FAQ
Q: How does Schoolyard Films provide such a great resource for FREE? (I don't get it.)
A: Thank you for asking!
All Schoolyard Films media (films and study guides) are FREE to educators and students worldwide. There is no catch, and there is no advertising. (Really!) Because we are a 501(c)3 educational charity, we are able to solicit funds from foundations, corporations, and individuals. These grants fund our production budgets, and then we're in the clear to give away our films and study guides for free, reaching, we hope, the largest viewership possible. So far it's working well and we continue to build a community of like-minded people who want to help. If you want to contribute, or know someone who does, please look for the SYF PayPal Donate Button... but no matter what, our work is available to everyone for FREE. We want teachers to use our resources and build on them for their own lesson plans and programs. Please share what you have done with Schoolyard Films resources in the SYF Forum so that others can benefit from your experiences. What we all do and share with our students in a classroom matters. You matter. Thank you !
Q: How do I view or download any of the Schoolyard films on my computer, tablet, or smart phone?
A: It's easy! Just find the film that you want to watch on our website and click on it. It streams directly from the website. You can also click on one of the links below it to access the films from our partner distributors; PBS Learning Media, Apple Podcasts, and the DCMP (Desribed and Captioned Media Program). There are download links included with every film from Vimeo, our hosting platform.
More downloading options for PCs and Android Mobile devices (with a simple web browser-based interface) is now available through PBS's "Learning Media."
Link to all of the Schoolyard Films resources on the PBS site here: PBS LearningMedia/SchoolyardFilms
It is an amazing site with lots of great resources and Schoolyard Films is glad to be a contributing partner!
-SYFTeam
Q: Why are your films so short? (10 - 30 minutes? Wow!)
A: That's a great question! We have "Day Jobs…" We are producers, directors, photographers and educators who have worked in Broadcast wildlife documentary films for prominent production companies (The BBC, NatGeo, Discovery, and many others…) for many years, we still do. Schoolyard Films are DESIGNED to work well in a classroom environment. They are short, but feature and content rich. They work well within the timeframe of a single classroom session… giving the instructor time to conduct the regular and necessary "business" of their class each day AND allow for a full viewing of the Schoolyard Film and then also to include time for Study Guide activities and meaningful classroom discussions about the topics presented in the films. These are not just "Rainy-day" or Substitute supplements, but fully realized lessons that fit with your programs and fulfill State and National required Science Standards.
You're welcome! ;)
Did we mention that EVERYTHING on SYF is FREE? ...It is!
Q: Schoolyard seems pretty "Apple Centric" … what's up with that?
A: We have enjoyed a great relationship with the National Science Foundation's Digital Library and "Hosting / Serving" all Schoolyard Media from Apple Podcasts's big, safe, and fast servers worldwide. We use Apple products in our personal and professional lives in everything from communications to film editing. That said, we also have other products and other devices. We want them ALL to work for you, the end user. We always want a safe and future-proof way to deliver Schoolyard Films’ Media. Apple Podcasts is constantly updated (directly by Apple) and is FREE and available for both Apple and PC computers. (Really… it works on PC's just fine!) All Apple mobile devices; all iPhones, and iPads, can access Schoolyard Films for free in a safe (virus and advertising free) way.
This is a big deal: None of us want uncontrolled advertising or other messaging finding its way to our students… even with the potential enhanced benefits of revenue. There are no "Click throughs," Ad placements, nor revenue streams associated with the Schoolyard Film's Site or Links to Schoolyard Media… None!
"Linux" computers and "Android" compatible mobile devices can play QuickTime files that we deliver through iTunes… so it is not very difficult to Stream or "Share" these files from Apple users with non-Apple users. ("Drag and Drop" them to a "Jump Drive" and move them around! We don't care… just please, don't try to sell them! Really… don't do it, after all, they're free! Thanks.)
For all Non-Apple users, and for all of you who discover the rich educational resource that is "PBS Learning Media," Schoolyard Films is available on PBSlearningmedia.org. It is super searchable and very Meta Data rich for those teachers looking for specific topics and resources to enhance their lesson planning. PBS/SchoolyardFilms
Our Pledge:
If you want to use Schoolyard Films Media in your classroom, we will find a way to get it to you safely and Free.
If you get stuck, or if you have a tech question, email our media manager directly: glenn.allen@schoolyardfilms.org