Friday, May 19, 2023

Video Victory

Friday. Second period. 

I think the note I left for the teacher really encapsulates how this went: 

Oh my. That did not go well.

Not them. The class was fine. I mean the video…

We had some, ahem, technical difficulties. 

AP World History. Their AP test had been the previous day, so it's movie time.

Back in the day, that meant popping a tape into the VCR and hitting play. Then, later, things got a little more complicated with DVDs (but only a little more complicated). 

Nowadays, videos are streaming. The classrooms have projectors (not a tiny TV screen) and speakers built into the ceiling (not TV speakers), so the rooms are set up for a great movie experience. But getting the videos to play...

I had a similar experience last month when I covered a U.S. history class. (As a matter of fact, that classroom was next door to this classroom.) But then I had time to prepare. 

Ms. G had put a link to the video she wanted to screen into the students' Google Classroom. I was to have a student log in and then use that link to project the video for everyone. 

In theory, this should work out fine. In practice...

The link that Ms. G provided ended up being blocked by the school's internet provider. It wasn't a website I'm familiar with, and a bunch of warnings popped up when we tried to access the site. 

However, another student was able to get the video to play on her computer, so we swapped computers connected to the projector, and all was well... for about five minutes. That's when the same block appeared. 

I had one more trick to play. I figured that perhaps a teacher's account (mine) might not get the block, so I logged in, and under my Google profile, I added in another (student's) account, accessed his Google Classroom, and tried the link.

It worked!

I crossed my fingers. It played. It played for a while. And then the buffer wheel came up...

But I never did get the block again. Phew. I was able to bypass the buffer wheel and keep the video going until the end of the period.

We got to see 35 minutes. In a period that lasts an hour and six minutes. 

Still, I consider that a victory. 

There has got to be a better way to show a video on a sub day. But when the thing a teacher wants to show is behind a paywall, it's hard. If someone can figure this one out, they'd make a mint.

17 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Our corporate overlords must wrench every penny out of every movie ever made.

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  2. Oof, how annoying. I wonder if the teacher actually tried out the process for streaming the video ahead of time.

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  3. thecontemplativecat here. Man. The nightmares are still with me.

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  4. The newer the technology, the more frustration (or so it seems). I also hate paywalls.

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    Replies
    1. In theory this should be easier. Maybe one day.

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  5. Money and fame? Really? Technology has its plus but it has its issues too. I was having issues with block ups so I went to microsoft block ups and turned on this block which wiped out all my passwords to my emails, fb and google blogger. All the passwords I had in my book, I had changed at some point and forgot to write them down. ATT has shut me down for 24 hrs but google, I kept typing in diff ones it could be and BAM I got in, which allowed me to get to blogland! So pissed at myself. At least I can still reach fb on my phone. NOT A CLUE, I know enough about technology to get in trouble. Classes when techno stuff is involved seems to mess with you. I would be the same and prob get kicked out of class for the said words I might use

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    Replies
    1. Ms. G had that sign on her desk. I thought it funny, so I had to include it.

      If you have the passwords on your phone, you should be able to access that (via settings, probably) and then log in via your computer. What a mess.

      Delete
  6. What are they studying in world history.
    Coffee is on, and stay safe.

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  7. Oops, not fun. I mean the video issue, the sign is fun ;) I guess there was no way to download it before the class.

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  8. That kind of problems happens very often :/

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  9. Do you have Clickview? Or is that Australia only? It is a legal online video repository that is specifically for educational purposes. It is brilliant.

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    Replies
    1. I know one of the schools has something similar, but subs don't necessarily have access. (I mean, I suppose I could ask, but I haven't really needed access, so I haven't.)

      Delete
  10. I'm glad you make so much money and become famous teaching. What a glorious profession. Just kidding. Loved the little sign at end. Darn video issues anyhow.

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    Replies
    1. Some teachers have great little touches in their classrooms. I love having a cell phone camera to capture them.

      Delete

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