bp8_2009102_Week 2 Peer Comments

Original post by Therese:

As a part of my Action Research project, I’ve created a classroom website where I’m adding resources for students—including instructional videos.

After round one of video “quiz tips,” (which I’m really pleased with, so far, by the way) which I spent HOURS on, I thought to myself, “Why not have students do some of this work?”

I can’t really facilitate a lot of media asset creation with my whole class yet. We are generally speaking, too big to all go to the computer lab. The equipment is not really there for every student to create a video. And, furthermore, I am not really willing to give up that much rehearsal time, yet. But, I’m thinking that I should start an extra-curricular “technology committee” of interested students. They can help me come up with ideas for useful resources on our web page, and then help me create them.

Since I’m not really willing to turn my personal Mac over to these students, and since they might want to do some of this work from home anyway, I need to find some tools that will allow them to create and edit movies.

http://www.masher.com seems like a great fit.

With this free tool, users can

• · Upload movies, photos, and pictures.
• · Add text, effects, and skins to the movie.
• · Share their videos via e-mail or embed them into a website or blog.

Masher is very easy to use. You simply upload the music, videos, or music you want to use, and then drag files into the timeline. (Masher also offers a collection of video clips from the BBC’s Motion Gallery, images, a music library, an effect library, and video player skins that users can include in their videos.)

This tool can be used to make informative and fun videos, and possibly even digital stories. One thing that I would like to use it for is to have students create picture slide shows that go along with musical listening examples that we use in class.

One drawback that I see to this program is the lack of voiceover capabilities. It seems though, that this can be fairly easily overcome by creating recordings with other software and then uploading them.

Here's an example of a video I created in Masher:

References:
Masher. (2009). Retrieved October 7, 2009 from http://www.masher.com

My response:

1 comments:

Alicia Kalb said...

Therese,
I was also looking at Video Web 2.0 tools and found a couple, but decided to look into JayCut. After reviewing it I think I picked the wrong tool, but Masher looks awesome. I will definitely need to investigate this one. I love all the little effects that it can add. Middle school kids would love that.

I love your idea of having students create slideshows to listening examples. Think of all the music standards you could hit with that one :)

Thanks for sharing this Web 2.0 tool, I will certainly be taking a look at it.

October 9, 2009 11:43 AM

bp7_2009102_Web 2.0 Tools JayCut

Web 2.0 Tools - JayCut

While I am a complete Mac advocate, not all schools are fortunate enough to have Macs in their schools. Last year I was able to use Macs and iMovie in my classroom to teach video editing, but I might not be as lucky in my next school to have those luxuries. Thus, I searched for a video editing Web 2.0 tool and what I found was called JayCut (http://jaycut.com). You can upload pictures, videos, and music and create a movie all online.

This program is great for students to use both in the classroom and at home. The best part about using Web 2.0 video editing sites is that students can continue the work they did at school at home. The biggest problem that I had last year was that some students were unable to complete their projects within the time constraints of our class. With a Web 2.0 tool, time is no longer a hindrance in completely their project. Students can upload their photos from their home computers and then work on their projects during class. They can also have the option of working on their projects at home, if they are either overachievers or if they need extra time.

I really love the idea of a Web 2.0 tool for video editing, but I am not sure if I am completely sold on JayCut. It is relatively easy to use, but there are certain elements that are a bit confusing. It also does not have nearly as many extra features that programs like iMovie and Windows Movie Maker contain. This is really the bare minimum for video editing. It would be great for small little projects, but if I was teaching the mechanics of editing, I do not think I would use this program. Also, there is a risk factor because it is online. Although you can set your videos to private, students can still view other peoples, which many parents might not like. I am going to continue searching for another Web 2.0 video tool.

In any event, here is an example of a movie I put together on JayCut:

References:

JayCut. (2009). Online video editing. Retrieved October 9, 2009, from http://jaycut.com

bp6_2009102_Web 2.0 Tools Lala

Web 2.0 Tools - Lala

When I was researching music Web 2.0 tools, I wanted to find a tool that would allow me to take the music that I have on my computer and have a copy online. A big part of music education for me is having my students listen to music. Often I would use my iPod during class to have my students listen, but in the event that I cannot hook up my iPod to a speaker system, I need a way to listen to with my students. The Web 2.0 tool that I found that meets this need is called Lala (http://www.lala.com). Not only does it allow users to listen to complete tracks and albums before purchase, but it allows you to upload you entire music collection and play it from anywhere in the world. There is also the social aspect of the site, which allows you to listen to friends’ playlists and discover new music.

Besides having students listen to and analyze music, I would also use this tool for daily journal assignments. In my music tech class, I asked the students to complete a daily journal. I would play a piece of music and they had to answer the question on the board. Towards the end of the semester I would have the students create a journal entry for the class. Unfortunately it was more trouble than it was worth, because it was such a hassle having each student bring in a song. Some students brought in their iPods, which technically broke school rules, many told me which song they wanted to play, which meant that I had to find it, and some used online radio tools to play their music, but it only played a portion of the song. If I would have known about Lala last year, life would have been much easier. Each student could create their own account and upload their music to the platform. Then all they would have to do would be to log in to play their assignment. We could also use this program to save their own compositions that they created in class.

References:
Lala. (2009). Listen for free on lala. Retrieved October 9, 2009, from http://www.lala.com

bp5_2009102_Web 2.0 Tools Noteflight

Web 2.0 Tool #1 - Noteflight

The first Web 2.0 tool that I investigated is called Noteflight (http://www.noteflight.com). The program is basically a free online version of Finale. Noteflight allows users to create their own compositions and then share them with users if they choose. While Noteflight does not have all of the bells of whistles that Finale has, it has everything that a beginning composer would need, all absolutely free. You can save a copy of your piece and edit it anywhere that you have Internet access. You can also print your composition when you are finished. Noteflight also allows users to export the file as a midi or wav file. There are two options for midi export, the first allows users to transport the file into another music writing program such as Finale and the second saves the files as musical performance track, to be played in iTunes. Midi files can also be imported into Garageband to finalize the final performance version. Composers can also publish their scores to their websites. The only flaw that I have noticed so far is that you cannot use a midi keyboard to record your ideas. All the notes have to be entered manually, but there are keyboard shortcuts that make it easy to compose.

I wish I would have known about this tool last year, because I would have used it in my Music Technology class.. My students used Garageband to compose their music, but I would have loved to teach music notation with them. Finale can be very expensive software to purchase and while I love using it and it’s a wonderful tool, it’s not financially ideal to have many versions for students. Because Noteflight is a Web 2.0 tool that’s Internet based, students do not need to use the same computer each class in order to continue their work. Also, students can work on their compositions from home. With other composition software, students would need to have the software at home to work on their projects, but not with Noteflight. The first step would be to teach the students about the basics of notation and then have them work on Noteflight to compose within specific guidelines of the project. For instance, one project focused on ABA form and composing using Noteflight would have enhanced the idea of form for the students more so that only using Garageband. After the compositions were complete, I would have asked the students to export the files and import them into Garageband as the second part of their project. Once in Garageband students could arrange tracks, add loops or beats, and finalize their composition. The online collaboration aspect of Noteflight allows for students to work together and create group compositions. This is a wonderful Web 2.0 tool that I will definitely start using in my classroom.

References:
Noteflight. (2009). Online music notation. Retrieved October 7, 2009, from http://www.noteflight.com

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