As I have discussed before, copyright is a very complicated topic and it can be confusing to know when you have permission to use content in your classroom. One of the questions I receive a few times a year is if teachers can show a movie from a video streaming service like Netflix or Amazon Prime in their classroom. Before showing a video from Netflix in your classroom you will need to do some research.

Video streaming services are very convenient and make it easy to access a large library of movies and TV shows. As an educator, are you allowed to show a movie from Netflix in your classroom? Eva Harvell at EdSurge explains what movies you can show in your classroom from Netflix:

At first glance it seems like it would be OK, but a teacher wanting to show a Netflix movie would have to log into Netflix using a personal account. The user agreement the individual agreed to when he or she created the Netflix account prohibits showing movies in a public venue, which may be a contract violation. (However, Netflix does permit the showing of some documentaries in class.)

As EdSurge explains, depending on the movie you may be able to show it in your classroom. A teacher asked me about a documentary this year and according to the Netflix website they allow that documentary to be shown in an educational setting.

Netflix provides some great documentaries that can be shown in the classroom but be sure to check the Netflix website first. When showing your documentary be sure to use instructional strategies to help your students process the information they are viewing.

Photo: afra32 / Pixabay