Job Discussion Forums

[jr1965]

Hi everyone,

I�m going to be teaching a speaking/listening course to a group of university students in Madrid in the fall, and I�m in the process of designing it now. I�m thinking about using short (2-4 min) video clips in some of my classes, and I�ve been looking at video on sites such as National Geographic (www.nationalgeographic.com) and NOVA (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/) to name two.

My question is about fair use of video in the classroom: (forgive me if it sounds rather na�ve): Is it okay for me to use video clips from public sites in my classes? These are videos that are available for free on the websites listed above, not video that I�d need to pay a fee to view and use. My intention is to use these video clips with this specific class only; I am not designing materials to be used school-wide by many teachers and students, nor will I be downloading or posting anything online.

I�ve done some research on the Web about fair use of video in the classroom and it appears that I�m good to go, but I�d like to hear from anyone else out there (esp at the college level) who has used video in the classroom.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[johnslat]

Dear jr1965,

You're good to go. That's definitely "fair use." I've done the same thing at college level (after doing my own research and clearing it through the administration.)

Regards,
John

[jr1965]

Thanks for the quick reply, John! I appreciate it.

[El Chupacabra]

Where I teach, fair use also may apply but the sources of Internet video are often digital pirates. So it's a foggy gray area when teaching abroad. My practice is to cite sources, and hope that somehow keeps my hands clean. Yes, you can buy NatGeo and Nova discs for a song here.

[jr1965]

I know what you�re saying, Chupacabra, which is why I asked the question. After posting my original query, I checked out the Terms of Service info on the National Geographic public site (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/community/terms/), where �Educational Use of Content� guidelines are specified. This information helped a lot.

I guess the best rule of thumb is when in doubt, contact the provider. If you want to use video that is available on Nat Geo�s public site for free and for all to view, for example, but aren�t sure if you�ll be violating copyright by using it in your classroom, then ask. Even better if your school has someone you can contact for guidance, but I know that this isn�t always the case.

[El Chupacabra]