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Embedding YouTube videos in Activities with YouTube Player for Education

audience.png Audience: Teachers with Seesaw Instruction & Insights or Seesaw AI plans 

With the Seesaw & YouTube Player for Education, teachers can embed YouTube videos directly into Seesaw Activities, while keeping students focused, safe, and learning inside Seesaw!

  • Play instructional videos using Present to Class without worrying about what appears next
  • Embed videos into lessons or activities so students never leave Seesaw
  • Use age-appropriate, teacher-selected videos without suggested content
  • Reduce off-task behavior caused by external video platforms
  • Support multimedia instruction while maintaining classroom control

How to use

  1. Tap Create Activity from the green Add button or Home.
  2. Select the YouTube Video option.
  3. Search YouTube, or paste a video url in the box. You will be able to search YouTube for age-appropriate content from within Seesaw. 
  4. To trim the video, drag the slider from left to right and/or right to left to select the clip you want to play.
  5. Tap Add Video to insert the video in the Creative Canvas.
  6. Videos play inside Seesaw, keeping students in one place with no external tabs or apps. 

FAQs

How do embedded videos work for students?
Students stay in Seesaw while watching the YouTube video. YouTube’s embedded player is specifically designed to be “distraction-free” which means no recommended videos or external links are shown. Otherwise, standard video player controls to play, pause, and add captions work as they would on any other YouTube video. 

Do students need to log into YouTube?
No. Viewing occurs in a signed-out, anonymous state.

What happens if my district has blocked YouTube?
Teachers will be able to embed videos from YouTube even if their schools/district have blocked YouTube specifically.

Schools and districts need to add youtubeeducation.com to their allowlist to ensure there are no issues with video playback.

Schools and districts can continue to block youtube.com and have youtubeeducation.com content playable through the player. Youtubeeducation.com is not a live site, it is only for embedded video playback. 

Does the YouTube for Education player comply with privacy requirements like COPPA, FERPA, and GDPR?
Yes. Seesaw uses YouTube Player for Education, a paid, education-only experience that is designed to support student privacy and safer learning environments. 

Videos play without distractions, external links, or recommended videos, and are served from youtubeeducation.com rather than youtube.com. This helps ensure a more controlled, classroom-appropriate experience that aligns with key student privacy requirements, including COPPA, FERPA, and GDPR.

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