BP8_Links to Comments

For this entry I have attached links to comments I have left on other classmates blog regarding their RILS project.

Follow me to see my comments on Jennifer's Blog

Follow me to see my comments on Wayne's Blog

All of the work each of the students in my ETC class did amazing projects! I hope to try to utilize some others as well into my classroom.

BP_RILS Project

This project was a success! I had my students learn new technology and begin a projet that drew on prior learning. Most of the students seemed to enjoy the project and process however, I need to make some changes.

One:

I need to make sure the students can develop their comments to their peer a bit more. They seemed to answer with one word answers which I would try to get them to expand on a bit.

Two:

The account that i have set up has a limit of voice credits for the voice to text function which i did not realize at the start. Next time i will have to make sure that the students understand the limitations.

All in all it was a success and I think any teacher can use the lesson and also use it as a collaborative learning project as well if possible with other classes.

Here is a link to the video documenting the lesson. The video is also below. Enjoy!






But then, this is just for your "what it's worth" department.

PE5_GoAnimate

GoAnimate4Schools.com: Walking and panning by Marc Hunt

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate4Schools. It's free and fun!

I created the above animation using the pan and movement effects which gives the illusion of movement with the character in relation to the background. Really cool! Today I also met with the ELA instructor to prep for the script portion of this lesson and I also introduced the software to the students and they were very excited and went right to work. They were all engaged from the start! Awesome!

I have also learned that you can bring layers, or object forward which is quite nice. For example in the above picture I can bring the television set forward so my character will appear as though he is stand behind the TV and still keep the shot perspective.

I am so excited what my class can come up with!

PE4_Goanimate

  
     I started to work on becoming a better user of GoAnimate so I would be better prepared for the animation lesson my students will be gin when they learn to use this program to produce an animated short of 1 - 2 minutes. I already applied for a teacher account and set up my class prior to the week start as you can see in the above picture. I found many useful tutorials that helped me create the following video. In this video I tried using adding sound, using the cut effect, and also adding emotion and movement to the characters. You can also create original characters very easily as well and the two featured are ones that created in minutes.





GoAnimate4Schools.com: Test by Marc Hunt





Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate4Schools. It's free and fun!

Again, this is just for your what it's worth department.

PE3_iMovie

As I completed chapter 6 of the essential training, I learned about working with effects. this chapter covered titles, transitions, one-step effects and other topics.

Here is a short video on how to add titles and one-step effects:

I really liked the way iMovie sets up the audio editing visually. I found this feature very useful and could see how this could simplify some explanation to sound-scaping to my students:

In the picture above you can see how iMovie shows the user the waveforms of the audio files attached to the project and clips. I especially liked how you could extract audio from clips by clicking and dragging and pressing the Shift+Command keys.

Overall I really liked the essential training and definitely learned a lot about the advanced features of iMovie.

PE2_iMovie

As I continue on through the Lynda training, I was quite impressed with the feature iMovie has regarding rating clips.

As I continued on through the training, I found the use of the advanced editing tool extremely helpful.

PE1_iMovie

iMovie '11: Essential Training

     I have been using iMovie and other video editing software programs for a while now, but it has all been self-taught. I really liked how these video covered the basics of file management also. I can not stress to my students enough how they need to understand and utilize file management. In the business of video and sound production that is almost key to your success or demise if you lose your assets to your productions and ultimately, your clients.

     The beginning three chapters were a bit basic, however there were some very valuable information that I found in each of them. For example, the stabilization feature when importing footage. I have decided that instead of creating something from scratch during this training, I really want to use the exercise files and follow along with the instructor so I do not get caught up in the creative side but spend more time actually learning the techniques that are being taught.

BP7_One Minute Video

     I decided to try to make my commercial in the style of a "sham-wow" or other cheesy commercial you would see from time to time. I hope you like it. Enjoy!

Again, this is just for your "what it's worth" department.

BP4_Tiki-Toki

  
     As I began to research new tools this week, I wanted to find one that I could implement in my class to help students plan, and also see what is coming up next. It seems all of my students are very interested in "what are we doing next?" as I hear this question quite often. I was looking for something better than a calendar. I wanted it to be colorful and also have the ability to incorporate pictures, links, and movies as well. I found one and it is called tiki-toki.
     This timeline creation tool was very easy to use and looked very slick. You can sign up for a free account, however, there are limitations. The limitations are basically how many timelines you can create at once, not having advertisements appear, and utilize a group editing feature. The prices for the other account types range from $5/month for a bronze account, $20/month for a silver account, and a gold account does not yet have a price posted. All accounts do allow you do use images and movie files that are either on your computer or already on your Flickr, YouTube, or Vimeo accounts.
     I signed up for the free account and could not believe how fast it was to create a cool looking interactive timeline. You are able to color code entries, or stories as they are called, and then add more descriptive text as well as incorporate other rich media into your timeline as I already mentioned. Below you can see an image of what I created, but feel free to look at my timeline if you are interested.
  

  
     I am definitely going to use this in my classes. Since I have multiple classes I will have to upgrade and pay for the bronze account. This way I can keep all my classes as separate timelines, and avoid student confusion at the same time keeping the timelines looking cleaner.

  Again, this is just for your "what it's worth" department.

BP6_Link to another's blog

Follow this link to see my comment on Wayne's blog.

The Nelsonian Way

BP5_Link to another's blog

Follow me to Jennifer's blog where I made comments about her research on timelines.

Jennifer's Blog

BP2_GoAnimate

  

     I used this video to help me introduce the topics my class were going to cover next regarding some recording software. The first time I saw this type of animation program was a video used in my MLT class. This program, known as xtranormal, was very easy to use and the students seemed to really enjoy it. They loved the class humor that was incorporated into the short comic, and also really responded to the video and showed a lot of interest in learning that program as well. I do have an account with this site and discovered that they have educator accounts that are free and also come with full functionality.
     The new tool I decided to start using was another animation program which is called goanimate. The reason I wanted to find and learn another animation program was so I could keep this type of demonstration, or teaching tool fresh and not wear out its welcome with the students. This too was very easy to use navigate and use and it did not take long at all to make a short comic. I tried to experiment at first on my own before I found many tutorials online on YouTube that were very useful and informative. The two screen shots at the top are from when i was animating a character on stage. Goanimate also has an educator account, however they do respond to you mentioning that they are in high demand and that you should not expect to hear back from until at least a couple of days.
     The fact that so many students still watch cartoons that have various age audiences shows me that this can a valuable class tool. This tool could help focus the student on what is being taught simply because they can relate to what is seen in class to what they like to watch at home or online.

      Again, this is just for your what it's worth department.

BP3_Google Screen Shots

Here are my iGoogle screen shots: