Making Videos

Today was another busy day in Emerging Technologies. The day was basically spent on video making and editing using IMovie HD. I had only used IMovie HD previously to make slideshow DVD's from pictures. This program is easy to use, but does require some "play time" before actually making a video. Creating a quality video also takes a lot of planning time in addition to actually making the video and editing. I know now I, as the teacher, must be willing to devote the time needed for the entire process if I expect a quality video the students will be proud of.

From reflecting on some of today's experiences, I would try to pair students who are more knowledgeable with IMovie HD, or any technology, with the students who have never used it in a classroom. There were many times today where having the help of students who have used this was greatly appreciated! As a teacher, I would also make it very clear to the students what is expected when they are creating a video. I think having clear expectations and rubrics makes planning and production a much smoother process.

Jingproject.com was the second technology we learned about today that educators can benefit from. This program takes pictures and video of your computer screen - and it's free! I can see this being very beneficial for helping other staff members with projects or even helping students by putting links of video on the website. This would let them go home without you and have your help on the common problems that arise or just have your directions to follow. I also think it would be awesome to use if a student was absent from class. The teacher can just video what s/he is showing the class and then the absent student would be able to work a bit more independently when s/he returns. There were limitations with this technology, such as not being able to edit and only being able to video 5 minutes or less. All in all, I do see myself using it.