SnagFilms? What the--?

Full disclosure: When I first saw information about SnagFilms, my initial thought was that they might be some sort of lesser, younger brother version of snuff films. If you don't know what snuff films are, for the love of everything wholesome, don't go Google any examples.

But truthfully, now that we've all probably Googled at least the definition, don't SnagFilms sound like some sort of tawdry, exploitative film about a killer hangnail?

Well, they're not.

As it happens, SnagFilms is a fantastic site where one can access and view documentaries in their entirety. I'm not exactly sure how this works--especially in light of last week's copyright assignment--but if you're interested, take a look at their terms of service. The videos are embeddable, so long as you embed them using their own widget.

There's even an educational version. Here, videos can be sorted according to grade level and topic. On the right-hand side of the screen, there are also links to similar teacher resources. There are links encouraging you to submit a lesson plan based on the film, so that other teachers can benefit, and there are also discussion questions for students to consider as they watch the film.

I know there has been a bit of discussion in class lately as to the efficacy and appropriateness of watching films in class. Whichever side of the divide you find yourself landing on, this website surely has a video you would find useful, should you decide you want one.

One video that particularly caught my attention was a documentary about a prom in Charleston, Mississippi. This prom was completely financed by actor Morgan Freeman. His one stipulation: the prom was to be the first fully integrated prom in the city's history. Since 1970, the school has been integrated, but has held segregated proms. In 1997, Morgan Freeman made his original offer for an integrated prom. It was summarily rejected. In 2008, he made the offer again, and the school board agreed.

Watch more free documentarieshttp://learning.snagfilms.com/film/prom-night-in-mississippi

During a unit about civil rights, this would be a great film to help students see how segregation and racism affects us even today. I feel that this film would be such an effective way for students to see that the civil rights movement extends beyond the old black-and-white newspaper photos (erm. . . not intended. Seriously.), and that it is something their contemporaries are facing and asking questions about right now.

But returning to the general topic of SnagFilms, can anybody explain to me how this site works? I mean, how does this fit in with current copyright laws? Do I just need to go back and review the copyright lesson?

Also, would anybody watch a snag film about a murderous hangnail rampage?