We deployed a live streaming server recently. With relative ease, any school with a webcam and a microphone can broadcast live video throughout their school. This is a great new tool, since this doesn’t require any expensive hardware (just a webcam and a microphone), and right now it’s fairly simple to use it. We are looking for more teachers and administrators who want to try this. Here’s a few ideas on how live streams could benefit your school:

  • Share a video-based Principal’s message to your teachers and students once a week
  • Live stream morning announcements hosted by your students (Roy High has already used the server to do this twice).
  • Broadcast school assemblies into other classrooms. Some of our schools have too large a student body for their auditoriums, and the live stream could be shown in designated overflow areas. Since live streams can actually be transmitted across the district, you could even share your assembly with other schools, if appropriate.


The server uses the open source Red5 Flash streaming server. To transmit, we are using the free Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder application. In the future, the live streaming application will be moved to WeberTube, so the Flash Media Live Encoder will no longer be needed, and people can simply broadcast and watch live streams off the web site.
If you’re a Weber School District administrator or teacher, and want to try live streaming and broadcasting video throughout your school, please leave a comment on this post, or email me. Again, all you need is a webcam and a microphone.