Emerging Technology #4: Animoto

Next in the world of emerging music technology is the fabulous site, animoto.com!  On this site, you can create professional looking videos for free in just a few minutes.  Take a look at the one I created for National Novel Writing Month (coming this November)!



Pros

This site takes little to no technology skill to navigate.  The videos, photos, and music that are free with the site are excellent.  Sharing is easy and fun.  Adding text is also a breeze.

Cons


To use this site, you need to include your email address as you create an account.  This makes it impossible for me to use with my students with our district's technology use policies.  Editing is problematic.  You sort of get what you get, and it can be a bit random.  When adding text, there are character limits which can be problematic.  To create a full-length video (the free ones are 30 seconds), it costs $3 each or $30/year for unlimited use.  You also need to be careful with the music.  I did come across a song with lyrics that were inappropriate for school.

Uses in the Classroom

Since students cannot create videos, I will have to create them myself.  That might really add another layer of fun to the class.  I watched video created by one of my classmates about a concept in the subject of economics.  I really don't like economics, but watching her video made me want to learn more about it!

Implementation

I am toying with the idea of spending the $30 to use this program.  I can think of uses for class, home life, and even my church life where this technology would come in handy.