!--Change wideo width and height here--> So I have been very active is perusing online education tools. One of the trends I began to notice is the use of creative animated videos. Many of the videos have snappy cartoonish avatars and animated shapes and figures. Many of them are very effective in outlining some quick and easy educational objectives. So I started doing a little research on the cost and availability. One of the "freebie" sites I came across was Wideo.com. This site offers various pricing models, but I tried out the free version to run my crash test.
My Review? I really liked it! It was pretty user friendly/ intuitive, had some creative starter images to use, and allowed for sharing in multiple ways. i.e. Youtube. So you can see my first trial was not super crazy with detail, but from a teacher's perspective, you probably want quick and easy, over time consuming and Hollywood stylized. So Wideo was a good fit overall for these objectives. If I were to be picky, it did take me some time to figure out animating objects and I'm not sure I have it completely mastered, but I think there is some good potential there. Also, to make a good narrated audio with music I had to go to Garage Band to help with that piece. For a PC you could use Audacity or another sound/music recording program. So overall..... I give this 4 out of 5 Sugar cubes for your coffee..
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Google Hangouts are fast becoming one of my favorite communication tools. I was and still am a fan of SKYPE, but Google Hangouts are easy, dynamic, and... for lack of a better term... FUN. Oh and free!
The picture you see up above is one of my favorites because it represents exactly the power of Google Hangouts. My work is fast paced and requires travel on an almost daily basis. Getting our team together for meetings outside of regularly scheduled times is difficult, because my colleagues could be almost anywhere in Western New York on a given day. So communication across the miles is very vital. Google Hangouts allows us the ability to communicate in a variety of ways from video, IM, to Voice. Also it allows us to share our screens, share live-time documents, and even do remote desktop help and support. There are many more tools to use and Google always seems to be developing even more. Additionally, Hangouts can also be recorded via livestreaming called, Hangouts on Air. Honestly... it is revolutionary. One more thing about the picture from above. My colleagues and I needed to meet from various points. The picture above was a screen shot from our communication using Google Hangouts. What I love about this picture is we are all in different working environments separated by many miles... and Melanie... is out in her car on her phone! That is what Google Hangouts, and 21st Century communication is all about! To learn how to use Google Hangouts in Education... Check out this useful guide by Lee's Summit R7 School. |
the Geek
My name is Andrew Wheelock- I am a technology integrator who's fascinated with my fellow educators and their powerful uses of tech for learning. Archives
May 2016
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