights of the author/owner to sell his/her work. The burden of proving fair use falls to the educator using the material, so knowledge of copyright law and associated guidelines is essential to librarians and educators using copyrighted works. Contact your school library media specialist for fair use clarification.

Using YouTube in your Classroom:

iBoss, which is our web filtering tool, filters the YouTube website allowing teachers to stream videos. Although iBoss filters the YouTube web site through Clean Video Search, it is pertinent that teachers PREVIEW ALL videos before presenting them to their class. This must be done as part of their lesson preparation. Videos must not be shown without the teacher having previously viewed the content. Please note that videos are a tool to enhance a lesson and must be used as such. Teachers must incorporate videos so that they are part of the lesson and not the lesson itself. Teachers can interact with students during the videos by either asking questions, facilitating classroom discussions, etc.   The purpose for opening up YouTube for teacher use is to encourage them to align educational videos with curricular standards and objectives. The following steps and guidelines MUST be followed when using YouTube videos:

  • Preview video content to ensure it supports the instructional program and relates to the lesson objectives. Make sure your projector is turned off when previewing on a computer connected to the classroom projector.
  • Videos and DVD’s are not to be used for entertainment or recreational purposes during instructional time.
  • Students may not use teacher’s computers to search for YouTube videos. This level of access is only available to teacher, not students.
  • Limit your searches to respected sources. Most established newspapers, museums, libraries, radio stations and institutions have specific channels on YouTube where they collect their content. Search by the name of the outlet on Youtube (PBS) and that organization’s channel will pop up. You can then search exclusively within PBS’s content.
  • Go to teacher-specific sites. TeacherTube and WatchKnow aggregate thousands of videos from educators, YouTube and the rest of the Web.
  • When showing a video in class, consider one of the following options to eliminate the ads and comments:
  • Embed the video into an ActivInspire Flipchart or PowerPoint.

Please Note:

Violations of these Guidelines for YouTube or any other video resources will subject the violator to disciplinary action in accordance with the Somerset ISD Acceptable Use Policy and may include loss of access to this resource.