Week 10: Activity 1 – Create a live-action video
Monday, March 20th, 2017
I feel like such a slow learner. Tonight I finally figured out how to get my videos and photos off my IPhone and onto my computer or IPad through Google Drive. I can’t believe it took me so long – I’ve been emailing everything to myself and then downloading and then saving from there up until now. This learning is painful.
I’ve decided to create and post a combination of photos and videos of Kona using the IPad, IMovie app as I will need to know how to use it to make movies after spring break with my students and up until now I’ve only had practise using Movie Maker on my computer. The process seems simple enough – have enough audio/visual clips saved to Google Drive and then fill in the template on the app. I feel like I’m making progress with the concept of “cloud storage” and Gordon Campbell’s notion of curating and sharing (2009) and will upload and then share my finished “Kona” video from my private YouTube channel. I won’t be breaking any FIPPA laws (I don’t think) because I will edit and crop the photos that show students faces and only show body parts in and around Kona that are non-identifying to present her, with her kids.
My school program is currently being reviewed by the district and we will be showcasing our program to the trustees come April. We have begun to create movie trailers, using IMovie (and our 10 new IPads), and I have created one with my social skills group to show who we are and what we do. I will share it with you once I’ve figured out whether it’s legal to share here. The school group is focusing on “What We Love About VLearn”. My focus is “Why We Love Kona”. I need all the district support I can get!
Tuesday, March 21st, 2017
Okay – I managed to very easily crop and save images and videos to use in my Kona movie using photos and tools on my IPad in IMovie. I then saved the movie and shared it to my channel in YouTube. There, I was able to use the editing features to add music and adjust some of the visual scanning of the pictures. I made a point to use images that were kid neutral but focused on Kona, though in some shots you can see faces to a degree. I also added closed captions (though saved them with French Canadian as the main language!), labeling specific things I wanted to draw attention to. If you turn your CC on you will see them, however they come up for me in white font and are very tricky to read. Does anyone know how to improve this? I also added a sweet little song from YouTube to my video but the song ran out with merely seconds left in the video. Is it possible to add something to the tail end – i.e. a voice recording or another song, once the video is being worked in YouTube or am I at the mercy of the length of my chosen song?
After staying up late last night, playing with the editing tools, and then trying some more today to improve the movie, I’ve decided to post it and look for comments and advice about how to improve it for my final project. I think after considering Keith’s comments on my FIPPA concerns I would like to redo the video, including more images of my students (whose parents have given me permission to share digital images for my course and for use in our program) because I want to highlight the magic my dog shares with children. When I cut their faces out, I cut out the joy she brings. I think you get a good idea of her effects though, even with my FIPPA friendly video.
As an aside – I love the idea of comparing programs like IMovie and other apps where it is a drag and click method of creating. So much time needs to go into doing something well and at this point I am not trying to become a master of media based technology. I just want to be able to simply and easily make a movie, digital story, etc. with my students to begin the conversation around using digital media to process and create. We can get good at it together. Programs like these serve as digital “graphic organizers” – reducing technical demands on the student, while supporting their learning. It made making this movie quite fun!
References:
Campbell, W. (2009, September 4). A Personal Cyberinfrastructure (Web log post). Retrieved from http://er.educause.edu/articles/2009/9/a-personal-cyberinfrastructure
Awesome Nic!
If someone just saw this video they would never guess that it went with the story of your learning journey, it looks so professional and polished.
Kona is so cute, pet videos are what the internet does best.
Rick
Hi Rick,
Thanks for commenting! I can’t believe the journey, being the student who knows so little about technology and am amazed almost on a daily basis with the learning process and the different ways to move forward. Today as I was considering my second assignment and how best to make it practical for my job and address my own learning I decided to find a YouTube video to show my students, to start, how to make a movie trailer using IMovie. Of course I’ve only just started playing with the tool myself, so ended up watching a 10 minute video about IMovie and was quickly able to correct the issues I had in this first attempt. Amazing! I’m improving and I’m learning! Horray!
Thank-you for your positive feedback. I look forward to sharing the even more polished video as one of my finales in our final project. I’m thinking that like writing, video editing is never complete!
Cheers,
Nic