Things 12 & 13: Creative Commons and Creating Video Shows with Animoto

The next two Things are all about creativity. Creative Commons gives people the freedom to use and share work from and with others without fear of copyright infringement, and Animoto is a new way to put video, photos and music together using content from others (ideally with Creative Commons licenses!) or that you have created yourself.

Thing 12: Creative Commons

Have you ever found a great photo on the Web and used it in a PowerPoint, on a blog, or even in a print publication you were making? Did you feel guilty about it? I know I always do! We're not technically supposed to use someone's work without their permission, but, getting permission is probably not going to happen, and besides, what if the creators don't mind? The people at Creative Commons have given creators of original works an option to give their works a Creative Commons license. This license allows people to use their works, always with attribution, but also with other optional stipulations.

Watch the videos below:





Now visit the Creative Commons website for an overview of the CC philosophy and the different licenses creators may choose for their works. Also, CC licenses aren't just for photos: they can be used with video, music, writing, scientific research, anything that would normally be covered under a copyright license! Cool!

To complete Thing 12:

• Watch the videos
• Visit and explore the Creative Commons website
• Explore the "creativecommons" tag on my Delicious account (username: mrsduelllibrary). I've posted five sites, including some CC licensed music sites and photo sites (you can actually explore Flickr for CC-licensed images!)
• Post your thoughts about Creative Commons. Does CC seem like a good idea? How could you use it with student projects? Could this help or hinder their understanding and respect of copyright law?

Thing 13: Creating Video Shows with Animoto

Animoto is a really cool tool that will create videos using photos, video, and music you upload onto their site (or, you can choose from music in their library). Short 30 second videos are free for everyone to create, or you can choose to upgrade and be able to create full-length videos.

Also, if you apply for an Educator Access code, you are given 6 month access to create full-length videos. At the end of that time, you can apply again for another code. If you think you might like to use Animoto to create videos either for or with your students, you should apply for an Educator Access code BEFORE registering for an account. To do this, go to "Contact Us" on the Animoto site and send them a request for an Educator Access code. Include where you work, what you teach, and that you would like to use Animoto with students. Use your work email when you make the request. You'll have to wait a few days, but you will then receive an email containing your Educator Access code with instructions for how to use it when you register. If you don't think you'll use Animoto in your class, or would like to get started with Animoto right away, go ahead and register now. You won't, however, be able to apply for an Educator Access code for your account later (unless you just create a new account using your work email).

Now let's check out Animoto! Visit the site and watch the video "Learn More in 60 sec", then click on "View a Sample Video" to see what the finished product will look like.

Here also are a few student-created Animoto videos I found on SchoolTube:





For this Thing, you should create an account (either with an Educator Access code or not), and then create a video and post it on your blog and ALSO on the RB Ning so we can all check it out. You can use photos from your Flickr account or from your computer, and you can use video if you have it (you can choose to ONLY use photos), and then either upload your own music or choose from Animoto's library. Good luck- I can't wait to see the results!

To complete Thing 13:

• Request an Educator Access code if you would like to create longer videos
• Register for an Animoto account
• Watch Animoto's "Learn More in 60 sec" video and "Sample Video"
• Watch the two student videos posted above
  
• Create a video and post it to your blog AND to the RB Ning
• Post about your experience. Did you find it easy? Would you use this with students? Have students create a video as a final project?
  

Things 8 & 9: Photo Sharing, Customizing Blogs

We're halfway through the program! Give yourself a pat on the back and a big high-five for making it this far. You'll now have over two weeks before Things 10 and 11 are posted, so hopefully you can catch up and catch your breath (I know I will- I've been trying to keep at least one step ahead)! I've already been hearing some great things that people have been doing with some of these tools- keep it up and spread the Word! One of the goals for this program is to extend the skills and knowledge of our faculty and staff, so those of us in the program can pass along some of these Web 2.0 tools to our colleagues.

Thing 8: Photo Sharing

You may already have an account with an online photo sharing site, or perhaps you've had friends or family send you a link to their online albums (I subject my nearest and dearest to monthly Shutterfly.com updates). Photo sharing sites have progressed beyond being warehouses for photos, however: many let you edit, crop, organize, share, add comments, tag, create photo groups, and even apply cool effects to individual photos. We're going to be exploring Flickr, which is one of the most innovative photo sites around. You'll be creating a Flickr account, uploading some photos to it, tagging those photos, and then posting a slideshow to your blog (Customizing Blogs is Thing 9). "She's crazy!", you might be saying. But I'm not, trust me. You can do it! I chose this Photo Sharing Thing to occur right before the break so you'll have time to take some pictures you'd like to share with us (and borrow a camera, if necessary). If you don't have access to a digital camera, you can talk to the AV department here and request to borrow one over the break.

Your goal for Thing 8 is to create a Flickr account and upload at least THREE photos, one of which should be a picture of you doing something related to teaching/technology/reading/chewing- something specific to this program, basically. The other 2+ photos can be of anything, but ideally would be taken specifically to share with the group. You should then TAG the photos with keywords and tag at least ONE of the photos with the keyword "17 Things" (to use a two-word tag you have to put the phrase in quotes). Make these photos PUBLIC (you have to check a box making them public), so that we can search for them on Flickr. You should then write a blog post about your experience with Flickr and make sure to include your Flickr name so we can find your pictures.

Here are some resources to get you started:

• Flickr Tour
• Flickr FAQs
• "Classroom" groups on Flickr (school-related photo groups that have been created by teachers)
• The App Garden (these are cool apps that Flickr users have created- there's one called FlickrPoet where you paste in the text of a poem, and Flickr pictures are matched to the text- so your poem becomes a poem in photos)
• BigHugeLabs (lets you do fun things with your photos like make them into movie posters, photo booth pictures, add comic book captions, etc.)

To complete Thing 8:

• Create a Flickr account
• Take and upload at least 3 pictures, one of which should have something to do with the 17 Things program
• Tag your pictures, and make sure at least one picture is tagged "17 Things"
• Make your photos public
• Write a blog post about your experience
• Post your Flickr account name
• Search for and check out other participants' photos on Flickr! My Flickr name is "mrsduelllibrary", and you can see my first few pictures in the "Slideshow" feature on the sidebar of my blog.

Just for fun (optional): Create something fun using one of the Flickr third party applications or mashups and include the results in your photo stream or post into your Thing 8 blog post.

Thing 9: Customizing Blogs

One of my favorite things to do with my blogs is to add little gadgets and widgets to my sidebar, which gives your blog a more personalized feel. Your task for Thing 9 is to customize your blog by adding at least THREE gadgets or widgets to your sidebar. These can be found in the "Layout" tab at the top of your blog editing screen. Just click "Add a Gadget" in the sidebar, and choose a few things from the list of choices. One of the gadgets you choose should be a SLIDESHOW, which will then let you link to your Flickr photostream, displaying a running slideshow of the photos you uploaded in Thing 8. So cool. Other gadgets you can choose to add include a poll, a video, some HTML/JavaScript, a list of your favorite links, or even just some text.

To complete Thing 9:

• Add at least THREE gadgets to the sidebar of your blog
• One of the gadgets must be a SLIDESHOW that links to your Flickr photostream