Closed Captioning
As per the email from Dr. Smith in May of 2024.
In our ongoing commitment to fostering an inclusive learning environment that caters to the diverse needs of all students, we are implementing a new requirement regarding closed captioning for educational videos during the 2024-25 school year. This requirement aligns with the legal mandates outlined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the best practices defined in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. As of April 1, 2024, the Department of Justice finalized new regulations targeting website and mobile application accessibility including content posted in learning management systems (i.e., Schoology, Seesaw, etc.).
Effective for the 2024-25 School Year:
All newly created educational videos utilizing Screencastify, WeVideo, Canva, or any other video creation tool must incorporate closed captioning. Each of these platforms provides user-friendly captioning tools, including automated generation and manual editing capabilities. Links to each of their resources can be found at the bottom of this message. Sessions on effectively utilizing these features will be scheduled during the Ed Tech Summit on August 12, 2024.
Any video used from YouTube, Vimeo, or other video sources and uploaded to or embedded within tools such as Quizziz, EdPuzzle, Seesaw, Schoology or other resources must include closed captioning.
Addressing Existing Video Resources (Pre-2024-25):
Recognizing the value of video resources created prior to 2024, we understand there may be some time necessary to convert material that is still relevant for student consumption to address accessibility concerns. Therefore:
Prior to the commencement of the 2025-26 School Year, all existing educational videos used within the classroom setting will require the incorporation of closed captions.
Benefits of Closed Captioning:
The inclusion of closed captions provides a multitude of benefits for various student groups, including:
Students with hearing impairments, who rely on captions to comprehend the audio content.
English Language Learners (ELLs), who find visual reinforcement of spoken words advantageous.
Students in environments with sound limitations (e.g., computer labs, noisy classrooms).
Learners who generally benefit from a combination of audio and visual information.
This requirement underscores a commitment to creating a truly inclusive learning arena, ensuring equal access to educational materials and promoting enhanced learning experiences for all students, irrespective of their abilities.
Additional Resources:
WCAG 2.1: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/
We appreciate your understanding and collaboration in implementing this new requirement. Should you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the IT Helpdesk at help.rlasd.net.
Youtube
Settings at the bottom on the video player.
Edpuzzle
To enable closed captions on Edpuzzle, you can do the following:
Go to the video lesson you want to watch
Start playing the video
Click the CC button to enable subtitles
Select the language of your choice
If the CC button doesn't appear, the video may not have closed captions. You can ask your teacher to use YouTube's advanced search to filter videos with closed captions. Some videos have closed captions in multiple languages.
You can also set closed-captioning as a default by following these steps:
Click on your profile icon in the upper right-hand corner
Select your name from the dropdown menu
Click on the "Settings" tab
Next to "Closed Captions," toggle the switch to “On”
Screencastify
To add closed captions to a Screencastify video, you can use the Video Management Page or Screencastify Edit:
1. Video Management Page
Go to the Video Management Page
Select Add Captions
Choose Generate for Me to use speech-to-text technology to automatically create captions
Or, choose Upload My Own to upload a captions file in .vtt format
Review the captions and make changes if needed
Click Done to save your changes
2. Screencastify Edit
Open Screencastify Edit
Select Add media
Import your video
Export your video to Screencastify
You can also add captions to a video by opening it from your My Videos page and clicking Add Captions.
Once captions are added, you can see them displayed at the bottom of the video as white text on a black background when you go to the Watch Page. You can edit the captions by deleting text, re-spelling words, or amending phrases. Changes are automatically updated to the captions file and appear on the Watch Page immediately.