Animoto

=Animoto=

After completing and posting my Animoto, and now moving onto my digital story, I am puzzled as to the differences. They seem so similar. Given, I will be recording a narrative and with Animoto, I only accompanied my pictures with music. But couldn't they be used in very similar ways? I am wondering how people are using each differently.- Brianna

That's the only difference I see, too. Pretty similar for the other tools we're using, as I see it: Twitter, wiki, blogs, Diigo -- all different ways to share. Different people prefer different avenues, so we do get exposed to different things. In the future though, I see myself gravitating to Pinterest and Diigo for bookmarking resources, and Twitter for seeking particular answers, and blogs for sharing things myself. Just my preference! - Megan

I like using the Animoto but found it took to long to create. I would have to wait for an e-mail, preview the video, then go back and make changes. Did anyone else find this to be a hassle? I worked with Photo Story before and am happy that I get to use it again for my Digital Story because it is so much easier to use. Brianna- I agree, there are some similarities between Animoto and whatever software you are using for your Digital Story. Can I ask what you plan on using? The only difference I noted was what I mentioned above. And Megan, you are right different people like different things. I haven't started using Pinterest yet, but plan on creating an account soon. I am still hesitant in using Twitter, but I am sure Ill break down eventually.- Sara

Sara, I agree with you that Animoto can be time consuming to create. Using the program to create the project is fairly quick and easy, but it was slightly 'annoying' to stop work to wait for the website to create the movie. In the end I was really please the result of my Animoto. I posted my video on Facebook, and a few weeks later my cousin (who teaches 1st grade) asked if she could use it with her class. The answer is "of course!" ~Anne Marie

Sara, I DEFINITELY thought it was a hassle. I doubt it will exist in the future without major streamlining - Megan

I just shared my Animoto to 2 classes and another teacher. They really were interested in creating one. I was frustrated with the little amount of characters that were allowed, but I am a bit wordy:) The music that was available was very limited and 'old-fashioned' but I found an appropriate song for my Animoto. I can't wait to start working with imovie because I hear it's much easier to use. There also is many more options and effects to incorporate. My 15 year old goes to RHAM High School and took a video production class. He used a program called AVID to do his projects. Ever hear of that program? He's not a fan of Apple products so he advised me not to use imovie. Unfortunately, that is the program my school has on all computers so...that's the program I'm planning on using. Hmmm, do I like imovie or Animoto better????.....I see a comparing & contrasting coming on!!!!! ~ Michelle

I have to say that I agree that animoto was very time consuming. I was very frustrated with using the program to create an animoto using pictures and music. I had never used animoto before, so this was my first time, and although the layout and the directions for using it are laid out as very simple, I did find it annoying to have to keep going back and forth to edit and revise my animoto. Another thing that I struggled with for the animoto project was the fact that there was no criteria for which we were to follow for creating the project itself. I am much better with a distinct guideline of what my projects or assignments need to include, as I begin exploring and creating such a project. Did anyone else see this as a frustration? I did well on the project itself, but I don't understand how to distinguish between an A- and an A using this tool. -Krysta As far as the Animoto and the digital storytelling go, I am having much better luck with imovie than I did with Animoto. I feel that Imovie is a better and much more effective tool to use for digital storytelling, however, animoto is a great way to create a quick visual for your students to help aid you in the teaching of different concepts in your classroom. -Krysta

I agree with everyone else--I thought Animoto was very time consuming and too restrictive with the limited amount of text that could be used. I liked the music options, but thought there could have been more. It took a while for the photos to load, then, once they did load, waiting for the e-mail to say the video was ready was frustrating. In the type of instant gratification society in which we live waiting more than a minute feels like too long! - Lisa

Lisa- What you said is so true! We want everything immediately! Maybe that’s why I wasn't happy with using Animoto!-Sara

Although, I liked the final product, I too, felt the hassle of waiting for the video to be created before I could view it and edit it to be a little frustrating. I also found I couldn't personally pick which 10 seconds of the videos clips I inserted. I am sure they will make more editing options available, or maybe they are limited under the free trial subscription. -Felicia

Sara, I plan on using movie maker on my laptop. I have used it before to make a movie when my brother gave me all of his pictures from serving overseas, and one for his graduation. I loved using it...much easier than Animoto since it is not online. I have not put my voice to it before, so that is the only part I am unsure of. I also think Animoto would have been better if I had the full version and had a wider variety of images, sounds and backgrounds to pick from. -Brianna

Brianna, I agree completely. There are so many things that I would like to try with Animoto but the options are so limited without the full version. I just got an email the other day that there is no longer a free trial option so I need to pay in order to use Animoto again. I know that with the full version there are more images, backgrounds, and sounds however, I wish there was a way to upload your own or retrieve them from another source so that there are more opportunities. I have come across many different ideas that I am interested in using with my class, however, feel so limited at this point with what Animoto is offering. -Rosanne

I honestly thought that the version of Animoto I was using was the full version, so Rosanne your post surprised me! I think that my account is still active, and I am excited to try to make more videos. The biggest downfalls, as Lisa mentioned, are the limited amount of text that can be used, and the wait time to actually see the video. - Anne Marie