Multimedia+and+Video+Technology

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Growing up as a child, all I ever wanted was to see was Snow! I would sit around and imagine myself standing in the front yard watching the snow fall - in complete awe of the miraculous event. I pictured the snowflakes being big and wet, somewhat like powdered sugar, floating slowly and daintily down from the cold, steel gray clouds of the December sky. In my daydreams, I would be dancing and twirling around while the snowflakes fell all around me. Snow angels would be made with my mom, cousins, and neighbors in the freshly fallen snow. I imagine throwing sparkling white snowballs and getting pegged by one thrown by my laughing brother hiding behind the corner of the house. Last but not least, we would make a small snowman and name him “Frosty”, with a carrot nose, black hat and a fluffy red scarf. This was a fantasy throughout my childhood and I would yearn for the day that I could live out my dream.=====

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It would be many years later before I would experience snow like I did in my fantasies, but one early in the morning, it changed. Just before noon, on December 4, 2008, the snow came – two to four inches of it in some places. What a glorious day it was! This time I got to experience the reality of snow with my own children. For my four year old daughter, it was the first time he had actually ever seen snow falling from the sky. She thought that God had given it to her as an early Christmas present. The snow covered the ground like a soft, white, glistening blanket and all of my kids and I were awe by it! I can’t believe my imagination was coming to life and we all did the same things that I had imagined as a child, in the snow, laughing and giggling the whole time. Can you believe it, Frosty even came to life – but bigger than I imagined. Snow angels were made by all, and to top everything off – we skillfully caught snowflakes in our mouths. My daughter told me that he wished it would snow every day.=====

PhotoStory on YouTube:
media type="youtube" key="4d9PfRAwIOU" height="480" width="640" =Week 2= This week, our EDLD 5363 Multimedia and Video Technology assignment was to produce a Podcast plan, a Podcast Script, and finally, based upon this plan and script, record a podcast. This week’s assignment was very interesting. It caused me to open and use a program that I have had on my computer since I bought it about two years ago! Video editing is very challenging. Many times we forget what goes into creating what we see on the screen or hear on various venues. This exercise has given me a new appreciation for the craft and skill that is need to make multimedia meaningful, especially for our students.

I decided to use Windows Movie Maker in the past, but I found it very limiting to the green screening features and overall video quality that I was looking for in my current job assignment. When I use Windows Movie Maker, I usually save the files in a .wmv or .avi file format. This allows me to easily use it for instant playback on any computer at my school or it allows for easy uploading to video hosting websites. Windows Movie Maker also has an easy to use interface and for the more skilled computer users it allows for some advance video modifications. “ Of course, most free software does not include the same level or quality of support that you would expect to find with software that you purchase commercially” (Desk-Video-Guide, 2009). If you are into higher quality products with ease of use and advance video editing features, you will not find that in any “freeware” or “open-source” video editing program that I have evaluated. Thus, I chose to produce a podcast tutorial entitled "Create Quick and Easy Videos with Windows Movie Maker ". I first created the Podcast Plan, an outline that detailed the major steps or components of the podcast. Next, I wrote my Podcast Script, being careful to describe what I was seeing and doing on the Movie Maker screen so that listeners could follow along with the audio tutorial and edit a video. I used Audacity to record my podcast script along with extra narration and instructions, edit it to remove all elements not in my original podcast script, and then save the finished product as an MP3 file which I posted on [|Podbean]. As a result of this assignment, I feel very confident suing Windows Movie Maker and Audacity; but very intuitive. I did not have much experience using Audacity in the other classes nor at work, however am somewhat familiar with using Movie Maker. I plan to use these products in the future to produce more tutorials such as this for my teachers in Pasadena ISD. As Lonnquist (1994) points out, “Whether you’re creating a Hollywood feature film or tightening a vacation video, the challenge is to take raw footage and within the limitation of equipment and budget, transform it into something compelling and watchable”; it is the product that should be the focus of our efforts, not the video production tools themselves.

Lonquist, Janis. (1994). //The Art of the Edit//. Retrieved June 16, 2012 from [|http://www.school-video-news.com/index_files/Art_of_the_Edit2.htm]

__Script and Plan for Podcast:__ Opens with music //Heroic Age// then the music fades out. //Cut and Run// softly plays in the background. Hello! I’m Tonya Smith, Peer Facilitator at Garfield Elementary here to introduce you to the fascinating world of video editing and production.

Today, anyone can create an exciting video without spending money on expensive editing software. The software I have chosen to describe is the Microsoft Window’s Movie Maker. Windows Movie Maker is a presentation software program that comes installed on many Windows computers today. It is actually an extremely simple, easy to use, video editing program. Of course, there are many other free video editing programs available. So why should you choose Windows Movie Maker? For one thing, it is very user friendly and easy to use. You can accomplish simple editing projects with very little preparation or experience. Another reason to choose the Windows program is the features that are included. You can add narration, music, pictures, title, and end credits, as well as text within your movie. The program is designed so that when you open it, you see four sections. These sections are: tasks, clips, timeline, and entire sequence.

It is stable and not prone to crashing as some other video editing programs are, and does not take large chunks of your processing memory. In addition to all of that-it is free! So how can you go wrong with a program that is easy to use, works well, and doesn't cost you anything? This software typically comes with the operating system or can be downloaded for free from the Microsoft website. Now, let’s get to creating. Once the program has been launched you will notice that the program looks very user friendly. On the left of the screen you will find the Movie Tasks option. They are the steps that will lead you into making your own creative video. Step one, //Capture Video//, is to place the media sources into the Movie Maker, whether it’s a video that you have already recorded with your camera, downloaded copyright free video clips, pictures or music and audios.

Once your sources have been imported, they will appear in the middle of the screen called //Collections//. Each source may be dragged down to the Timeline area on the bottom of the screen. Videos and pictures would be placed in the Video Timeline. Music would be dragged to the Audio/Music Timeline. Voice audio can be recorded by clicking on the microphone button in the Timeline area. You may place the slider in the timeline to the position where you wish to start recording. Step two, //Edit Movie//, is to apply some special video effects and put titles and credits. If you wish to apply an effect such as a blur in certain spots on your video and not apply to the whole video, your video could be cut into segments by using the cutting tool located under the preview window on the right side of the screen. Once you have edited your video and put the finishing touches it is ready for the last step, step 3, which is called //Finish Movie//. In this step you will see options to save your video onto your computer, a CD, email it to someone, upload it to the web, or make a DVD. There, it’s simple as one, two, three. You have just created your masterpiece..” I encourage you to try Windows Movie Maker! Have fun and good luck Closes with music //Heroic Age// fading in. Music comes on again and fades to credit: “This podcast was presented with the help of podbean.com, and the music was provided [] Kevin MacLeod- Heroic Age and Cut and Run.”

**PSA-**
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**PSA Reflection:**
The course assignment was to create a PSA video in a collaborative setting. There was some skepticism of being able to work through the challenges of distance learning environment. Since we were all located in different parts of Texas, there were some challenges we faced such as Internet problems, computer problems and even preplanned vacations, and not being able to meet face to face. We decided that we would communicate through emails, texting, Facebook, and we created Google document. After a couple of days of communicating, we decided on the topic of cyberbullying because we felt that it can be used in our classrooms and schools after the project was completed. The initial stage of the team project was to analyze each person’s ability so that we could split the responsibility. On the first week each person volunteered to be responsible for certain tasks that need to done. The third and fourth week was dedicated to gathering resources. Lori began shooting footage. Joseph recorded voice narration. Lynlie and I found pictures and still shots. Lynlie also began researching and found background music. By the middle of week four Joseph had edited the project but it was still over the time requirement. So as a team we decided to revise the entire project. By the end of the week I had all the resources and started editing the project. Lori got the copy-right information from Commonsense to be added to the PSA. Lynlie finished editing the video and uploaded to YouTube. In the end, our product came out wonderfully; I felt that our group worked smoothly. By continually communicating with each other helped in completing the project well within the time limit.



I was very excited to be enrolled in this Multimedia/Video Tech course because it is a field that I particularly enjoy and have had some experience with. I envisioned making some videos and learning new applications during the course. The outcome exceeded my vision and I definitely appreciated the project-based learning environment. Working in a group was a tremendous experience that I especially appreciated. I was concerned about how we would work together and collaborate in a distance-learning environment. It took several emails within a span of three weeks to communicate thoroughly. Creating a Goggle Document, Script board Document, and Facebook Group was key in our collaboration. Any member of the team was able to update whatever was necessary. I gained very useful skills and resources that I would be able to share with my students and colleagues. We already have Movie Maker on all the computers but I will be able to introduce them to Audacity. They would be able to download these applications at home without any concerns about breaking the law or getting viruses. I am continuing to share web site resources for free music, sound effects, images, and video footage such as [|www.creativecommons.com]. The course reading materials have become very valuable in sharing with my students and colleagues. I plan to share the PSA with the entire faculty and students. I have achieved multiple skills and tasks during the Multimedia/Video Tech course. I also learned a lot from my classmates. I experienced creating a video using only images using Photo Story3. Through making the Personal Story project I explored about my childhood memories. I learned to create narrative that matches the images and background music. I valued working with a team. That was an experience that taught me that a key to successful group work is communication. I felt that our group worked very well together. It is informative and educational. If we had better camera equipment our video clips may have appeared more professional. However, our PSA shows what can be done with very little budget or no budget at all. I can say that I learned more about my personal quality than technology during this course. I already had a lot of experiences with graphic applications and producing videos, but what I got of the class was more than technical skills. While making the PSA project I leaned that I don’t need to control everything and that I can learn to trust others to come through. Like many teachers I am a natural leader and often I take a leadership role in group situations. However, on this project our dynamics became that we all let everyone shine at what they do best. I wanted to emphasize every member’s contribution by consciously including resources provided by each person. Randy Nelson’s part of speech resonated with me when he said “make your team look good.” I was very pleased with the final PSA project, and I feel very proud that we produced something very creative.
 * ** EDLD 5363 Multimedia/Video Tech Course Reflection **

Nelson, R. (2008). Learning and working in the collaborative age: A new model for the workplace. Edutopia. Retrieved June 30,2012, from []. org/randy-nelson-school-to-career-video ||