You Tube Video Editing Tips

This week, I've been working with my students to create their own Google Sites, with the understanding that any images or video that they post to their sites need to be licensed with a Creative Commons license and properly cited.

After several failed attempts, I created my first video using YouTube's video editor and was able to successfully create a screen cast of my process!

Here is my first mash-up video:

Here is my screen cast, explaining how to create your own mash-up video.

Here is a copy of my copyright dispute!  While the original YouTube video was approved, the screen cast of me teaching how to create the video was flagged for using third party content, the song "Hot Buttered Popcorn," which was featured in the clip.   This was a terrific lesson on the nuances of copyright and fair use.

Screen Casts to the Rescue

One of the most challenging things about teaching a class of 23 seventh graders about copyright and Creative Commons is that they all learn at their own pace (and almost no one wants to listen to a lecture about the importance of citing sources).

I learned this the hard way, prompting me to create a series of screen casts that would allow my students to work at their own pace.

This week, I used Screencast-o-matic to create lessons about Creative Commons!  I saw with my own eyes that this was much more effective than a live, linear, step-by-step performance.

Easy Animation with Easy Studio

I created this animation using the Easy Studio and iMovie apps on an iPad.  I added the text in iMovie and the audio in YouTube.  I plan to use Aurasma Studio to add this clip to a trigger image on a bulletin board at BRMS.

Computer Science Education Week: Hour of Code

I completed a Khan Academy tutorial to learn Java script with my students today!

Jill's Reindeer

Made using: Khan Academy Computer Science.

Augmented Reality

I recently worked with sixth grade students to create Google Drawings as trigger images, images that trigger an augmented reality overlay.  In other words, my students created images that played a secret message that could only be viewed by a person using a device equipped with the Aurama app.  Please check out this site to see my kids' work and to learn how to download the free Aurasma app and subscribe to our class channel:  https://sites.google.com/a/cesuvt.org/6th-grade-projects/home

Royalty Free Music

One of the concepts that I am focusing on with my students is the importance of digital citizenship. While teaching students about the importance of citing their sources, and reminding them to only use media that they have the right to use, it's important that educators make this process as easy for students as possible.

I recently spent an afternoon looking for an easy way for students and teachers to access high quality audio clips for presentations, without a lot of fuss. I am pleased to report on two very impressive sites. The first site is called Royalty Free Music.

Educators/Students who visit the link http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/free-music-clips.html must provide a live email address and complete a brief survey in order to download 30-second music clips. These clips are free to use for educational purposes, so long as the site is properly credited. I highly recommend this site!

The second site that I recommend is Freesound.org. Like the previous site, this one requires users to sign in with an email account. Freesound.org is notable because users may search for music that is licensed under Creative Commons. There is also a bookmarking feature within the site, making it easy for users to mark notable sounds for future reference.

Playing with Picasa

I played around with Picasa today, trying to learn how to use the filters.  It's not currently part of the tools available to students on their class accounts, but the software could be downloaded on individual PCs. 

It's pretty intuitive and fun, but I need to practice more!