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Back to School Night Video Preparation

MS & US Back To School Night (BTSN) - Sept/Oct 2021

Step 1: How To Create A Recording Using Zoom

Click here for a video Tutorial (3 min) that shows how to record using Zoom.

Using Zoom to record is not required. It's just one easy way to do this and has been tested. Loom is another option for recording your video. (We seem to like things that rhyme.)

Summary of Steps for Zoom Recording

Uncheck mirror if using optional backgrounds

Optional: While not required, there are Zoom video backgrounds designed for Back To School Night.

They are here in case you want to use one for your Zoom recording: BTSN Zoom Backgrounds. You should uncheck mirror image when your are setting the video background in zoom. (See image above.)

Step 2: How To Publish Video Recording for Parents

Click here for step by step directions with images and narration (Estimated time to complete this is 5 minutes per course video.)

This shows you how to post your video recording in My DE on the Bulletin Board for each class by using the Videos option. Please put it at the top of your Bulletin Board and name it Back To School Night as shown in the directions.

Notes to read if you have questions:

Automated appear/disappear OR checking that your video is actually there:

For Back to School Night 2021 please make sure your video is set to show by 9/30/21 for MS or 10/7/21 for US. For both MS and US you can set the video to disappear after 10/11/21. (The directions linked above show you how to do this.) Setting a publish date in the future means that your video won't show on your Bulletin Board page until that date. Even you won't see it until then unless you go to Edit Mode for the Bulletin Board. (Here's how to confirm your video is still there or change the dates.)

Recording not from Zoom:

If you did not record using Zoom, you can upload most video formats to the Videos tool as long as you know where you saved your video file on your computer. The directions assume it's in the Zoom folder and demonstrate finding it there, but you can upload from any folder. A file size error may prevent upload if the file is larger than 1 GB. To get around that either export the file in lower resolution or upload it to YouTube as Unlisted then post a link to it as an Announcement on your class Bulletin Board.

Don't post a link to a Google Drive video:

While it might look like it works fine when you try it from our d-e.org account, others who are not logged into a D-E Google account (parents, for example) may not be able to load the video even if you set the video security to public. This is a know issue with hosting video files on Google Drive so please do not do that.

(Optional but recommended) Step 3: Replace broken preview image of video with nice BTSN icon

If you recorded using Zoom, the image that shows above the video album title may be ugly and shows a broken image icon after you posted your Back To School Night (BTSN) video on the Bulletin Board for your class. To fix this, you can choose/upload a custom image created by the Communications department especially for BTSN.

Broken thumbnail image

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are clarifications and answers to some common questions folks have even after going through the tutorials above. Click on the question/heading to see the answer.

I don't see a Publish Layout button. How do I save my Bulletin Board changes?

The Publish Layout button is only necessary and only shows when you change the layout of the page. The layout is the location of the media areas (e.g. Videos) on the page not the actual content in those areas (e.g. your uploaded video). Therefore, if your Videos area is already placed a the top of your Bulletin Board page, you won't see the Publish Layout button. The content you add to each area (e.g. your uploadd video) is saved as you add it. Therefore, if you don't see a Publish Layout button you can just click "Back to Bulletin Board" to view it.

I followed step 2 above and uploaded my video, but I don't see it on the Bulletin Board. Is it there?

If you set the publish date for your video to a future date (i.e. tomorrow or later), the video will not show to anyone, including you, until that date arrives. However, you can go back into Bulletin Board Edit mode if you want to confirm that your video is indeed there waiting to be published when the specified date arrives. To see items set to publish in the future, you need to check the Future box in the area for the media (e.g. Videos) you want to see. Items will also disappear after the Expire date. You can see expired items by clicking the Expired box.

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