Fotobabble sample

Xtranormal: If you can type, you can make movies

Xtranormal is a "website that hosts text-to-speech based computer animated videoclips, featuring animated three-dimensional characters speaking in monotone computer voices” (Wikipedia).

Upon opening an account, each registered user is awarded 300 Xtranormal points (xp), the site’s form of currency. Movie Maker users gain access to 19 different packs of characters and scenery with different themes, among them the Presidentz pack (famous politicians), Pawz (cute animals), Playgoz (Lego-type toy figures), and Celebz (trendy celebrities). Within each pack, characters and scenery options are assigned different prices on a three-tiered scale (37 xp is the cheapest rate for a character or set; 150 xp is the most expensive). Once a character or set is purchased to make one movie, it is owned permanently and can be used in any additional films.

Filmmaking in Xtranormal is a four-step process. Users first choose either one or two characters, then select a location. In step three, the moviemaker can choose appropriate background noise, such as drinks clinking in a bar scene. The final step is writing the script and assigning gestures and facial expressions to the characters, such as angry arm crossing or eyes widened in surprise. Another part of the scripting phase is selecting camera angles to emphasize certain points or simply make the film more visually interesting. Once the script is written and the characters animated, the film can be previewed and re-edited multiple times before publication to YouTube, Facebook or the Xtranormal site. But once published, films cannot be changed.

The company responded to requests for an educator platform by introducing a new service targeting teachers in Nov. 2011. This has a slightly different fee schedule than the earlier version: $10 a month, plus .50 per student account. So a professor could create 10 student accounts and pay $15 a month. This comes with a number of perks:

• Can add as many accounts as you want for students (at a cost).
• Access to all actors, sets and services -- no need to purchase them individually.
• Administrator access to all student accounts and availability of grading tools.

A 14-day trial is available if instructors are unsure about how they'd use this software.

New features added in the fall of 2011 include title and credit screens and the ability to record your own voiceovers and upload them (each new features costs 100 Xtranormal points per movie).

Instructors are using this technology a variety of ways: to introduce units or reinforce the main points in a lesson, to provide instructions for assignments, or a means for completing the assignment. Two instructors in Colorado had their students create videos, then had the class vote on the most successful one.

Disclosure: This entry was updated and slightly modified from a paper I wrote for a class over the summer. The full paper can be viewed below.

Other uses (embedding was disabled for these, but I liked the ideas):

• Word of the Day - Scrawny 
• Mr Lytle's Class - Bill of Rights Assignments

Advantages:

• Mostly humorous.
• Instructions are fairly straightforward, but you must sign up for an account to view anything and even see how it works.
• Lots of languages and ethnicities represented.
• Movies can be downloaded to computer or posted to YouTube (but it's an additional fee).
• Very appealing to younger students: Geico Insurance actually used Xtranormal to create a series of ads last year because they wanted to reach younger consumers.  
• An alternative to a traditional presentation or paper.

Disadvantages:

• Takes a few tries to get the hang of the camera angles and expressions for the characters.
• Getting the characters to pronounce words the way you want can be tricky.
• Movies cannot be changed once published.
• Computerized voices can wear at you after a while.
• Fee-based service, even for educators.  
• Might not appeal to older students.
• Definitely intimidating for inexperienced computer users (although it shouldn't be, if a little guidance is provided).

Works Cited:

"Xtranormal." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Oct. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

Further information:

Baumbach, Donna J. "Web 2.0 & You." Knowledge Quest 37.4 (2009): 12-19. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 June 2011.

Gamerman, Ellen. "Animation Nation." Wall Stree Journal 14 Feb. 2011. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 June 2011.

Metter, Ellen. "Xtranormal." The Charleston Advisor 12.2 (2010): 54-57. Print.

Price, Elizabeth L. Integrating Web 2.0 Technologies into the College Classroom Using Xtranormal. Florida State University, 15 June 2011. Web.  14 Nov. 2011.

Photo Story: Telling digital stories

Photo Story is "a free application [created by Microsoft] that allows users to create a show-and-tell presentation from their digital photos” (Wikipedia). The latest version (3.1) was released in 2006.

Users can create movement on their story with transitions between pictures or panning and zooming the screen, much the way Ken Burns has done in many of his documentaries. The story can also include your recorded narration or uploaded background music.

Photo Story is a simple download available from Microsoft or tech site CNET.

Advantages:

• Great for communicating more visual information to students, perhaps in art or photography classes.
• Wizard makes projects very easy to complete using Windows Movie Maker. Then upload to YouTube.
• Good alternative for telling a "story" rather than delivering a lecture.
• 200 photos can be uploaded at once for each project.

Disadvantages:

• Not available for Mac.
• Can't be viewed on a DVD player unless file converted from .wmv to .avi (sites like Zamzar will do this for you for free).
• Information-heavy lectures might be difficult for students to follow with limited text options.

Works Cited:

"Photo Story." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Aug. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.

Further information:

Robin, Bernard. Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling. University of Houston, 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

"Seven Things You Should Know about Digital Storytelling." Educause Learning Initiative. Educause, Jan. 2007. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

Prezi: Creating dynamic presentations

Prezi is “a web-based presentation application and storytelling tool that uses a single canvas instead of traditional slides” (Wikipedia). It makes an excellent alternative to the PowerPoint presentations professors usually use.

Copy of Google Search Tricks on Prezi

Creating an account:

Prezi has special accounts for teachers and educators. Simply need an active school email account. Two types of free accounts, Public and Edu Enjoy. The two main differences in those accounts:

• Public – All presentations are available to anyone on the web.  This account comes with 100 MB of storage space*.
• Edu Enjoy – Option to make presentations private, ability to replace Prezi logo with organization’s logo. 500 MB of storage space* available.

Both options allow you to download the presentation to a computer or flashdrive and view without an Internet connection.

*I have about 6 Prezis and have used less than 2% of my 500 MB.

Advantages:

• Movement and different graphics can make them more interesting to look at than normal slides.
• Can be downloaded to view offline.
• Easily embed videos.
• Can be embedded and viewed in Blackboard.

Disadvantages:

• Can’t record sound with free memberships (may be possible with paid).
• Some students won’t be as comfortable with the technology.

Works Cited:

"Prezi." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Oct. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.

Further information:

Burkhart, Andy. "Prezi for Libraries and Instruction." Information Tyrannosaur. N.p., 27 Jan. 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

Clark, Chris. "Comparison Chart – PowerPoint and Prezi." NspireD2: Learning Technology in Higher Ed. University of Notre Dame, 22 Mar. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

"What Is Prezi? - The Official Intro Video." YouTube. YouTube, 13 Apr. 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

Glogster: Interactive online posters

Glogster is “a social network that allows users to create free interactive posters, or glogs. The glog, short for graphical blog, is an interactive multimedia image” (Wikipedia). It has potential for both students as a medium for projects and instructors as a means of sharing information.













It is free to join and has educator accounts available (site was down Sunday due to a redesign, so I can't confirm any other details).

Glogster allows you to incorporate text, audio, video, photos and other graphics into one horizontal or vertical graphical blog. Flash animation is also an option for users to add to their designs. Linking to external websites or online activities is another prominent feature.

The site is fairly easy to use for anyone who has experience with Facebook or online gaming. You upload items you have, or link to versions found online. Many graphics are available like clip art that can be pulled onto the page and moved or resized at will.

Finished products are posted on the Glogster site, or can be embedded in blogs or shared using social media platforms such as Facebook.

Advantages:

• Display assignment information in a unique and interactive way.
• Allow students with limited computer skills to create something online.
• Easily shared via Facebook or embedded in blogs or Blackboard.
• Use as student alternative to a presentation or research paper.
• Online user community for exchange of ideas and materials: http://edu.glogster.com/glogpedia/

Disadvantages:

• Does require some computer familiarity.
• May not appeal to older students.
• Slight website unpredictability.

Works Cited:

"Glogster." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Nov. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.

Further information:

Danner-Kuhn, Cyndi. "Glogster-Great Tool for the Classroom and Info for Block B." Technology Bits Bytes & Nibbles. N.p., 4 Feb. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

"Glogster: Creative Learning Tool in Classroom." YouTube. YouTube, 10 June 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

Animoto: Melding video, music and images

Animoto is "a web application that produces videos from user-selected photos, video clips and music” (Wikipedia).

Basically you upload videos -- and it makes it easy to grab from other online accounts like Facebook and Picasa -- pick a song from the ones they have on file or upload your own mp3, add some text and tell it to make your video. A 30-second video took less than 5 minutes to render.

Videos can be watched on the Animoto site, posted to YouTube or shared through a variety of social media platforms. An embed code is also provided for posting on websites or blogs.

There are a variety of accounts available, but educators can sign up for free accounts.

A Lite plan is free but videos are limited to 30 seconds and can't be downloaded. The Plus plan is $5 a month or $30 a year, but you can make videos up to 10 minutes and you can download them to your computer or mobile device and watch offline. DVDs are available for an additional fee with some account types. Neither account has a limit on how many videos can be created.

The first video is my experimental version, although it has no connection to my class. The other videos were created by educators, students, or institutions. As you can see, Animoto has been used a variety of ways: to create promotional videos, to review for an exam, to preview a curriculum unit, and to tell a story.

Advantages:

• Another alternative to the traditional slideshow or handout
• Very easy to create -- instructions are clear
• Easy to embed in Blackboard, YouTube or Facebook
• A different kind of assignment option for more video-savvy students
• Free version is available -- although limited.
• Could record your own sound using Audacity or Garage Band and upload your spoken words or music to site.
• No templates, so each video is unique.

Disadvantages:

• Monthly or annual fee to create videos longer than 30 seconds and to download videos to your computer.
• Text space is very limited -- do not expect to replicate a 40-slide lecture here. 

Works Cited:

"Animoto." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Oct. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.
Further information:

"Animoto." Teachinghistory.org. U.S. Department of Education, 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

"Animoto, a Web 2.0 Tool Supporting 21st Century Learning Skills." Web 2.0 Teaching Tools. N.p., 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

"Web 2.0 Tools - New Possibilities for Teaching and Learning: Animoto." Information Technology at Purdue (ITaP). Purdue University, 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

Web 2.0: What is it?

To understand what Web 2.0 is, we have to look at how the Internet evolved. The first generation of the web opened the door for information sharing on a massive scale. A handful of users provided most of the World Wide Web’s content in those early days because most people lacked the technical skills to build websites. So the majority of early web users consumed content but did not contribute any themselves (Cormode and Krishnamurthy). But the second generation of the web has changed that. The term Web 2.0 was introduced in 2004 and is used to describe a series of collaborative technologies that enable any user to create his or her own content. These technologies require minimal Web design or HTML skills and include blogs, wikis, RSS (really simple syndication) feeds; podcasts and vodcasts, social networking sites, user-added reviews and ratings, tagging and folksonomies.

While the Internet might have been an occasional research tool for students 15 years ago, for today’s college students it is a lifeline. Ninety-three percent of teens and young adults ages 12-29 were online in 2009, according to the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project (Lenhart). Just as important to that generation are the Web 2.0 tools. Donna J. Baumbach cited a pair of earlier Pew studies (2008 and 2009) in making her case for using them in the classroom:

[Sixty-four] percent of K-12 students have created Web 2.0 content: 47 percent use photo sharing sites; 55 percent maintain space on a social networking site. … At least 57 percent have watched videos on the Web, and 26 percent have remixed materials to create something new. (16)

Current college students use these technologies daily, and most of their learning has come through trial and error and often without adult supervision (Baumbach 16). Educators must incorporate these technologies into the classroom to teach students about intellectual property, privacy, social skills, evaluation and the role of new tools for academic purposes.



This blog will look at several ways to incorporate Web 2.0 in the classroom, including Animoto, Glogster, Photo Story, Prezi and Xtranormal.

Disclosure: This introduction was modified only slightly from a paper I wrote in June for a class at Florida State. That paper focused on Xtranormal and the full text is available through a link below.

Works Cited:

Baumbach, Donna J. "Web 2.0 & You." Knowledge Quest 37.4 (2009): 12-19. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 June 2011.

Cormode, Graham, and Balachander Krishnamurthy. "Key Differences Between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0." First Monday 13.6 (2008). 2 June 2008. Web. 29 June 2011.

Lenhart, Amanda. ""How Do [They] Even Do That?" Myths and Facts About the Impact of Technology on the Lives of American Teens." Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Pew Research Center, 7 Apr. 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.

Price, Elizabeth L. Integrating Web 2.0 Technologies into the College Classroom Using Xtranormal. Florida State University, 15 June 2011. Web.  14 Nov. 2011.