While Zoom does allow for screen sharing video, it's important to consider any licensing restrictions and copyright law when showing video in the classroom.
If you record your classes, it is best practice to stop recording when showing films or clips. By recording your screen while a video is playing, this is creating a copy of the content which is not permitted under copyright.
We encourage faculty to use material found in our streaming film collections listed below. Students also have access to these collections with their Bentley email address and password.
Films from Kanopy or Swank Digital Campus cannot be shown via screen share in a Zoom classroom. Technology has been applied to block these films from being displayed on viewer screens. In these instances, we recommend making the links to the films in the databases available in Blackboard so students can watch on their own devices.
It's important to note that personal streaming services like Netflix*, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, or Hulu are not meant for classroom use. They are meant for private, non-commercial use as outlined in the Terms of Use for each streaming service. Screen sharing content via Zoom is likely prohibited and blocked by various built in technologies.
*Netflix has allowed permission for some in-person class showings of educational documentaries for users who have a personal account for the service. Details and directions on how to locate a list of these titles is available on Netflix Help Center's Educational Screenings of Documentaries page. However, Netflix has made some of these titles available for free on YouTube for educational use. The available titles have been compiled into the Educational Documentaries playlist on Netflix's YouTube channel.
The following sites provide access to openly accessible streaming film and video content. Please note that availability of content can change at any time.
Faculty can request licensing for streaming films by using the "Suggest a Purchase" form on the library's website. Streaming films are purchased twice a year (July and December) on a first-come, first-served basis until the semester's budget is expended.
More information can be found in our Bentley Library Streaming Film Request Policy.
If you have any questions about using streaming films in your curriculum, contact Matt Van Sleet (mvansleet@bentley.edu).
There could be a couple of different reasons why the film is no longer available. For films that were part of collections such as those in Academic Video Online or Films on Demand, it could be that the database no longer offers the content as they no longer have a license to make that content availalble.
If the film was previously available on Kanopy or Swank Digital Campus, it could be that the license has expired and will need to be renewed. Films offered on these platforms usually have a 1-3 year license available. Contact Matt Van Sleet (mvansleet@bentley.edu) for assistance.
The individual country and copyright issues are the biggest barriers students face with remote access to our resources. Please have the students contact the Bentley IT Help Desk for some suggestions as to technological solutions.