Emerging Technology #3: Animoto

Pre-Concert Photoshoot

For my 3rd emerging technology, I explored Animoto (found at animoto.com). This site was very easy to use. It walks you through step-by-step. First you add your own photos and video clips. You can add in text if you want. Then you either add in your own music or choose from their library. I used one from their library so that I didn't have to worry about copyright issues. Then, you click "done" and it creates a music video. In my opinion, this is a great way to make a really professional looking video in just a few seconds. Students could use this program for any sort of assignment to make their own videos. I an see this being a good assignment where it is the students' job to get into groups, and then create their own "lecture" about the subject to present to the rest of the class. This sort of usage is probably better suited for older student. The program could be used for younger students by having the teacher create videos to make fun supplements to lessons.

Emerging Technology 2:StoryBird

http://storybird.com/books/the-little-blue-gnome/

I looked at Storybird.com for my second emerging technology post. This is a website where you can look through images to get inspired, and then begin a story to go along with the images. You then have the option to invite your friends and family to join in and add to your story, either with new pages, images, or both. When your story is done, you can publish it for other storybird users to view.
This website is supposed to be used to bring families closer together by collaborating on stories. It could be a fun way to keep in touch with distant relatives, or a way to inspire creativity in younger children. I created the start of a story (link above). It is not very creative but I had fun looking through the images and reading other peoples' stories. I am going to share this website with the people I know who would benefit from it. I think this website really could be a great tool for parents to interact with their children and encourage them to be creative together.