Home Tags Posts tagged with "creation"
Tag:

creation

wick editor
ChromebooksCoding/Computer ScienceSTEM/STEAM

Animate Learning with The Wick Editor

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

The Wick Editor may be your new, best digital tool. As a longtime gamer, I am always on the lookout for game creation tools. As a failed artist, drawing and animating aren’t easy. That’s where tools like Giphy’s Powered Microgames are fun to explore. But now, there’s The Wick Editor.

What Is The Wick Editor?

The Wick Editor empowers you as an animator and game creator. As a free, open source tool, it’s designed make creating web multimedia projects easy. What I found of interest is that the tools I used back in the day (e.g. HyperCard, Scratch) inspired its design. It offers a web-friendly interface to work in, making it great for web-powered devices (e.g. Chromebooks).

How Do I Learn to Use It?

The Wick Editor comes with a wealth of tutorials, such as the ones below:

  • Getting Started with Animation
  • Making Things Interactive
  • Using Keyboard Interactions
  • Using Advanced Text Settings
  • Controlling Text with Code
  • Making Interactive Buttons

And there are many more tutorials. The website also offers examples that you can save and re-use.

In the Classroom

The Wick Editor provides students a way to introduce key computational thinking ideas. Your middle school students will be animating content in no time. It provides students with the opportunity to learn about timelines, asset libraries, and inspectors.

And did I mention the very best feature? It’s 100% free for educators, as well as free, open source. This means your students can use it for free via their web browsers. CommonSense Media reviewed The Wick Editor for the Classroom. They shared this perspective:

Some students will gravitate toward Wick Editor’s features almost effortlessly, while others will need some time to get the hang of it. Kids can create animations of all sorts to complement classroom content. In science, ask students to demonstrate molecular movement in different states of matter.

For ELA, challenge them to re-create the setting, characters, or action from a short story or novel, and piece together class animations to teach elements of literature.

Group tech-savvy kids with those who excel at art or writing, and have them collaborate on a math game or a video about history — custom code features allow users to write scripts to level up animations.

Start building those foundational computational thinking skills. The ISTE Standards for Students define computational thinking activities as ways students can develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems. These strategies “leverage the power of technological methods to develop and test solutions.”

So what are you waiting for? Give The Wick Editor a try today and help your students achieve more.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinEmail
lumen5
Good Teaching

Lumen5-Powered Videos

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Want to capture people’s attention with video? Then Lumen5 may offer you a way to create powerful videos from blog entries, news articles, and online text. If you’re like me, you are not a video designer. I have no idea how to better arrange pictures with quotes to create a video segment, or what accompanying music to use for the soundtrack. Therefore, my videos often lack punch and engagement because I’m uncertain in my arranging skills. Allow me to introduce you to a tool you can use in the classroom to create a technology anticipatory set.

Lumen5 Saves the Day

The good news is that Lumen5.com has some absolutely beautiful video arrangements and tools for the video challenged. Take an existing blog entry or web-based text and then let Lumen5 do the rest. Here are two examples that I shared via YouTube.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMsqo6m5-Fs]

Read the blog entry, Creating Worlds of Tomorrow, from which the video above was created. Here’s another example, Enhancing Parental Access with OneNote Class Notebook.

Creative Process

After getting your free account at their website, you can click on the CREATE VIDEO button and see a screen similar to the one shown below:

lumen

The process is drop-dead simple, allowing you to paste in a website address. You will have the option of grabbing the text from the first section of the article. You can also cherry-pick choice sentences. Each sentence series gets a slide with its own picture. Longer text is split across slides with matching images. You are able to edit sentences once selected for readability. You can put (a.k.a. upload) your own pictures in the slides. Another option for finding relevant images involves an internet search, which is built-into the Lumen5 interface. Placing pictures in the slideshow is drag-and-drop easy.

A few other screen shots:

lumen

In the shot above, you can see the results of an image search with “Minecraft” as the search term. Below, you see stock soundtracks you can add to your video. You also have the option of NOT adding sound, saving the movie as an MP4, and then modifying it in iMovie, WeVideo, Shotcut, or another video editor.

lumen

Rendering the video can take anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour, as shown below:

lumen

Once the video is done rendering, you can save it as an MP4 to your computer/device in anticipation of putting it on YouTube or another online storage location (e.g. OneDrive, Google Drive).

lumen

In the Classroom

It wasn’t until high school that I started figuring out how to read non-fiction text, picking out what text would make it into a test. Now, much of the non-fiction text that students read finds its way online. Pull text from anywhere, such as Dogo News, Newsela, Newseum,  or Tween Tribune and then paste the web link into Lumen5 for a quick summarization tool.

lumen

For example, the video below was generated from the Tween Tribune article, Watching Others Play Video Games the next big thing. It might be fun to create a summary of online content using Lumen5.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJIURH2NWCw&w=560&h=315]

Rendering Time: 90 minutes*

*Note: When I checked with Lumen5 crew, they mentioned that the long rendering time is atypical. Most videos are rendered in ten minutes or less. They asserted that my experience may have been due to some unfortunate server errors they experienced early on. As I recall now, the server did crash while I was using it, so this supports their assertion. Let me know in the comments if your experience matches their assertions.

Closing Thoughts

How do you see yourself using Lumen5 in your K-12/adult learning situation? Given the rendering time, it’s not a quick tool to use. Another piece that needs tweaking involves the slide editing component. Although I uploaded a picture, a screen shot of the actual article at Tween Tribune, I was unable to place the picture on its own slide alone. I would have had to replace the image and text of an existing slide. That may just involve some planning ahead, adding slides you don’t need so you can replace the image.

One thing is for certain, students can easily adapt the technique Lumen5 introduces with a variety of video editors. Lumen5’s approach serves as an excellent starting point for beginners like me.

 

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinEmail
AndroidiOS Tips and TricksMicrosoft Tips and Tricks

Moviemaker Is Dead; Long Live Story Remix

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Windows 10 embraces its movie-making roots, bringing storytelling to life with a new app Windows Story Remix that takes the place of the old favorite Moviemaker. Although not due out until later this year, Windows Story Remix boasts some features that should get educators excited. Let’s do a quick review of three exciting features.

Feature #1: Cloud-Based CreativityStory Remix

The new program has students start online using the mobile device of their choice (Android, iOS, and Windows) and then save their work to the cloud. Images and video from all of those devices gets mixed into their creation. That means that if a student makes a story on an iPad, they will be able to finish it on their Windows 10 device later on.

Feature #2: 3D Virtual Designs and Digital Ink

With Paint 3D, a re-designed Paint program, students can create designs and then import those into Windows Story Remix. They can take objects and pin them to scenes. Those pinned objects can also follow throughout a scene. Students can also import content from Remix 3D, an online warehouse of user-generated 3D designs, and they can take advantage of digital ink to write text directly on their creations, dropping in 3D graphics and adding special effects.

remix

Feature #3: Add a Soundtrack

Adding soundtracks to a video is easy with Windows Story Remix, allowing students to pull royalty-free content from a variety of places:

remix

Watch the Video

To get a grasp of the possibilities of this new software, check out this video. Then start planning how you’ll have your students don their filmmaking hats and tell their own stories!

 

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinEmail
iPad apps
iOS Tips and Tricks

Must-Have iPad Apps for Content Creation

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

With more than 1.3 million iPad apps now available in the App Store, it can be difficult for a busy educator to find the best ones for a particular lesson or purpose. But don’t worry; with TCEA, you’ve got this! Below is our list of absolutely must-have iPad apps for when students (or educators) need to showcase their learning with content creation. The apps take a variety of inputs, from audio to stories to digital images, which is great for differentiation. And they’re all free!

Adobe Spark Video – Pick from over 25,000 beautiful, iconic images to show your ideas and Spark will automatically add cinematic motion and a soundtrack.

Doodle Buddy for iPad – A longtime TCEA favorite, this app lets you finger paint with thousands of colors and drop in playful stamps. It has lots of cool drawing tools: paintbrush, glitter, chalk, text, stencils, smudge, and more. You can also draw on photos and drawings of your own. The free version includes ads.

Popplet Lite – With Popplet, you can capture your ideas and sort them visually in real time. This app is great for mind mapping and brainstorming, along with creating galleries and class notes. The lite version limits you to just one popplet at a time saved.

Puppet Pals HD – Create your own unique shows with animation and audio in real time! Simply pick out your actors and backdrops, drag them on to the stage, and tap record. Your movements and audio will be recorded in real time for playback later. The free version includes one background/theme. There is also a newer version of the app called Puppet Pals 2.

Quipio – Create amazing messages in a poster format by adding your own photos or drawings and text. Very simple to use.

Shadow Puppets EDU – Easily create videos in the classroom. Students as young as five can make videos to tell stories, explain ideas, or document their learning.

Sock Puppets – Sock Puppets lets you create your own lip-synched videos and share them on Facebook and YouTube. Limited backgrounds are included; additional may be purchased.

TeleStory – This fun app lets you create your own TV show with a theme, script, digital costumes, animation, voice recording, and more.

Toontastic 3D – Toontastic is a creative learning tool that empowers kids to draw, animate, and share their own cartoons through imaginative play. Making cartoons with Toontastic is as easy as putting on a puppet show – simply press the record button, move your characters onscreen, and tell your stories through play! Once you’re done, Toontastic will play back your animation and voice as a cartoon for you to share with friends and family around the world. The free version contains one background/theme.

Trading Cards – Using the on-screen questions as prompts, students can create trading cards of real or fictional people, places, objects, historical events, vocabulary words, and more.

VoiceThread – Create and share dynamic conversations around documents, snapshots, diagrams, and videos — basically anything there is to talk about. You can talk, type, and draw right on the screen. The app is free with additional in-app purchases available. Five VoiceThreads may be made with this app.

And one more that’s not strictly educational, but certainly is fun and engaging and gets your creativity going. Let’s Create! Pottery HD Lite – I love this app! Making ceramics has never been more simple and fun. Become a true artist and create “one of a kind” pottery items and share them with your friends. The lite version contains fewer add-ons and decorations.

 

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinEmail
Random objects creating a face along with the iTunes Store information
iOS Tips and TricksSTEM/STEAM

Makin’ It With an iPad

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

“Makers Gonna Make” is my new motto, and so every chance I get, I write, talk, and dream about making. So I am very excited when I get to combine making and iPads. Here are some apps and ideas to get iPads makin’ in your makerspace.

Let’s get started with an oldie but a goodie – Faces iMake – Right Brain Creativity This app encourages kids to be super creative by designing faces using collage materials. The app design is very kid-friendly and fun. The built-in bonus is an introduction of symbolic elements of art for kids. The last update includes a SAFE community for Faces iMake users to share their creations. The app is $2.99.

The go-to app for the TCEA Makers Visual Arts Makerplace is Green Screen by Do Ink. Green Screen allows students to create a video using an image or video for the background. The idea for a green screen is simple: shoot a video with a single colored backdrop and then replace the background with any other video clip or image you want. Jeannine Freeman, Fort Sam Houston ISD and one of my favorite makers, created a five-step document on how to use this app. Access it here. The app is just $2.99.

Swift Playgrounds by Apple is a new, free app to learn and experiment with code. Interactive puzzles are provided to learn the basics of coding, explore coding challenges, and create unique programs. This app is geared for 12 and up. No coding knowledge is required. Note: You will need iOS 10.0 or later to run this app.

Draw and Tell HD is a crazy good free app just right for the  3 to 9 year-old crowd. This app encourages imagination, story telling, and open-ended play with tools to draw, stickers to decorate, and a microphone to record voice. For those of you who know my love for Doodle Buddy, this app is on the same level.

The number one reason to get acquainted with the free Tickle app is the ability to use the drag and drop programming on SO many devices. In the TCEA makers, we use the Tickle app to program Dash & Dot, Rolling Spider drones, Sphero, and Ollie. You can also program the LEGO WeDo 2.0, Arduino Bean, and the Philips Hue lights, all for free.

Kids always do amazing things, so I would definitely give this app go. Who knows what will happen? The free  Post-it® Plus app allows you to take a picture of your Post-it notes and turn them into electronic Post-its. You can capture up to 50 square Post-it notes at a time. Off the top of my head, I could see using this for organizing a project, storyboarding, collaborative poetry, or a mosaic.

TeleStory is a TV studio in an app. The free app comes with 30 animated scenes and 50 digital costumes with face tracking. Students can easily use this app to record a music video, travel to a foreign land, or teleport to outer space.

For the ultimate in maker apps, check out Rube Works: The Official Rube Goldberg Invention Game. At $2.99, it is one of the least expensive ways to create some of these amazing machines. And it’s tons of fun, too!

maker
Photo by author

No longer do you have to try and find an owner’s manual to make, fix, or repair something; instead, turn to YouTube. This app will allow a teacher to create a playlist for student DIY videos. I have been a crocheter for many years and I decided to branch out from straight lines and crochet a heart. The video ”How to Crochet a Heart Using Magic Ring” sounded promising. But after three attempts, I just didn’t get it. YouTube to the rescue, I searched YouTube again and found “Crochet a Simple Heart – no magic circle.” That’s the added bonus of YouTube: if one video tutorial doesn’t work, there are ten more you can try to experience success.

Interested in getting your hands on the making experience? The next TCEA Makers workshop is Wednesday, January 25, 2017. Register here and spend a day learning to make and create an engaging makerspace.

Featured image: iPad App artwork

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinEmail
active learning
Good Teaching

Active Learning: A Student’s Perspective

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

This is a guest post by Britnee Gilliam, a student at Harmony School of Excellence in Austin, Texas and a summer intern at TCEA.

Teachers, have you ever seen your students looking blankly at you during a lecture? They’re not bored, but the class may be losing its spontaneous vibe. Perhaps you should shake things up some and get those kids hanging on the edge of their seats.

We love seeing a video when we walk into class. We also tend to be more attentive to videos because they are different than regular class lectures. But don’t pick just any video. Depending on the seriousness of the subject, pick a video that has humor while still communicating the lesson. Some examples are Crash Course or Bill Nye. With the video, you can have your class take notes on the key points; then they’ll have references for later.

We enjoy hands-on experiences as well. For example, in economics class learning about the stock exchange, you can give the class “money” to invest and then follow it. Watching our investments keeps us on our toes and makes us ask questions and try to gather information to improve. It also appeals to our competitive nature; which one of us can earn the most money?

Also, we love doing experiments in science classes. Who doesn’t like explosions? We students tend to remember things that we actually experience.

Integrating fine arts in a class also helps students process what we are learning. By making posters, shooting a class video, or even writing a screenplay on the topic, we can interpret the content of the lesson. These projects show our understanding of the subject and the kind of art we choose allows for our own unique interpretation.

Finally, have fun with your class and ask our opinion on how to learn the different subjects. Plan a variety of activities for us to do so we can learn in a new, exciting way. By using some of these ideas, you can help a class pay attention more often. They will more fully understand the material and be able to make it their own.

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinEmail