Thing 5: Digital Storytelling

http://animoto.com/play/m2FffSl4fkXn6X2SdPJHiQ

I decided to go with Animoto and stick with using the swimming pictures.  The link above is for the short 30 second video.  It was very easy to use and very quick.
I have used story telling software in the past, mostly Windows Movie Maker and also iMovie.  What I've found is that you really can lose yourself doing this and it takes a lot more time than you think - selecting the pictures, putting them in order and adding any text or music.  I enjoy it though.
Our school has clubs every other Friday afternoon and I am in charge of the Tech Club.  We have been taking pictures around the school to share with our sister school in China.  It has been a challenge to keep the kids focused and get them to take their time to really frame the pictures.  After lots of pictures of the floor and plants in the library, I had to take pictures they could use.  I might suggest they use this Animoto product.  It is much easier and faster than Movie Maker.

Thing #4: Photo Sharing

Finally catching up on Cool Tools!    I have used photo sharing sites in the past.  I use Facebook and also have an account on Snapfish which I have used to share photos from our librarian retirement parties. It is the most convenient way to share the photos with everyone quickly.  It also allows anyone to order copies at their convenience.  I recently created a collage print using my Walgreens account to display library activities.  Sharepoint has worked well for me in the past to maintain a library of school photos for staff to access.  The picture I posted today is of my son at his most recent swim meet.  My friend is the "official" photographer for the team and uses her account on Shutterfly to store the photos.  All the kids and parents can access them to view, dowload, or order prints.  I downloaded this print from Shutterfly and used BigHugelabs to create this poster.  I initially wanted to make a magazine cover, but was finding it too time consuming to design one.  I have been enjoying using the iPad to video the swim meets.  It is so nice to use because instead of using the tiny view finder as I've had to do in the past with traditional video equipment, using the iPad, you can watch in realtime and video at the same time.  The iPad also does a great job filtering the sound and handling the lighting in the pool area.
Happy New Year Everyone!