A What-Cast?

The vast majority of the projects I have done for my tech class were not terribly intimidating, even if not something I was comfortable with. For some reason, making podcasts and/or vodcasts makes me nervous. Maybe it is the thought of seeing myself on video or hearing myself recorded. I think perhaps it is the idea of my recording being sent out into the world for other people to see and hear that makes me cringe. I do see the many varied benefits of this technology, and I did make one for this class, but I think I want some more hands-on training before I go full-tilt into this particular bit of technology.

I have been looking at the work that many other students in my class have done, and it appears that many were able to upload a video they recorded on a camera. Because I had to be difficult and have Ubuntu, a Linux-based OS, installed on my computer, I am not able to do some things in the straight-forward and simple way a Windows user may be able to do. I do, however, have some slightly more awesome applications available for my use if I can figure out how to use them. The key is finding instructions that are written in a language other than Geekese.

I did manage to record myself reading a book with Audacity, and transfer it to an mp3 with LAME, but when I tried to upload this to any of the websites, I was unable to because of length. I went back and recorded some directions for a specific type of poetry, which was much shorter and was able to be uploaded. For some reason, it sounds a bit garbled. I am still working on perfecting this. I do think that the application of recording and loading directly on an mp3 player would be incredibly useful, and I plan on doing quite a bit of this after I get players for my classroom. I am going to pursue this on DonorsChoose.org. This is a wonderful website that allows teachers to post materials for projects they want to do with their students, and hopefully receive funding from well-meaning people in the cyber community.

My first attempt at podcasting can be found at my class website: MissCabeensClass.WikiSpaces.com. Hopefully future attempts added there will be better.

Animoto-A Creation Exploration

The students in my class this year are very tech-savvy for the most part. Most have cell phones, and some even upload videos to YouTube from their Flip cameras. (I am envious. I want a Flip.)

I did, however, find a tool that all my students can enjoy and learn from. I have discovered Animoto through my technology class, and my students love it! I have only made a video with one group of my students so far, and the rest of the class is supremely jealous. We made an "advertisement" for the book we are reading in small group, Mr. Popper's Penguins. All my groups will be making videos like this in the near future, so look for more great book advertisements.



Animoto is a video production website that allows members to create short, professional looking videos for free (30 seconds or less). If you want to make longer videos, you have to pay to subscribe. You also get a few additional bells and whistles with a paid subscription. The site is very easy to use. You can select pictures from a selection Animoto offers, upload them from your computer, or even import them from select websites such as flickr or FaceBook. You can also import video clips in the same fashion, selecting the piece of the video you want to include. You also get to include a soundtrack in the same way. The help available is, well, very helpful. I was a little concerned at first, but haven't had any real problems yet. I am excited about the potential this holds for my students!