One True Media

One True Media is a site I just learned about from Buffy Hamilton, who is one of the true pioneers in educational technology. (She has a wonderful blog which you can visit by clicking here.) This is one of the better video mash-up sites in the sense that it is very easy to use and offers some very nice tools/effects for the user.

I would have to compare OTM as a cross between iMovie and Pulp Motion. It is similar in iMovie on how you have to edit a video clip, add your music and then select your transitions and effects. Although, the finished product looks like something Pulp Motion would create which gives it that very smooth/polished look.

Some other nice features are the ability to upload a variety of media such as: mpg, avi, quicktime, wmv, and jpg. Also, a user can purchase a premium account which unlocks a lot of effects/transitions, etc. The free account lets users store up 100 MB worth of data each month.

However, I'm not sure how viable a resource this would be for students. The reason for this is that there is no filtering going on. This becomes an issue when dealing w/ CIPA/COPPA compliance. Although, a user is responsible for what they post and One True Media will banish/remove any inappropriate content. Grey Areas like this need to be handled delicately and w/ the student's best interest/safety at heart.

I recommend giving One True Media a look by clicking here.

Below is my mash-up example...

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

KickLight

KickLight is an incredible site for mashing together videos and text/photos (or kicks). A kick is a term used in movies for "back light". A Kicklight is a video that has another image/text running underneath the video in sequence that highlights what is happening on the video.

KL is definitely "web 2.0" as it lets users register and rate other users videos. However, there is no filtering going on which would not be ideal for CIPA Compliance. That being said, if a user does abuse their privileges their account will be suspended and further action may follow.

Below is an excellent example of a Kick Light on cooking (from their site)...



Give Kick Light a try by clicking here.

Thanks to Alexandra Franciso for the great great resource!!!

YouCube

YouCube is a great site I learned about from the excellent blog, Zarco English. It is a place where users can publish YouTube videos onto a 3-Dimensional cube.

I can see this being used in a class (w/ appropriate guidelines) where students pick videos of a "central" theme and then link those videos together via the cube. For example, lets say students were doing a science project on plants, they can select videos of certain topics that have to do w/ plants and post them to the cube (ex, photosynthesis, chlorophyll, etc).

Below is my YouCube example of Common Craft videos...



Give YC a try by clicking here.

The Biographicon

The Biographicon is a site I learned about from a wonderful blog (and super nice person) by Alexandra Francisco. (I'm so glad I've had a chance to meet her online as she really has a passion for technology and some great finds.)

Biographicon is a site where people can search for a biography on anyone or even create their own. It's very user friendly and acts like any search engine, just type in your person and click return. I like to think of it as a cross between wikipedia and an encyclopedia because it has data on anybody not just authors.



Give Biographicon a try by clicking here.

Blog Companion: Volume. V

Due to the very warm response I decided to create another volume of "cliff notes" to my blog. I like to refer to them as "blog companions" that helps the reader focus on some of the more significant online tools. I hope that people will find this as a useful resource and feel free to use it in any format that works for them.

However, keep in mind that these tools while valuable should be used w/ regards to their district's online acceptable use policy and CIPA compliance.

This companion will focus on Digital Art and "photo editing" that can be used as an educational tool.

One last thing I'd like to point out is that underneath the Blog Companion gadget on the right side of the screen, you'll notice a list of links called Blog Companions. This is where I will keep past volumes so others can view/download them at any time.

Again, thanks for reading and please feel free to comment as it helps me gauge how I can best meet people's needs.

Blog Companion V. V formats:

Digital Book
Direct Download

Picjoke

Picjoke is a site I learned about from one of my new favorite blogs, Life Feast. This is a site where you can have fun w/ photos by uploading them into entertaining templates. There are many sites that do this, but Pickjoke is one of the better ones as they are always adding new effects daily.



Give Pickjoke a try by clicking here.

Tunisian English Teaching Forum

The Tunisian ELT Forum is a new online magazine focusing on teaching English in the classroom but more importantly how to use educational tools and engage students. After reading this magazine all I can say is, WOW. This is a well thought out/written publication that incorporates every facet of education; from having a successful start to the school year, to how to best implement technology into education.



Also, I'd like to point out that this e-magazine is very nice/professional looking. You can tell that the writers/editors took some time to create a fine piece of "online literature." I recommend checking out page 25-26 for some great technological resources, written by Tarak Brahmi.

Give the Tunisian English Forum a look by clicking here.