If you have large video files, you have (at least) 3 options for getting them into Canvas:
- Upload them directly to Canvas like you would a PDF.
- Upload them to Box and insert a link within Canvas.
- Upload to Kaltura and embed within Canvas.
Option 1 is undesirable because it will take up the limited amount amount of space provided for each Canvas site (2GB), and because playing videos in not Canvas’s expertise; the file will load slowly, may have problems with playback, etc.
Option 2, linking the file from Box into Canvas, should serve you perfectly well, especially if you already store video files on Box (since your CNET ID gets you unlimited storage). Again, streaming videos is not exactly Box’s strength, but their video player usually works just fine. It can be a pain to access Box files within Canvas, and you’ll likely need to check the permission settings on the particular video; “People with the link” should give you the best results. And Box by default allows users to download files, but this shouldn’t be a problem since you are using materials responsibly, RIGHT??
Option 3, using Kaltura, is the default solution for storing and viewing large video files within Canvas. Some reasons for that:
- Storing and streaming videos is Kaltura’s strength; it’s kind of like YouTube in that sense. It will give the best playback, allowing students to click back to previous parts of a video with less waiting for content to load.
- It allows you to embed your videos within a Canvas page.
- Kaltura creates a library of all the videos you upload, so that you can easily add a video to multiple courses or sections.
Again, if you already use Box to store video files, using Box within Canvas will likely work just fine. But Kaltura is another good option. And storing and streaming videos is only the most basic functions of Kaltura; it supposedly does a lot more, but I’m still learning about its other features.
For a detailed walk-through of the basics on using Kaltura in Canvas, click here.