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When COVID-19 forced schools to pivot overnight, video suddenly became non-negotiable. But as districts return to normal operations, many are discovering what Halton District School Board in Ontario already knew: the real power of video isn't in crisis response, it's in everyday teaching.
Cameron Steltman, K-12 Tech Lead for Halton District School Board, recently joined us to share how his district achieved meaningful video adoption without heavy-handed rollouts or aggressive training programs. With responsibility for rolling out technology across the entire K-12 system, Steltman has seen firsthand what works and what doesn't when introducing new tools to educators. His insights reveal a refreshingly human approach to educational technology implementation that prioritizes authenticity over perfection.
Steltman identified the biggest barrier to video adoption as psychological rather than technical. Many educators and students struggle with the pressure to create flawless content, which paradoxically prevents them from creating anything at all.
"Teaching students and yourself that it's okay to not be perfect in it. Every single word doesn't have to be exact. For a lot of these videos, we need to realize who the audience is and what the purpose is for it."
He's seen students spend entire class periods perfecting a single video, missing the point entirely. The solution is to normalize imperfection from day one. This means modeling vulnerability as educators, showing early drafts, and celebrating authentic communication over polished production. The willingness to be imperfect on camera actually builds the human connection that makes video such a powerful teaching tool in the first place.
Halton took a grassroots approach to scaling video adoption. Rather than relying solely on district-wide professional development sessions that teachers attend once and forget, Steltman built a YouTube channel featuring internal tech resources.
The goal was to create materials that meet teachers where they are and let adoption happen naturally through peer learning. When teachers can access just-in-time support on their own schedule, they're more likely to experiment and troubleshoot independently.
The timeline for basic comfort was surprisingly fast. Steltman estimates teachers feel comfortable with basic video creation in one or two sessions. After five or six uses, the tool becomes second nature. Advanced features like editing come later, once educators have already experienced the core value. This graduated approach prevents overwhelm and allows teachers to build confidence incrementally.
If Steltman could redo Halton's rollout, he'd start with teacher leaders. Not department heads or administrators, but the classroom teachers who are naturally innovative and willing to experiment.
"I put it to the leaders first. If you know you've got a group of people who you can empower... they will be your best advocates for getting new things in the hands of your staff."
The distinction between real classroom teachers and district office personnel matters significantly. "They're just not the same job," he emphasized. Teachers in the classroom understand the minute-to-minute reality of competing demands: behavior management, differentiated instruction, paperwork, parent communication, and a dozen other responsibilities that fill every spare moment. When a fellow classroom teacher says a tool is worth the time investment, that endorsement carries credibility that no district directive can match.
What makes Halton's approach work goes beyond choosing the right tool, though ease of use clearly matters. The key is recognizing that video adoption is fundamentally about people and relationships, not features and functionality.
When the goal is to "humanize the educator" and "showcase the real human," technical barriers become manageable. When perfection stops being the standard, adoption becomes accessible. When teacher leaders drive change, adoption becomes sustainable.
This philosophy extends beyond implementation strategy. It shapes how video gets used in Halton classrooms. Students learn that their voice matters more than their production quality. Teachers discover that authenticity builds stronger connections than polish. Video becomes a tool for relationship-building and real communication.
Want to learn more about how Castify supports district-wide video adoption? Connect with our team to discuss implementation strategies for your district.
