Fast, Simple Video for the Classroom - Drive and WeVideo

I can't remember how I came across this, but I saw a post recently that pointed out the Google Drive iPad app will take photos and video directly from the camera.  I didn't notice that before, but it makes for some quick, easy video capture from the iPad and transfer to a computer.

To go directly to Drive, it's this easy from the + symbol in the Drive app...

Then on a computer, work with the WeVideo Chrome app to edit.  It's going to be best with short clips or just still pictures since it can take some time to upload to Drive.  And WeVideo can be a little slow on uploads and previews too, but it's so easy to pull the clips and photos directly from Drive.  It's great to have all these tools integrated so there's no need for cables or SD cards.

The themes in WeVideo are fun and I like the tone they give a video, much like Instagram or Aviary will give a photo.

Here's an example I made after just taking some quick clips and pictures of my game collection.  The music and old film effects are all part of the theme.  I imagine this as a great classroom project where a student reads her poetry or reflective writing over some appropriate images.  (And I just learned the embed code from a video shared from Drive can be found in the File menu when you open the video.)


(Click here if the embedded video from Drive isn't working on your device.)

And since WeVideo is working from Drive the project can be shared in the editing process.  It's a good time to be alive!

I've got some classes starting next week where I will give this a try with students.

Epic Mythology Videos - GoAnimate with high school students

Melinda Newcombe teaches Mythology at the high school in the district where I work.  She asked me a couple weeks ago if we could pilot GoAnimate4schools with her class.  It ended up being a great project, definitely one of the best of the school year.  I was extremely happy with the engagement that I saw from the students at this point in the school year.

Here's a video that sums it up.  I also have the resulting videos embedded below.  The folks at GoAnimate have asked me to write an article for their blog and you can find the post here.


The Myths...
Persephone


Odysseus and Polyphemus


Ceyx and Alycone


Pyramus and Thisbe


Achilles and Hector

Blurb Mobile for Digital Storytelling

Someone pointed out Blurb Mobile to me yesterday as a possible app for digital storytelling. I really like it so far.  Presentations can be created from pictures and one video.  The limits on the number of pictures or videos can be changed by paying for the full version.

Most interesting to me is that it plays the presentation in two ways.  One plays the audio and then the user can flick through the pictures manually.  The other converts it to a video that plays each picture an equal time throughout the length of the audio clip.

After using other apps I have talked about, here are some thoughts...

I still really like Storyrobe, but the resolution can be bad if you play the movies full screen on a computer. Also, the fact that the pictures have to be in landscape (or they get cropped) is unfortunate. We found out this week if the iPad gets tipped while taking pictures the picture turns out in portrait even though we had the iPad turned for landscape. If you can live with those, this is still my favorite for simplicity and being able to control when the pictures change.

Videolicious - Still love it. I just wish you could time the images.  I will be putting together some short reports on classroom projects in the next week...as long as I can convince the teachers to narrate!

Two Apps for Digital Storytelling

I have been working with teachers at all grade levels the past three weeks to do more digital storytelling.  Some teachers are focusing on just narrated video slideshows instead of actual stories.  Either way, having a video at the end of a project is a great way for students and teachers to show off their best work.

We don't have classroom sets of iPads in our district, but several teachers have them and others have iPhones.  So I looked for a couple very simple apps that would allow teachers and students to quickly put together stories that at least have pictures and narration.  Here are the ones I have been using.  Both are for the iPhone, but they work well on the iPad.

Story Kit - I love how this one makes the stories in book form, with separate pages.  It makes it so easy to edit the story in parts, one page at a time.  If you mess up narration you only have to do the page over that you are on.  It also allows for text and some limited drawing.  The downside is that the final stories are best viewed as books just on the device.  You can upload them to a website, but there the book displays on a single webpage with all pages of the story visible at once.

Storyrobe - This app is my preferred one because it outputs to a video in the Camera Roll.  It breaks the process of making a story into three very simple steps.  First you gather pictures and these can be from the Camera Roll or you can take them through the app.  Next you "edit", which amounts to putting the pictures in order.  Finally, record your narration.  As you record (up to three minutes) you can bring up each picture as at the appropriate time in the narration.  There are no transitions or features that allow panning or zooming.  Again, I see this as pure simplicity and I love it for the students who can get distracted by advanced options.  The only downside is there's no way to redo just a part of the audio.  One mistake during recording and you have to do it all over...or just live with the mistake.  It also doesn't seem to save multiple stories, so consider this for projects where the story will be recorded in one sitting.

My Favorite Video Editing Software for the Classroom

Update on 2/21/2012: I still love this software and I use it regularly, but I had a poor experience with ordering a copy directly from the company. I received email about a one-day sale for 70% off the regular price of about $100. I ordered a copy for home and I checked the price at every stage during the order process to be sure the sale price was accurate. When the email receipt came through I noticed my credit card had been billed for $50 instead. I could not reach the company after attempting to by phone and email. Eventually my credit card company paid me the difference in prices just to resolve the dispute.

A couple years ago a fellow student in a college course recommended Corel's VideoStudio software for editing videos. I downloaded the trial and fell in love with many of the features. Now that they've upgraded to x4 and I have used it with many of my own students I appreciate it even more.

With multiple movie tracks and effects, the advanced editing features can be less than intuitive. But I've seen high school students use it to quickly edit a simple video as easily as they did in MoveMaker. I'm working with a group of middle schoolers now. We're taking it slow, but I have no doubt they'll be able to edit without me in time.

I have created some videos on my own at home that used multiple video tracks, transitions and titles. I only had it freeze up once. Considering my experience with Pinnacle software over the years, only one lock-up seems almost miraculous.

On top of the excellent visual effects that can be achieved, I'm very pleased with the audio editing as well. Audio can be split from the video in a variety of formats and effects can be added.

If you edit video with students, I strongly suggest downloading the fully functional 30-day trial. I see right now they're selling the full version for $50 per license, so it could be an excellent time to buy.