Facebook Launched A New Tool for Making Collaborative Videos

April 1, 2015
Facebook launched today Riff, a collaborative video making tool. This app which is available for both Android and iOS allows users to create collaborative videos that can be shared on Facebook as well as on the web. The way it works is pretty simple: you start a video on Riff, when your Facebook friends see it they have the option to add clips to it. Riff puts a limit of maximum video runtime of 20 seconds.

 According to Facebook, “Anyone can start by creating a video. All you have to do is give it a topic, like #AprilFools, then your friends can view it and choose to add their own clips on that topic. Once a friend adds a clip to your video, your friend’s friends will also be shown the video in Riff and will be able to add to it. The potential pool of creative collaborators can grow exponentially from there, so a short video can become an inventive project between circles of friends that you can share to Facebook, or anywhere on the internet, at any time.”

Watch this video to see an example of a Riff video. Curtesy of TNW.

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A Handy Google Drive Tool to Create Animated Presentations and Engaging Educational Videos

February 19, 2015
In a post we published a few months ago, we talked about WeVideo and how teachers  use it to create videos and short animations in Google Drive. Today, we are introducing you to PowToon Edu, another equally powerful tool to use to create engaging videos and animated presentations.

Pontoon Edu allows you to animate difficult topics and engage your students using a wide variety of tools. You can easily drag and drop characters and props into your slides and assign it an animation, choose from different pre-designed templates and style libraries.Videos and animated presentations you create through PowToon Edu can be exported in various ways. You can share them on YouTube or Facebook, download them to your computer. You can also export them as MP4 file to embed in your classroom blog or website.

Watch the video below to learn more about PowToon Edu

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Acclaim- A Good Tool to Create Instructional Videos that Embed Comments and Annotations

January 31, 2015
Acclaim is a web platform for education which facilitates discussion around video content. It allows students and professors to share questions, notes, and feedback by inserting time-specific comments that link to moments in each video. Each comment is clickable, and once clicked, the video will jump to the specific moment that is being discussed. Students can see and respond to comments from the professor and other students at any time.

Users add videos to Acclaim in one of three different ways:

1) By embedding YouTube or Vimeo clips;
2) By uploading video files stored on a hard drive or mobile device; and
3) By using the built-in webcam feature to create and upload a video in real time.

Acclaim promotes student engagement by encouraging discussion in a responsive and asynchronous format.  Acclaim professors typically assign video content for viewing as homework, and ask students to share their thoughts and insights in the form of discussions with fellow classmates. In performance based-classes, such as dance, public speaking, and trial law, students may record themselves using the webcam feature, and receive precise feedback from professors and peers regarding specific moments of excellence, as well as points for improvement. Acclaim hones critical thinking, listening,  analytical and observational skills.

Acclaim  can also improve  class organization and student privacy. Within Acclaim, users can create secure folders based around class units and assignments, then grant access to  specific students or colleagues on a limited basis.  This built in privacy management can be reassuring to students with anxiety about their performance or concerns about public critique.

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An Excellent Tool to Create Video Mash-ups in Class

December, 2014
Weavly EDU is a very good  web tool that students can use to create video mash-ups. These mash-ups could include both audio and video clips taken from popular multimedia sites such as YouTube, SoundCloud, and Vine. All of this can be done without leaving your Weavly page. Some of the interesting features that Weavly EDU provides for teachers include : students don’t have to sign up they can get started right away. Also, Teachers can Group and monitor students' activity during video editing assignments.

Weavely EDU  runs directly in the browser with media content that is already online, no downloads or uploads necessary. There are different ways students can use this platform. They can for instance use it to create year-in review videos where they feature important events, activities…etc. They can also use it in digital storytelling. They can easily create multimedia stories using not only video content but also animated GIFs.

Here are two examples of video projects that, according to Weavly EDU, other teachers have successfully used in classroom:

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