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[zuzu_]

Has anyone found a good way to use films with an online course?

Putting the films on reserve at the library is not a good option; my students are spread across one of those sparsley populated rectangle-shaped states.

I'm using an older version of WebCT.

I'm supposed to get Camtasia soon--I know very little about the software. Would this allow me to show a film?

[acrimone]

Make the DVD part of their reading list?  A good DVD is cheaper than a lot of textbooks....

[larryc]

I don't think you are going to find a good legal way to do this. Or even a good illegal way.

You could tell them that it is their responsibility to find the films and give them a list of suggestions--Netflix, Ebay, etc. Or you could try to tailor the syllabus (what class is it?) to films that you can find online. Lots of very early films such as Birth of a Nation can be found at Google Video or Archive.org.

Now that iTunes is renting movies I would be tempted to go that route. Tell the students that a requirement of the course is to get an iTunes account. They don't need to be on a Mac or have an iPod or anything and they can download and watch the films on their computers pretty quickly.

Whatever you do you are going to have to tailor your syllabus to what is available. Good luck and let us know what happens, as I am thinking about developing a film and history class online.

[biged]

For what it is worth I know of instructors who have video digitized, copy it to DVD, and mail (as in U.S. Post Office) to the students.  I am not endorsing this, nor claiming it is  not a violation of copywrite laws, but it does work.

[zuzu_]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm just doing an introductory literature class. I generally incorporate film as a literary genre, but now that I'm developing on online version of the course for summer session, I'm trying to find an approach that will work. It's a compressed 6-week session, so I think netflix would be problematic if there were multiple films. Turnaround time on the films is a bit slow in big rectangle-shaped states. I think I'll probably end up omitting the genre this time around, but I'm interested in doing films in future classes.

The iTunes ideas sounds promising. But I wonder...if students are still sending me .wps files, they might have some difficulty figuring out how to watch a film on a computer.

[bone_gal]

I've thought about this as I'm considering developing an online course that incorporates films. Personally, I would only ever include a film that is widely available from a variety of sources. That way the student has many options (Blockbuster, Netflix, check out from public library, iTunes if that works, they can buy it on Ebay, etc.) and I'm not telling them the one and only way to get the movie.  Sure, this eliminates some things I'd love to show that might not be "commercial" films that are widely available, but I think this is the easiest route. Plus, I don't want to be involved in such gross copyright violation as the person mentioned in pp who makes copies and distributes them!

[msoexpert]

You have to be careful that you're not violating copyright. Simply posting a video without permission can get you, your department, and the school into real hot water.

You may be able to post short segments of films, but I doubt that you'd be able to post entire movies or podcast them for students. If it's something that students could rent at places like Blockbuster, then I think that would be a better option.

Because online classes get students from all over, you have to make sure that they all can access and get what they need. So maybe having students rent whatever films you require is the best way to go. However, I would anticipate some students not doing this or complaining about the costs.

But if that's what the class requires, then that's what students have to do. I don't think it's unreasonable for say an onlne film appreciation class to require students rent movies for use in class.

[larryc]

I wonder if you could not design your course to give the students groups of choices for what films to view? For a Civil War unit (and I don't think you teach history, but anyway...) students could watch either Birth of a Nation (online for free), Glory (widely available), or Ride With the Devil (slightly more obscure).
 

[wanna_writemore]

I asked our media guy on campus about this and he said that within Camtasia a clip up to about 5 minutes will work, but longer than that would require a different way. 

He wasn't specific (I'm exploring teaching online, but right now I'm not), but suggested that it is possible to put a longer clip (or an entire film) online for an online course within Blackboard.  I mention it because our media center is very conservative about following copyright.  I got the impression it would fall under the within-Blackboard-and-limited-to-registered-students category.  You would need a tech person for this, though, and I would recommend that it's your on-campus person so that you don't have to worry about copyright.  (I figure, anyway, if the media center guy says we can do it and I know he's familiar with and committed to copyright compliance, I don't have to worry myself).

Failing that, I would second Larry's suggestion of giving a range of film options if that's possible, or choosing something widely available.   My on-campus students would rather go to the public library or video store than watch something in the media center.

Besides iTunes, Netflix also lets you watch films through the computer, although the number you can watch per month depends on the subscription you have.

[starfleet_grad]

I have used entire videos in my online classes. Your tech people should be able to digitize VHS tapes or DVDs although they may not have the system for PAL or SECAM for VHS or regions other than Region 1 for DVD. They can also compress the video so that the file size is smaller than the original (useful for slow connections). The file itself is stored on a central server in the IT department, so I simply provide the students with a link to the server. Once they click on it, the streaming download starts, and nothing needs to be uploaded to the course management system. Quite simple, really.

As for copyright, I make sure that all videos are owned by our library. I use wanna_writemore's approach that if the tech people have no objections to doing all this, I don't worry about it.

To reduce student complaints about cost, I add a section to my syllabus that lists all required materials and any other incidentals that students must pay for. I have listed items like project supplies or even fuel when an assignment requires a trip off campus. Then I give an estimate of the total cost for the course. Some students still complain, but at least I can refer them to the syllabus and prove that they were warned. It's also a matter of CYA.

[zuzu_]

I have used entire videos in my online classes. Your tech people should be able to digitize VHS tapes or DVDs although they may not have the system for PAL or SECAM for VHS or regions other than Region 1 for DVD. They can also compress the video so that the file size is smaller than the original (useful for slow connections). The file itself is stored on a central server in the IT department, so I simply provide the students with a link to the server. Once they click on it, the streaming download starts, and nothing needs to be uploaded to the course management system. Quite simple, really.

I'm going to print this and show it to the IT department. Thanks!

[daurousseau]

I have used entire videos in my online classes. Your tech people should be able to digitize VHS tapes or DVDs although they may not have the system for PAL or SECAM for VHS or regions other than Region 1 for DVD. They can also compress the video so that the file size is smaller than the original (useful for slow connections). The file itself is stored on a central server in the IT department, so I simply provide the students with a link to the server. Once they click on it, the streaming download starts, and nothing needs to be uploaded to the course management system. Quite simple, really.

As for copyright, I make sure that all videos are owned by our library. I use wanna_writemore's approach that if the tech people have no objections to doing all this, I don't worry about it.

The tech people are not likely to know much about copyright. You are asking them to commit a copyright violation; the copier is legally liable, not the person who tells them to do it. The fact that a video is owned by the library means nothing in itself. Almost all the videos in libraries are purchased under contracts that explicitly bar re-copying.

This will change down the road as download rights replace purchase. Maybe by then we can figure out how to teach film when the media we are using are not film. It's like teaching poetry with books. The difference, however, is that from a book or score one can reproduce sound. From a cramped, low-resolution, digital medium the eye and brain cannot reproduce a film. So I guess for now we are talking about "film" in a literature or culture class, where it's really the ideas and their framing that is under study.

[starfleet_grad]

The tech people are not likely to know much about copyright. You are asking them to commit a copyright violation; the copier is legally liable, not the person who tells them to do it. The fact that a video is owned by the library means nothing in itself. Almost all the videos in libraries are purchased under contracts that explicitly bar re-copying.

This is what's so tricky and impenetrable about copyright. If I check out the DVD from the library and show it in class only to students, people say, "Fair educational use." If it's digitized and put on Blackboard for the same students, all bets can be off. I wonder if anyone works on a campus where the legal counsel has addressed these problems and has issued practical, easy-to-follow guidelines? Would anyone like to share such advice?

[wanna_writemore]

The tech people are not likely to know much about copyright. You are asking them to commit a copyright violation; the copier is legally liable, not the person who tells them to do it. The fact that a video is owned by the library means nothing in itself. Almost all the videos in libraries are purchased under contracts that explicitly bar re-copying.

Our media center people are tech-savvy librarians, not part of the IT department.  On that basis, I think they do know about copyright.  I guess it depends on where your tech people are located and what their general range of jobs is.

[spectacle]

The tech people are not likely to know much about copyright. You are asking them to commit a copyright violation; the copier is legally liable, not the person who tells them to do it. The fact that a video is owned by the library means nothing in itself. Almost all the videos in libraries are purchased under contracts that explicitly bar re-copying.

This is what's so tricky and impenetrable about copyright. If I check out the DVD from the library and show it in class only to students, people say, "Fair educational use." If it's digitized and put on Blackboard for the same students, all bets can be off. I wonder if anyone works on a campus where the legal counsel has addressed these problems and has issued practical, easy-to-follow guidelines? Would anyone like to share such advice?

I'm interested in starfleet_grad's question above - and whether anyone has any new takes on it recently.  I'm in the process of trying to figure out if there's a (legal) way to stream commercial films for an online course that's film-heavy. 

Tricky business.  Education is covered under Fair Use, but copying to stream somehow seems shady.  And my tech people are (understandably) hyper-neurotic about this stuff.