I spent some time over the last two weeks learning how to use Animoto, and I was happy to discover that it is every bit as intuitive as it appears. I was able to teach myself how to use it very quickly, and it was easy to create a simple video. I would feel confident asking students in middle school or high school to create their own videos using Animoto.
The most challenging aspect of the whole endeavor was finding "free to use and share" pictures to include in the slideshow. Prior to our class discussion last week, I never knew that I could filter Google Image results by the image's licensing requirements. I did that when searching for images to use in this Animoto. It definitely limited my results, but it was nice to know that I wasn't stealing someone's images!
I also felt that the available music was fairly limited - although one of the options happened to work well for my video, in the future I see myself uploading music from my own personal library to use.
Depending on the topics of my future Animotos, I might consider incorporating some images of my own, even if it meant going out and taking pictures specifically for that purpose.
Here is the Animoto that I created, which is meant to be a simple introduction to the book The Hunger Games.
Have you ever used Animoto before? Have you asked students to use it? How did that work out?
Glad to see it working! I thought it was spot on, and would be neat to update one for each book as an intro for expectation discussion. Nicely done!
ReplyDeleteI also found it very easy to use and am planning on having my juniors create one towards the end of the year. Like you said it is hard to find lots of images so I am thinking of creating a project where my students take pictures of their notes or problems they solved through the year and create almost a scrapbook of a certain numbers of topics we have covered. I think they will really enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I also felt the music selection was very limited. I selected music for my Animoto that I really was not happy with. I was trying to find music from their list that worked with my presentation. I enjoyed your presentation. What a great way to to highlight books and to get students involved in reading.
ReplyDeleteKim, this Animoto introduces the concept of students creating book trailers. They can do this with a variety of tools, and I would suggest options, such as Animoto, an iMovie or MovieMaker, or any other video production tool.. WeVideo is one they can use online and even do collaboratively. Book trailers are gaining popularity in the English/language arts curriculum, especially given the availability of digital tools. Thanks for sharing. Also plan to share your Animoto with some pre-teens and teens who are Hunger Game fans.
ReplyDeleteI too never knew about the advanced image search available on Google prior to this class. And since learning of it have pulled my images this way. And yes the images can definitely be hard to find once you go this route. I actually lucked out when doing my Animoto as I highlighted the American Liver Foundation so there were tons of approved images available for my use.
ReplyDeleteI think your Animoto had a great flow and really painted a picture, and would hook a students attention enough to begin reading this series. I also think Judy hit it on the head when she mentions it is much like a book trailer. It made me want to go back and read the novels after only seeing the movie.
I really enjoyed watching your Animoto and believe that it could be used for students in many grade levels. Excellent choice of music as it complemented the visuals and I found myself signing along with it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I appreciate it! I had fun making this. I was actually pretty worried about finding music that fit the tone of The Hunger Games, especially given the limited selection on Animoto. But I thought this one worked pretty well. Glad you agree. :)
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