Tag Archives: Free

Vine

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Vine

Taken from: http://colorlib.com/sparkling/media-twitter-embeds/vine-logo/

ABOUT:

Vine is an application where you can view and create 6.5 second videos that loop continuously. Vine is set up to be a mobile application where you use your phone to record, upload the footage to vine, and edit in application. The editing feature is basic, but does allow some cropping, slow motion, and length adaptation.

Supported

Mobile (editing & viewing), MAC (viewing only), PC (viewing only), Tablet (viewing only)

Pros

  • Very easy to learn and to share
  • Potential for wide viewer-base

Cons

  • Built for heavy compatibility with a SmartPhone
  • Vines default to play on their own, which can be distracting

EXAMPLES

Below is a Vine a student made to show that she participated in the 2014 General Election:


 
Below is quick illustration of a Treble Clef

Uses for Vine

Vines could be used to enhance a presentation, or to make a creative video to prove a point. They’re so fast, they’re almost a .gif – you might use these inside a presentation for any class.

Tiki-Toki

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Tiki-Toki

taken from http://www.tiki-toki.com/

ABOUT:

Tiki-Toki is a sleak, easy-to-use, presentation friendly timeline software. It allows embedded photos and videos. Each panel is clickable, and enlarges to the screen, which makes this good for presentations as well. The application exists on the cloud, is visually driven, and is easy to use.

Supported

Mac, PC

Pros

  • Visually beautiful
  • Great for linear thinkers
  • Embeds a variety of media
  • Allows groups to edit one timeline together

Cons

  • You cannot store presentations. The free version only allows you to make one presentation – though you can erase that and create another, endlessly.
  • Unless you upgrade, you cannot embed content, or share with anything other than a link.
  • Easily invites over-design

EXAMPLES

Below is an example of a news story that was a current event at the time it was built. This tiki-toki was used as a short presentation. Click the image below to visit the example:

Tiki-Toki-example

 

Uses

Tiki-Toki can be used to present, or record events. You would likely use this in a History course, or any course where you need to create a historical record that features video, audio, or images.

YouTube

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YouTube

Taken from: http://xmorbid.blogspot.com/2014/10/logo-youtube.html

ABOUT:

YouTube is a video viewing, editing, and hosting platform. Many of us already use YouTube to watch music videos, commercials, and even whole television shows, but you can also use this great tool to host your own videos. What many people don’t know is that you can upload raw footage and use YouTube as an editing tool, which is pretty simple. YouTube also has a lot of social distribution features like tagging, labeling, and creating channels for specific topics.

Supported

Mac, PC, Tablet, Mobile

Pros

  • Extremely wide user base
  • lots of features
  • Editing tool availability

Cons

  • uploading takes a lot of time
  • storing footage to upload takes up a lot of space on your hard drive
  • student videos tend to be longer than most people want to watch (be careful of this)

EXAMPLES

The video below was created by 200 students at Kansas State University in 2007. It features real concerns by real students.

Uses

YouTube has a nearly endless set of uses: presentations, documentation, illustrations — pretty much any creative process that you could film.

iMovie

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iMovie

taken from macworld.com

ABOUT:

iMovie is simple video editing software for your Mac – in fact – it comes pre-installed on all Macintosh computers, except iPads. It is easy to use, though requires more training than Windows Movie Maker. It comes with simple transitions, effects, and labeling to enhance your footage. You can film right from your computer, import your own footage, stills or music to create a video for whatever your needs might be. Once your movie is created, you can export it in several ways, in a variety of qualities, including straight to youtube.

Supported

Mac, iPad only

Pros

  • Has lots of professional looking transitions and effects.
  • export to anywhere
  • Easy to learn using a tutorial

Cons

  • May be somewhat overwhelming for beginners
  • Videos take up lots of space on your hard drive

EXAMPLES


Because it is impossible to link to an example of a work in progress – or a dashboard, as iMovie actually is – the link above is a short tutorial put out by KingTutsPro that you can watch to see how someone might build a simple video.

Uses

Videos can be used for a variety of assignments, or to enhance a digital assignment. You can embed them into larger projects or use them all on their own. You can pretty much make a video for anything you might imagine.

Windows Live Movie Maker

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Windows Live Movie Maker

 taken from http://windows-live-movie-maker.en.softonic.com/

ABOUT:

Windows Live Movie Maker is the most recent version of Movie Maker for you PC – in fact – it comes pre-installed on all factory built non-Macintosh computers. It is easy to use, requiring minimal training. It comes with simple transitions, effects, and labeling to enhance your footage. You can film right from your computer, import your own footage, stills or music to create a video for whatever your needs might be. Once your movie is created, you can export it in several ways, in a variety of qualities.

Supported

PC only

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Manageable amount of choices for beginner users
  • Export to anywhere

Cons

  • May be too simple for advanced users
  • Users must be careful about organizing and saving footage. If you move your footage after you begin creating your movie, you must either move it back, or start over in order to edit.
  • Videos take up a lot of space on your hard drive

EXAMPLES

Because it is impossible to link to an example of a work in progress – or a dashboard, as Movie Maker actually is – the link above is a short tutorial put out by Windows that you can watch to see how someone might build a simple video.

Uses

Videos can be used for a variety of assignments, or to enhance a digital assignment. You can embed them into larger projects or use them all on their own. You can pretty much make a video for anything you might imagine.

Blogger

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Blogger

ABOUT:

Blogger is one of the most popular platforms of blogging on the Internet. Blogger is owned by Google and therefore integrates many of Google’s tools like Adsense and Google+. Microsoft Word documents can be directly added into Blogger posts, making it easy to format posts and share them through a Blogger account. Customized templates as well as CSS integration are available as well.

 

Supported

Mac, PC, mobile, tablet

 

Pros

  • Can gather lots of followers with a wide community
  • Easy integration with many of Google’s other services
  • For use on mobile devices

Cons

  • Very specific limitations (No html markup, 500 characters max…)
  • Limits on picture sizes and resolutions
  • New post editor is somewhat unreliable

Examples

Below is an example of a blog hosted on blogger for nerds who want to get into shape. Notice the design choices this blogger has made. He targets a specific audience, uses a fitting font and template, and matches his pictures to the content. Click on the image below to visit the site.

from http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/

 

Uses

You can use a blogger blog in any class. You might use it to respond to reading, to organize thoughts, or to just let the world know how your course is going. Alternatively, your instructor may assign you to run a blog, and blogger is a fine place to start when choosing a place for the blog you want to create.

 

tumblr

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tumblr

taken from http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/tumblr/ffa2fb4f-61b2-4075-ac7b-488846998b72

ABOUT:

tumblr is a social media that can be used in a variety of ways. It not only has blogging capabilities, but can be made to look a lot like an instagram feed, or on the opposite spectrum, a text-heavy informational feed. tumblr allows you to embed video, and images of all types. It also allows you to favorite posts, comment, and reblog other posts you want to share with others.

Supported

Mac, PC, phones and tablets

Pros

  • widely shareable
  • intuitive, easy to create platforms
  • variety of uses

Cons

  • social media aspect can be distracting
  • some themes can be too busy and can become distracting from a design aspect

EXAMPLES

In the example below, you can see how the authors used their tumblr page to both present and archive information that could be useful both in a presentation, or for people to visit like they would an informational website. Click the image to visit the full site:

Taken from http://america-underwater.tumblr.com

Uses

tumblr can be used as a presentation tool, an archival tool, a blogging tool, or in many other ways. One of the beauties of tumblr is its versatility.

Weebly

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Weebly

WeeblyScreenShot

ABOUT:

Weebly is a surprisingly easy way to create a unique website, blog or online store. It is a drag-and-drop system that allows you to chose from many templates, and plugins that will help you create your page. You can import images, video, and text to help you create your project and capture your audience. It’s so easy, you can even do it on your phone.

Supported

PC, Mac, Mobile

Pros

  • The drag and drop dashboard is so easy, even a first time web builder can do it, with no tutorial
  • The templates are versatile enough to create lots of types of sites
  • No coding needed. Ever.

Cons

  • Because of the ease of Weebly, it has less of a professional feel than many other site builders.
  • Because there is no coding involved, you are stuck with the offerings on Weebly

EXAMPLES

There are several examples of Weebly website online. Click on the image below to see a page where you can click on a bunch of different student examples:

taken from http://wefed.weebly.com/student-sites.html

Uses

You can use Weebly to complete several kinds of projects. It is a great place to keep a class blog, or to create a website for a presentation, or a digital portfolio.

WordPress

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WordPress

Taken from: http://www.sixsix8.com/2011/02/hi-resolution-social-media-logos/

ABOUT:

Many people use WordPress as either a blogging site, or a website. This is because WordPress is versatile and has many features to chose from, both free, and for a charge. First, the user must chose a ‘theme’ which makes up the look and feel of the blog site. The user must then clear the WordPress settings, like the “Hello World!” post that comes with each new site. Once you have chosen a theme and written the first post, there are a number of options you have, each specific to the theme you have chosen, including but not limited to – video streaming, media hosting, static pages, menus, and a variety of widget and plugins to enhance your site.

Supported

Mac, PC, Mobile, Tablet

Pros

  • Multi-Use tool
  • Easy to use and maintain once you get the hang of it
  • One user may host over 10 blogs using the same login

Cons

  • It takes a long time to design your blog or website, and this can be a difficult experience for new users.
  • Some themes will allow certain actions, while others will not – or will ask for them to be performed differently. This can be confusing and frustrating.

EXAMPLES

This blog won an award in 2012 for best student blog. Consider the layout, color choice and content arrangement as you look through the example. Click on the image below to be taken to the full site:

WordPress-2

 

Uses

Blogs can be used for any number of projects. A blog can be built to look like a website, or to keep a log of content like the example above.

You may be asked to keep a blog for a class, or you may elect to use the blog application to showcase a project, or keep your own personal record of your learning. The blog is only as limited as your imagination.

Toondoo

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Toondoo

taken from http://www.toondoo.com/

ABOUT:

Toondo is a free online software program that can turn your material into a comic strip that you design. Create yourself giving a presentation using images and text that create a comic-narrative. Toondo design has a lot of choices so you can create a lot of different looks for characters, backgrounds, and speech bubbles.

Supported

online software only for Mac and PC

Pros

  • lots of fun choices for comic creation
  • a fresh way to present a narrative

Cons

  • choices are limited to certain body types and skin colors
  • not all audiences know how to read frame-to-frame

EXAMPLES

Plessy v Ferguson

The above example is a simple 4 panel comic showing the Plessy v Ferguson trial in an easy to follow way. You could easily present the details not pictured on the cartoon and use something like this as your presentation visual cue.

Uses

Toondo is appropriate for presenting any material that flows in a linear style, including history narratives, book reports, or even scientific discoveries.