Week 3: Thing SEVEN (pt.2)

The second piece of web technology that I find particularly interesting is a Web 2.O site called "Animoto". This site is a very user-friendly application that essentially allows you to make slideshows set to music. Animoto allows you to select pictures from a variety of sources; one can choose to upload pictures from their own computer, select pix from an online photo source (like Flickr or Shutterfly), or simply choose pictures from Animoto's reserve stash. When pictures are selected and uploaded, you are then able to arrange them in any order you so desire. From there, Animoto allows you to choose the soundtrack to your slideshow. Again, there are a variety of options; you can select music from your own library on your computer, or choose from the very diverse music bank that Animoto provides. Even after the video is created, Animoto allows you to send it as an email, or as I did, upload it onto a personal page such as a blog, MySpace, Facebook, etc.

Animoto does have certain restrictions that are potential drawbacks. One of the biggest problems is that at first you are given an option to create a "video short" (30-seconds long) or a full-length video, but if you select "full-length", you are met with a screen notifying you that full-length videos cost $3. Another problem is that the animation of the slideshow is completely randomized, leaving you with no input whatsoever as to how the entrance and exit of each picture is customized. Naturally, there are far more options available when one chooses to pay for the video rather than making a 30-second short, so it is a little discouraging to have all of the potential options listed, only to be informed later that most of them are limited to paying customers.

Overall, I think Animoto is a neat tool to have available on the web, and is a slick way to make a quick and easy slideshow presentation. Beyond that, if I were going to make any kind of lengthy, serious slideshow, I would sacrifice the time and effort and use some other software like i-movie or windows movie-maker.

Week 3: Thing SEVEN (pt.1)

My school-issued computer is a PC. In fact, every computer that I have ever owned have been PC's. I wouldn't say that I necessarily want a Mac, but there are a handful of Mac-specific features that I am envious are not available for PC. Widgets, for example. As I was exploring the World Wide Web in search of all the various types of widgets that my PC and I are missing out on, I discovered something of a loophole. While widgets still are not technically PC-compatible, blogs happen to be adequate host-sites for widgets. And, thanks to Raven About Web 2.0, I happen to have a blog.

To showcase some web technology that I thought was cool, I chose a Chicago Cubs widget. This was admittedly a bit selfish because the Cubs widget has no real practical application to education -- which is why my technology showcase for this "thing" comes in two parts. There are certainly a variety of widgets that can be integrated into classroom curriculum, and numerous other widgets that may not be content-related, but defintely can serve to sharpen students' minds.

My justification for this particular widget is, in a nutshell, that I think widgets are a cool piece of web technology, and I really only have one favorite sport, and one favorite team. With the Cubs widget, I can simultaneously check my blog and find out the latest news about my Cubbies.