Streaming Service

Sewickley Academy Streaming Guidelines

With the rise of streaming services, it’s important to remember that educational use does not transcend the contract you signed for your personal subscription. The following information will shed light on the situation and answer some questions you may have regarding streaming content in the classroom.

How can I show documentaries and movies to my class?
Sewickley Academy subscribes to Swank K12 Streaming. Much like Netflix or other streaming services, Swank allows users to log in and watch on their own computers wherever and whenever they like. The benefit of Swank is that teachers can assign documentaries in the portal or Google Classroom for students to watch asynchronously.

What if Swank K12 Streaming doesn't have what I was hoping to screen?
If you would like to show something that is not currently licensed, please let a librarian know and we will try to add it to our collection.

Sewickley Academy also has a public performance license (Swank Movie Licensing USA) that enables you to show certain content via any format (streaming, DVD, etc.). See what's covered here.

Information about our public performance license to show certain content - Video Link & Copyright Link

If it’s educational and on Netflix, can I stream it in the classroom?

Short answer: No

Except: The titles listed as Netflix Original documentaries which do grant permission for classroom use as it’s part of our Swank Movie Licensing USA Agreement. You can find the list of Netflix’s Educational Screening Documentaries here.

Long answer: 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.

Showing Netflix in the classroom - Link

So, what can I stream in my classroom or at school events?

We have multiple avenues to maintain the ability to stream:

Anything on Swank K12 Streaming (also available out of school time for students)
Netflix’s Original Documentary List
Swank Movie Licensing USA site will explain what content is covered under our subscription for you to show via any format (school or personal DVDs, streaming subscriptions, etc.).
Various options below that provide excellent streaming content for the classroom.

Other Sources for Streaming Video

PBS LearningMedia- Instant access to tens of thousands of FREE classroom-ready, digital resources including videos and interactives perfect for the Interactive Whiteboard, plus audio and photos, and even in-depth lesson plans.

Teacher Tube- An online community for sharing instructional videos. Teacher Tube provides you with the opportunity to watch videos, download videos and post your own videos. Choose from almost 50,000 teacher produced videos.

National Science Foundation Multimedia Gallery- Images, video, and audio from the National Science Foundation.

Don't forget about:

Contact Ruth Neely or Lindsay Downs for information or if you have any issues accessing these resources.

Closed Captioning

Click on the icon below to register and gain access to over 4,000 captioned media titles

Click on the icon below to see how you can enable closed captioning using your VLC Media Player.

Additional Copyright Source Used:

"Hudson Streaming Guidelines." Hudson City Schools, Blackboard,
www.hudson.k12.oh.us/Page/3643. Accessed 8 Dec. 2020.
Ochtera, Tabitha. “Streaming Databases: Netflix.” LibGuides, 25 Jan. 2019, molloy.libguides.com/streaming/netflix. CC with attribution. Accessed 28 Jan. 2019.