Animoto
I chose Animoto because it is very user friendly and creates attractive custom videos. Any time I present information in class using technology I want it to be as attractive as possible to the students (audience). If the students aren't interested in what they're looking at, there is a greater chance that they will tune out whatever is being presented. Animoto creates attractive, energetic presentations that keep the viewers attention.
Pros
1. Very user friendly. Within a few minutes anyone can learn how to use the program.
2. Lots of music and templates available to choose from. Rather than spend lots of time creating transitions and backgrounds, the user can focus on what is most important: content.
Cons
1. Animoto is a subscription based website. The more options and features one wants, the more one will have to pay to use the site.
2. Connected to the 1st "con", the free site features are extremely limited. Very little text can appear on any slide. The maximum length of videos is 30 seconds and there is a strict number of pictures that one can add. For this particular video, my goal was to add 8 or 9 photos, but I was limited to six. Because of this limit, the classroom and practical uses of Animoto are almost nonexistent. Many websites that have free options that still allow the user to have most of the functions of the site; this is not the case with Animoto.
Below is a second video I made with a different template. This one allowed me to add 8 pictures but then appeared to remove one after the captions were added. This is a significant draw back of using the free version of Animoto.
1. Very user friendly. Within a few minutes anyone can learn how to use the program.
2. Lots of music and templates available to choose from. Rather than spend lots of time creating transitions and backgrounds, the user can focus on what is most important: content.
Cons
1. Animoto is a subscription based website. The more options and features one wants, the more one will have to pay to use the site.
2. Connected to the 1st "con", the free site features are extremely limited. Very little text can appear on any slide. The maximum length of videos is 30 seconds and there is a strict number of pictures that one can add. For this particular video, my goal was to add 8 or 9 photos, but I was limited to six. Because of this limit, the classroom and practical uses of Animoto are almost nonexistent. Many websites that have free options that still allow the user to have most of the functions of the site; this is not the case with Animoto.
Below is a second video I made with a different template. This one allowed me to add 8 pictures but then appeared to remove one after the captions were added. This is a significant draw back of using the free version of Animoto.
Slideroll
Slideroll is an online tool that allows the user to create short customizable slideshows integrating music, captions, and transitions. Registered users can save their slideshow and then share it either publicly or privately.
I chose to use this tool because I felt that it would lend itself well to creating a timeline. This is particularly important to me as a history teacher. While I don't focus much on exact dates, it is important that students understand the chronological order of important historical events. This is a skill with which many of my students struggle. I created this digital story hoping that Slideroll would be a valuable tool to use in my history classes.
I chose to use this tool because I felt that it would lend itself well to creating a timeline. This is particularly important to me as a history teacher. While I don't focus much on exact dates, it is important that students understand the chronological order of important historical events. This is a skill with which many of my students struggle. I created this digital story hoping that Slideroll would be a valuable tool to use in my history classes.
Pros
1. It's free! Anytime I'm looking for an online tool to use, cost is always a top consideration. When I'm looking for something to have students use, it almost certainly has to be free.
2. The video I made was roughly 1 minute long and I could have continued to add more slides. Considering the strict limits that some websites place on users (see Animodo), it is nice to see one that can offer the full benefits of a website without requiring a paid subscription.
Cons
1. The website is not user friendly. The site is awkward, unattractive, and clumsy. I found the website difficult to navigate. I had trouble retracing my steps, locating my saved photos and accessing my account settings. I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated the more I worked with the tool.
2. My biggest complaint is that when I was working with the slideshow editor, some of the changes I made to my presentation would not be be visible until I was able to publish the slideshow. When I added captions to the photo slides and would try to preview the presentation the captions would not appear. I ended up giving up on adding captions and instead used text slides. When I was ready to publish the slideshow I was then asked if I would like captions to be visible. Why would I have added captions to a presentation if I didn't want anyone to see them?
1. It's free! Anytime I'm looking for an online tool to use, cost is always a top consideration. When I'm looking for something to have students use, it almost certainly has to be free.
2. The video I made was roughly 1 minute long and I could have continued to add more slides. Considering the strict limits that some websites place on users (see Animodo), it is nice to see one that can offer the full benefits of a website without requiring a paid subscription.
Cons
1. The website is not user friendly. The site is awkward, unattractive, and clumsy. I found the website difficult to navigate. I had trouble retracing my steps, locating my saved photos and accessing my account settings. I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated the more I worked with the tool.
2. My biggest complaint is that when I was working with the slideshow editor, some of the changes I made to my presentation would not be be visible until I was able to publish the slideshow. When I added captions to the photo slides and would try to preview the presentation the captions would not appear. I ended up giving up on adding captions and instead used text slides. When I was ready to publish the slideshow I was then asked if I would like captions to be visible. Why would I have added captions to a presentation if I didn't want anyone to see them?
Photo Peach
I chose this tool for the same reason I chose Slideroll, but also for its simplicity and because it has features, such as quizzes, that other similar tools don't have.
History of Educational Technology on PhotoPeach
Pros
Cons
- It's free! Users can choose to upgrade to a better version with more features, including an educator account, but free version still allows users to have enough features that make Photo Peach a useful classroom tool.
- Quizzes. One of the grate features of Photo Peach is that users can insert quizzes throughout the video. If I were to create a video and assign it for homework, students could be assessed on how well they understood the concepts while watching the video. This provides them with immediate feedback.
Cons
- I personally don't like the fact that as I was editing my video I could not see my progress. For example, I added photos and then hit "next." I could then add captions on a separate page, but could not see the photos while I was doing so. I had to remember the order I put my photos in and try to put the captions in the same order. I messed up during this process, but luckily was allowed to go back and edit the presentation after I was finished. It all worked out in the end, but the process seemed unnecessarily clumsy and complicated.
- While I mentioned earlier that the free version does allow for the tool to be useful in the classroom, a subscription is needed if one intends to use the tool a lot. There are limits to the number of shows one can create. If I wanted to create multiple shows with quizzes and save them to be used semester after semester, I would run out of space rather quickly. Furthermore, there are some limits to the features available. For more adventurous and creative users, a paid subscription would be the best option. However, the price for educators is based upon the number of student accounts one would need. $9 per month only allows for 50 student accounts which might not be enough. For 150 student accounts, the cost would be $25 per month. The prices seem pretty high considering they are on a monthly basis.