Video Sharing: Learning How to Step Out of the Plane

Doug Johnson says it best this week when he writes, "If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you..." (2010, Oct. 1).  He has a wonderful cartoon of the Blue Skunk skydiving to accompany it. All I can say is good thing I am not skydiving! The desire to do that came and passed in my twenties (I had it on my bucket list, but never got to it...thankfully!) My new quest, video sharing, had become my new "skydiving" – meaning, "not for me", until today when I started exploring some great links I jumped into from Free Technology for Teachers: 47 Alternatives to Using YouTube in the Classroom written by Richard Byrne.



divemasterking2000's photosteam: Flickr Creative Commons


Until I read this link, all I could think of was creating something that I would upload to YouTube. I rarely take video, and have never shared a video yet (other than letting people watch it on whatever device I happened to use to take the video.


A few years ago I purchased some video software (Pinnacle - it even came with the green backdrop sheet so I could edit in different backgrounds - sounded so cool!) with the intention of doing two things. The first was to do something with the few videos we had (I had recently converted most of our VHS videos to DVD via a photography studio, and paid an impressive amount to do so.) I envisioned creating great home videos that we would sit around and watch as a family, and reminisce about the many wonderful moments we shared. The second vision I had was to convert all my remaining VHS to DVD. This program was supposed to do these two things. But here I am a few years later, and have still not figured out how to make the program do what I want it to do. It was too technical, and required far more background knowledge than I had (I didn't even know what some of the video format options were – and still don't!). Quite honestly, my stress levels rise whenever I try to do something with video, and I get cranky. I feel like I am wasting my precious time on something that should be so simple.  (However, I may explore Pinnacle more online; I hadn't ever considered doing that before.)



I also procrastinated on this assignment because I knew it is one of my weakest areas in Web 2.0 tools and September has been busier than I had imagined it could be. Between starting back to work, three kids now in school and one at the sitters, taking on a completely new teaching position (again), adding to it the responsibilities of "lead" teacher for AISI, working bingos/concessions and 50/50s for my kids sports' teams, meetings for my school/kids' school/sports teams, AISI lead, marking for school (we post our marks so parents can see them, so I don't want to fall behind there!), preparing a presentation for the ATA Social Studies conference in two weeks, readings for this course, following my RSS feed and other social media connections, weekly eclass discussions and research for blog post, and somewhere in there maintaining a home and all the duties that come with it (meaning, spending quality time with all my family members)...I was prepared to let this week slide a little. I honestly didn't feel like I had the time to learn something that has been so challenging to me (up till now). In fact, jumping out of a plane sounded relaxing compared to learning about video sharing!



divemasterking2000's photostream: Flickr Creative Commons

 I was also vague on how I would use this in my classroom. I know my students like to use it – I have some that are preparing a Food Studies Moviemaker presentation for me. I have listened to my students tell me about the videos they post about themselves (doing something like skateboarding or singing) but didn't think this would be a tool I would use in my classroom. Then I realized I do use video sharing every time I show an online video or one that someone else had produced. As I navigated another site, 20 Free Online Video Editing Tools written by a 20 year old by the name of Johnna Eudese Ward (bluebots.com), I was introduced to tools and possibilities. My challenge now was to create, because this is really the 15,000 foot jump for me (hope the parachute is working!).

If my parachute opens and I survive the fall, I can go back to sharing videos in my classroom, but now with the new list of fantastic sites that cover all core subjects and everything else I could ever be assigned to teach. Of course, this reminds me of a joke I once read in the University of Calgary student gazette. It was an add to sell a parachute and went something like this:

For sale, one parachute, used only once, never opened.

I may hang on to the ad; one never knows when it may come in handy!

Personal Free Falling
Into the Domain of Video Sharing

I played with some of the old videos I had on my computer. I was motivated by the idea I may actually be able to do something with the chaos on my computer. Finding the videos was my first task...they are mixed in my picture file, and only a couple were actually listed under my video file. I guess better organization is still needed on my part. (It is like having the parachute in the plane, but not sure where it is.) When I finally found them, I thought I would simply choose a platform I was familiar with. So I uploaded a video to Smilebox, chose a template, and dropped my video into it. I sat back to watch and realized my video needed editing. Unfortunately, I couldn't see an editing option with Smilebox. First parachute fails; reaching for the backup rip cord.

divemasterking2000's photostream: Flickr Creative Commons

So I looked at the list of 20 Free Online Video Editing Tools. I started with Pixorial because the image in the link made the site appear easy to use – "A Marvel of Simplicity" was the catch line. I signed up for my account, uploaded my video, and my video never appeared. It was a marvel, all right. There were some help screens for me, but I was too tired to explore those at that point. So I looked through the list of online video editing tools further.

I looked at Movie Masher, but it appeared I had to download the software, and I wasn't interested in doing that at that moment – it would be something I would come back to later if I couldn't find something else to use. I ruled out StashSpace, because that appeared to be for converting VHS to DVD – not what I needed at this point. I was started to feel the pressure of the ground coming up on me fast...I pulled the second rip cord and went with Windows MovieMaker, because that's what Richardson had suggested in Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (2010, p. 122). It seemed like the emergency parachute I needed at the time.  (I am also interested in looking at Windows Live Movie Maker to see what it can do.)

MovieMaker is fairly simple to use. I played around with the split and trim tools to get a piece of my endless video to experiment with. I had cut it down to a four-minute clip to play with. In that clip I learned how to add text, transitions between frames, add a title page and a credit page, add visual effects (mostly just changing the color tones) and add music. I had trouble with the music because my music files are not in the right format. I wouldn't have used them anyhow because I haven't figured out the copyright on these sites (but I recall a friend of mine once trying to use music on her business's webpage and having to remove it because of copyright). Music is something I would have to look into, but it did appear to be very easy to embed in the video, either completely, or at select points. 

I showed the clip to my daughter, and she advised me it was boring, so I proceeded to cut more frames from the video. Here I figured out how to get to the exact second I wanted to remove from within an existing frame I had already clipped. I began to feel a little more confident – almost enjoying the view on my more controlled descent toward ground. 

So, although still not overly entertaining, I wanted to share the video that was produced more as an educational and experimental video than one for entertaining my audience.  I tried to upload the video from my computer to my blog, but the server rejected it (not sure why).  Next, I tried to publish it to my blog...there wasn't an option for publishing to my blog.  I then tried to publish it to YouTube (very easy account to set up) but an error occurred (meaning, it didn't work).  I assume there is some problem with the video I have used, but have run out of time to dig into it.  However, I was able to plug it into Smilebox.

Now having edited my video, I could upload that to Smilebox, drop it in the template, and enjoy the product. I have two examples of Smilebox projects I played around with. The first was my attempt to merge unedited video with pictures. Smilebox supplies the music, but you can use your own if you wish. Smilebox does have a good selection, with over 2000 songs to choose from. Again, it is a very simple process to add the music.

Slideshow design customized with Smilebox The second example is the edited video I couldn't get to work anywhere else.  Smilebox is my backup parachute!  (Try not to be bored like my teenage daughter, but look for the various tools I played with throughout the video.)

Make your own slideshow design

Personally, this has opened up my options for what to do with my videos. As I become more comfortable with the technology, I strongly suspect I will begin to explore various other video editing sites. I would say that my first 15,000 foot jump was a huge success. I am thinking about my next jump already!

Where will this jump land me in the classroom?

The sharing of videos that already exist is easy for me to envision. In fact, I am very excited about the various sites I was introduced to in Free Technology for Teachers: 47 Alternatives to Using YouTube in the Classroom. I played around with a few, and they easily posted to my blog. I can see using sites such as TeacherTube, YouTube, and SchoolTube (where you can even create your own channel). Many of these sites even had videos which came with lesson plans or a question set to support use in the classroom. CNN Student News was great for providing news on topics of interest to students, and in student-friendly language. I also looked at SnagFilms and SnagLearning which both had full length documentaries (produced by reputable organizations such as National Geographic). One problem I encountered was that not all of the documentaries were available due to our location (I really wanted to see the Titanic documentary, but that was one I couldn't get). I also found some great clips on History.com and Reuters Video Index (which provides more of a global perspective on news).

I had to check out one more site before I stopped my free fall into the various video sharing sites: This Week in Rap. It is the weekly current highlights put into rap form. What a great way to start a current events discussion!

divemasterking2000's photostream: Flickr Creative Commons

Gently landing my first jump – I am left to ponder how I would use the creating of videos in my classroom. In Joseph de Avila's article, Teachers Tap Video-Sharing in the Classroom, he states the use of videos can help with students' short attention spans. However, beyond this, students can use video-sharing to produce explanatory films on a wide range of curriculum related topics (I am currently teaching about the Renaissance, which could be a topic for such a project). I loved the example of how a broadcast journalism teacher was having her students produce a weekly newscast of current events occurring in their school, such as pep rallies and sporting events, which they would share with friends and families. This was another great way to create a "third space" for current events (Kuhlthau, Maniotes & Caspari, 2007).

In Mathew Needleman's blog, Why Integrate Video Production in the Classroom (2008), he gives five reasons to include video production when teaching our students. Further he cites the research done with Project Live Escondido Unified (a project which develops critical and visual literacy skills via Apple digital media tools). Needleman's reasons are student engagement, student achievement, higher level thinking, media literacy (a big interest of mine – coupled with identity formation), and reducing the digital divide between lower and higher socioeconomic students.

Taking off the parachute, and repacking it for the next trip. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be.


divemasterking2000'sphotostream: Flickr Creative Commons



References

Byrne, R.  (2010, Sept. 1).  Free technology for teachers: 47 alternatives to using youtube in the classroom, retrieved from http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/09/47-alternatives-to-using-youtube-in.html


De Avila, J. (2008, Mar. 26). The Wall Street Journal: Digital Network (Tech), retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120649011463564023.html


Johnson, D. (2010, Oct. 1). Blue skunk blog: New skunks, retrieved from http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/2010/10/1/new-skunks.html


Kuhlthau, C. C., Maniotes, L. K., & Caspari, A. K. (2007). Guiding inquiry: Learning in the 21^st century. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.


Needleman, M. (2008, Jan. 3). Creating lifelong learner: Why integrate video producing in the classroom? Retrieved from http://creatinglifelonglearners.com/?p=220


Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts and other powerful web tools for classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.


Ward, J. (2010, Oct. 1). Bluebots.com, retrieved from http://blueblots.com/tools/20-free-online-video-editing-tools/