Adding Creative Commons Video Footage to DoInk Videos

I've recently had people asking how to get Creative Commons licensed video footage downloaded, for use with the DoInk Green Screen app on their iPads.  I haven't had time to create a screencast or attractive visual that answers the question, but here is one process that has worked well for me. I'll be posting a Job Aid here within the next few weeks.

1.  Go to https://search.creativecommons.org

2.  Type in a search term for the background you seek (ex. Ocean)

3.  Uncheck the box for "commercial use" and leave the box checked for "modify, adapt, build upon"

4.  On the right, toggle advanced settings and uncheck the box next to "Photos," while leaving "Videos" checked.

5.  IMPORTANT:  On the left, next to "Safe Search On," toggle the left-most arrow to select one of the following:  

•   Modifications Allowed
•   No Known Copyright Restrictions or 
•   US Government Works

6.  View footage with the play arrows.  

7.  Click on a video to select it.  Scroll down to view and jot down the attribution information (or use the ImageCodr or Flickr CC Attribution tools to generate an attribution that you can add to your video).

8,  When you find footage with the Creative Commons license you want, select the download symbol (a downward pointing arrow) on the right and save the video to your PC. 

9.  Convert the file to a .mov  (I'm not sure why the .mp4 format was not working in the DoInk app on my iPad, since it is a supported format, but it wasn't).

10.  Upload the .mov file to Google Drive or DropBox.  From there, you can open the video directly from the DoInk Green Screen app by selecting the "video" option (the icon of a filmstrip), "locations," and either Google Drive or Drop Box. 

Reflection on Dynamic Landscapes 2015

At the beginning of the year, I listed some goals for myself.  One was to actively practice stepping outside of my comfort zone by teaching workshops for adults, with the ultimate goal of presenting at a conference.  I am happy to report that I achieved this goal over the past two days at Dynamic Landscapes!

While this is something that I'd been wanting to do for some time, I'd been reluctant about presenting to an audience of colleagues. The thought that teachers can be some of the toughest critics was not helping; I was terrified to make myself the center of attention for an adult audience.  With the support and encouragement of other educators, I was able to overcome my fears; I am grateful to Joanne Finnegan and Doug Dunbebin for helping me make the leap.  Thanks to you both for taking this journey with me.

Although I wish that I hadn't been clutching my notes so tightly during my introduction,  my first presentation, "Radical Remixing with Creative Commons," went better than I had hoped.

I was lucky to have a supportive, curious audience of about 15 people. If I'd had more time, I would have shown more examples of places to find Creative Commons licensed media.  My presentation highlighted Flickr as a go-to resource, but there are many other resources for remixing that educators can explore.   Perhaps, I will design and share another presentation that focuses more broadly on Creative Commons resources across the web.

My second presentation, "Delving into DoInk:  Adding Animation to Green Screen Videos to Tell Your Story," was for a slightly larger audience (22 people).  Although the space was not quite large enough to accommodate that many people, all trying to record video and audio at the same time (it was quite loud), I enjoyed this workshop even more.  Unlike the first presentation, which was less interactive, this one was a two-hour hands-on session, allowing me to circulate and talk to people as they practiced and played on their own.  I prefer this type of teaching to the "stand up and yammer" model.  Teaching other teachers in this type of setting is not much different from the way I teach kids, so I felt comfortable.

As a result of this experience, and my desire to continually improve my practice, I am going to be submitting another proposal for VT Fest, coming up in November.  I am grateful to Vita Learn for their support of educators' professional growth.

Exterminate Copyright Confusion: Tools for Attributing Creative Commons Licensed Images ThingLink

Creating a Fantasy Photo Using Pixlr (and Creative Commons)

Creating a Fantasy Photo with Pixlr and Creative Commons

If you have time, I would appreciate your feedback on the screen cast embedded below.  

Specifically, I'd like to know whether you were able to follow my directions.  

Update:  I've created an accompanying Job Aid.

 

Creative Commons and Captivate

Creative Commons and Captivate

For the past two weeks, I've been learning how use Adobe Captivate to create interactive e-learning for my Instructional Design class.  It has been a steep learning curve, but I can see a great deal of potential for this tool for flipped or blended instruction. For example, there is a way to design instruction that adapts to a variety of devices, so that it looks good on every screen.  I haven't tried that yet.

(Updated 25 March 2012)
For my project, I wanted to create an interactive way to teach students and teachers about Creative Commons licenses.  This is the link to the latest draft:  http://www.fastswf.com/xXdR8Us

You may also get there by clicking on the image above. I am interested in hearing feedback about what works and what can be improved.  Please note that this file will only play on a PC, not on a smartphone or tablet.

FLOG (Failure Log):
I really like what this software can do, but I had a heck of a time publishing the latest revisions to Fastswf.com.  After reaching out to a colleague, he suggested that I clear my browser, rename the file, and try again.  I did those things and deleted some extraneous audio.  It finally worked (after 50 previously unsuccessful attempts)!

Daleks for Digital Citizenship: Five Tools for Attributing Creative Commons Images

There are several tools available for quickly and correctly attributing Creative Commons licensed images. I've previously shared screencasts for using two of them, but I've recently discovered others.

Photopin Example:

One of my latest discoveries is Photopin.com.

Like ImageCodr.org and the Flickr CC Attribution Helper, which are tools that may be dragged to one's toolbar, this site allows users to grab HTML code that will quickly generate an attribution on a website or blog.

Unlike ImageCodr.org, this tool requires users to download a desired image and copy the HTML code in two separate steps.  Currently, it's not possible to preview the attribution prior to pasting the code.

One thing to watch out for with Photopin.com is that the sponsored images on their site may have watermarks on them.

photo credit: Exterminate via photopin (license)


Photos for Class Example:

I learned about this tool from Richard Byrne, who recently wrote a blog about the Photos for Class widget that allows users to add a tool to their blog to search for Creative Commons licensed images.

Images from this site have been filtered and deemed safe for a school audience and have the attributions typed on the actual images that are downloaded for personal use.

While this tool eliminates some of the guesswork, the attribution may be difficult to read (see the example on the left) if the image selected isn't large.  This tool should be used judiciously, because text that's impossible to read defeats the purpose of attribution.  (I've linked the image to its original source.)




FlickrCC Stampr Example:

The FlickrCC Stampr was created specifically with students in mind and for use on mobile devices.

Like Photos for Class, this tool can stamp attribution information directly to an image for download.  Like ImageCodr, you can choose the image size you want and opt to copy the HTML code.

This tool is particularly useful for creating remixes and other derivative works, because it only filters images licensed with those permissions!



ImageCodr Example:

I prefer the ease and appearance of ImageCodr attributions.  The name of the license and the creator of the image are both prominent in this attribution, and it's all accomplished in one step.

Additionally, users can preview the attribution when selecting the size of their image.  This is handy in the event that you want to copy and paste the attribution into a Google Doc or a static presentation, rather than using HTML code to generate it for you.




 by  Johnson Cameraface 



Flickr CC Attribution Helper Examples:

Flickr CC Attribution Helper allows you to "build your own attribution tool," enabling you to choose whether you want to download an image and copy the attribution together or separately or to use the HTML code. In the first example on the left, I added the attribution info separately from the image.  As a result, the attribution is not hyper-linked.



Creative Commons licensed (BY-NC-SA) Flickr photo by Johnson Cameraface: http://flickr.com/photos/54459164@N00/5669445634


Using the HTML code, rather than copying and pasting the image and attribution separately, will result in the creation of a hyper-linked attribution, which is useful for interactive images on websites or blogs.






creative commons licensed ( BY-NC-SA ) flickr photo shared by Johnson Cameraface

Having the attribution information stamped directly on the photo is another useful feature of this tool. The attribution will not be hyper-linked if you stamp the image.

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.