You probably have selected “Upload from your computer.” Save your images to desktop (easier to grab and import). You are now in the first step of Animoto: Images, and you have a grid on which you can arrange and rearrange your images by dragging and dropping. If you get confused, look at the right side where you will see information on Images and tips for the section.

After your images upload, you can add text by selecting the “Add Text” option on the bottom. The way you save your work when you are in “Images” is to click the “done” button on the bottom right. That saves your work.

If you have to leave (end of class) and you want to return to your work, this is how you retrieve your work. Login. Go to “Create Video.” You will get this message in a yellow banner. Notice that you can see the images (text is there too) that you had uploaded in your last session. Click CLOSE. IF for some reason you do NOT see your images, DON’T PANIC. Click on the word Images on the left side and your images will appear.

If you want to add more text than Animoto will let you put on the two text lines, you can make a PowerPoint text slide. After your slide is done, you want to make a screenshot. You do that by using “Shift” + Apple key + 4 (not the F4, just the number 4). This screen shot will show up on your desktop as Picture 1 (if it’s the first screen shot you have taken). Now you can upload the PP text slide by dragging and dropping it, or you can go to “Add More” and add your new slide.

Don’t forget to check your rubric (you were given a copy, but it is also linked on my website, English 11, November, right under the two sample videos) for the “effects” you need to add. Very simple: just select the images you want to “spotlight,” click on that image, and then click “spotlight.” The images that have a yellow frame around them will be highlighted and play more than the not highlighted images. If you look closely, you will notice that images 3 and 4 need rotating to straighten them. Click the “rotate” button on the bottom till your picture looks normal. When you are finished with your images and text, click “DONE.” You will be taken to this screen:
Now you are ready for the second step: adding music. You can select from Animoto’s collection (they actually have some decent music) or you can add your own. Your music must be in an mp3 file format.

A good free music site is freeplaymusic or you can Google “free music” and get dozens of sites, or you can pull music from your iTunes account. Or you can create your own music in GarageBand. If you find the music you want and it is not in an mp3 format but is in an ac3, for example, you will need to convert the music file at www.zamzar.com. The process is very simple, but you need to give Zamzar a real email that you can access (your school gmail? or gaggle?) because they will send you the download link for your converted file via email. It may take a while, so be patient.

If you select your music from Animoto’s collection, you will get a screen that looks like this: One benefit of using Animoto’s music is that you have one less link to add to your list of urls. At this point you need to click “save and continue,” and you will be brought to the next screen.

You need to do several things in this third section where you finalize your video. Choose which speed you want to your video to play (1/2, normal is in the center, and 2x–don’t recommend the last one), select your video cover screen, and then click “continue.” You are now at the end, and you need to add some information. Your finished screen should something like this slide.

Now you need to click the “create video” button, and you will be taken to the “Processing, Analyzing, and Rendering” screen. At this point your video is in the Animoto cue and is slowly working its way to being a finished movie.

You will not see your video until is it mixed and done, but if you do not like the mix you got, you can do a “1-click remix.”

The LAST STEP of this assignment is to get your movie trailer to your blog with the urls + image name.

Let’s start with getting your video to your blog. To get your code, you need to “play” your video, so go to “My Videos” and “play” your video. At the bottom right of your video (which is playing), you will see a blue “Video Toolbox.” Click on the video toolbox. Then, click on “Embed,” select the smallest size (432 x 240), and copy the code.

Then, go to your blog’s dashboard, “post,” “add new,” and click the html tab. You MUST be in html or your video won’t work. After you add your code for your video, while YOU ARE STILL IN HTML, copy/paste your urls + image name. If you want to see a great sample of a finished product, please go to Alison Nadraw’s blog (Alison, please remove the : after by).

If you have questions, you can Skype me or gmail me over the weekend.

Watch this super short video and see if adding Zemanta to you blog works for you.  I’ve been using it for at least a year, perhaps more, and really like the features.  One word of advice: preview the articles before you add them as related.  Ditto for links.  MANTRA = PREVIEW, PREVIEW, PREVIEW!!!

Zemanta in 60 Seconds from zemanta on Vimeo.

For additional Vimeo videos about Zemanta, check related videos.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Fred Wilson: Is Blog Reading Mainstream? (cuene.typepad.com)
• BLOG UPDATE: Zemanta Installed (almostfinishedproject.blogspot.com)
• Zemanta LiveWriter Plugin Great little plugin for Live Writer (investorblogger.com)
• Tools of the Trade (catskillcottageseed.com)
• Be a Social Media Black Belt with Posterous (myventurepad.com)

If a picture’s worth a thousand words, imagine the economy of a video.

The Towel Walk

Hawaiian Day: Towel Walk from RJ Stangherlin on Vimeo.

Spirit Awards

Hawaiian Day Spirit Awards from RJ Stangherlin on Vimeo.

If you are new to the Integrated Project, this year’s venue, which explores factual and counterfactual history, asks and answers this essential question: What if there was no news? What’s news? So, why not join us as students rewrite the history of an era as it was, and as it might have been. All times are ET.

8:51-9:51 An Era on Air: 1920-1933–Brandon Aversano, Chloe Frick, Olga Karounos, Erin Lobach, Dennis Peterson, Meagan Walsh

9:55-11:00 Uncovering Coverups–Nadia Daher, Hayley Joseph, Laudi El-Kareh, Kelsey Molseed, Andrew Samy

12:23-1:30 Generation X–Peter Cialkowski, Skye McCarty, My Phan, Fatema Rajmohammed, Hannah Rucker, Courtney Weiss
1:34-2:40
9-11: Broadcasting Terror–Matt Eherts, Sarah Gracely, Joshua Gregory, William Kennington III, Brandon Lansing, Shannon Safi.

It was an experience that the four of us would surely never forget. It all began when Jennifer Brinson, our Advanced Placement United States History Teacher, informed of us a contest titled J8. The J8 coincides with the global summit held by the G8 countries (United States, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Russia, and the United Kingdom) in July, in which the eight leaders of the most powerful countries in the world discuss key issues facing the world today. J8 is a national competition in which teams of four (ages 13-17) create and submit an application to the United States branch of UNICEF. The winning team would spend a preparatory weekend in New York during the month of May, and then travel to Italy in July to join other youth teams from the G8 countries. The J8 conference occurs during the G8 summit, allowing the youths participating in the conference to interact with the most influential and powerful political leaders of our time.

With our ears wide open as Ms. Brinson explained the components of the intense competition, we decided there was no possible way we were going to allow an opportunity such as this one to pass through our fingers. The four of us (Brandon Aversano, Olga Karounos, Fatema Rajmohamed, Melinda Lehman), set to work on an application that would take over a month to complete successfully. We began by downloading the United States application form on the J8 website. With numerous aspects of the application form, each requiring its own special time and attention, we decided to each research and create our own ideas for each category.

Our first challenge was deriving a team name that encompassed our mission and purpose in the competition, as well as the individuality of our members. Spending a good deal of time creating a name, we decided to ask Ms. Brinson for some advice. The team recognized how global the J8 competition truly was, and therefore wanted to emphasize this in the team name. Taking ideas from the categories in the application, we finally arrived at our team name, G.U.I.D.E. The pneumonic device stands for, Globally Unified Individuals for Diplomacy and Ecology. R.J. Stangherlin served as our coach throughout the entire process. Helping us synthesize our information, create a platform with depth and understanding, and allowing us to realize our potentioal, Mrs. Stangherlin was a crucial part to the entire competition. However, as integral as Mrs. Stangherlin was, she allowed the members of GUIDE to complete the project on their own terms, because after all, the J8 was looking for youth voices.

J8 wanted us to create solutions on three pressing issues facing the world today including Climate Change, HIV/Aids and Infectious diseases, and a third topic of our choosing. Each of us researched the topics extensively on our own, and following this, we held morning meetings to compile our information and form conclusions on the best possible route for tackling the momentous problems at hand. Our solution for Climate Change consisted of limiting the amount of deforestation and promoting agroforestry business. Additionally, GUIDE suggested using alternative energy sources to curb the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere. Gathering inspiration from conferences we have attended and even our own personal experience (Lehman’s time in Africa), we had a couple solutions for curbing HIV/AIDS in developing countries. Recognizing the importance and efficiency of microfinancing/microcrediting, we conveyed the very real possibility of implementing such a system in these developing countries to break the cycle of poverty, and therefore reduce the necessity to use prostitution as a means of obtaining monetary relief. The spread of HIV/AIDS would surely decline along with the decline of prostitution. For our third topic, we chose to tackle the problem of insufficient education in developing countries. GUIDE encouraged G8 nations to remove financial barriers (cost of notebooks, textbooks, pencils, pens, calculators) to disenfranchised families in developing countries. The adoption of a mandatory student teaching in developing countries, for students studying education in G8 nations, was also recommended by GUIDE.

UNICEF stressed their requirement for diversity in the application, and our team absolutely fulfilled this requirement! Aversano (17 year old male) brought his Ashekanzi Jewish background and his lingustic endeavors in a second language (Spanish) to the diversity of the team. Karounos (16 year old female) has a strong Greek heritage with comfort in the Greek language as well as Spanish. Rajmohamed (17 year old female) has a practicing Shia Muslim, speaking Gujariti (and Indian language), she brought another sect of language and culture to the table. Lehman (17 year old female), spent many years in Tanzania, Africa, assimilating to the customs and cultures of her surrounding; not only fluent in English and Kiswahili, she has experience with the French language as well. The team clearly embodied diversity, with strong ethnic backgrounds, and linguistic abilities in a myriad of languages.

Stressing our social commitment and love for community, we included the various activities and events the members of the team have completed. Each member brought unique benefits and individuality to the group, creating a diverse and interesting makeup. All the members have participated in different forms of community service, whether it be domestic or abroad, and each member had experience with political and governmental bodies. Encompassing a broad range of skills and talents, GUIDE was easily able to strengthen the overall reliability of the application.

Utilizing technology with the purpose of reaching a larger demographic of people, UNICEF required a piece of writing detailing our experience and ability with various forms of technology, and how we, as a team, would utilized this background to gain a broader audience. Working with modern 2.0 tools such as Google docs and Facebook, our team was able to successfully communicate numerous ways to reach more people. Proposing the creation of a 2 day LCIU course on global technology integration, the team showed how we could reach our community; and therefore our community could reach the world. GUIDE went above and beyond the requirements of the J8 and created supplemental material to submit along with the application. An animoto further emphasizing the points of our application, along with an xtranormal video, created the diverse application that led to an impressive placement in the competition.

After submitting on March 30th 2009, all GUIDE could do was wait in ernest. Receiving a confirmation of reception from UNICEF, we learned we would be informed of our status around April 30th 2009. The morning of the 30th each member anxiously arrived at school waiting to see the outcome of our hard work and anticipation. Unfortunately, the notification did not come. Dejected and tired, GUIDE lost some of the enthusiasm we had possessed from the start. Finally, on May 5th 2009, GUIDE received an email from UNICEF with the results! Excitedly, we opened the email. Inside we learned we had not come out on top, however, we had made the top 10! GUIDE WAS ECSTATIC! Our application had placed us in the top 10 for the entire nation. Feeling successfully and as if the entire process was worth it, GUIDE rejoiced in the outcome. Learning so much, debating world issues, collaborating on a team, utilizing technology, embodying diversity, and realizing the potential of four teens in suburbia, GUIDE felt the entire J8 experience was one to remember!

J8 Summit
Melinda Lehman
Olga Karounos
Brandon Aversano
Fatema Rajmohamed
Top Ten
Turbo Tagger

My Phan, whose artistic talent and organizational ability is legend at SHS, designed, oversaw, and assembled the Administration Building’s showcase. But in fairness to all concerned, this extra credit activity was a team venture; these students are aces at collaboration. At the end of the month, the advertising moves to the high school, where interest in the forthcoming presentation runs high.

This year, the presentation venue will be different–an interactive documentary, with presentations on stage as well as in video segments. Although nothing has been finalized, we anticipate running one day of team presentations. We hope that you will join us in May, either in real or virtual time, to see What If There Was No News? What’s News?

IP
Integrated Project
factual history
counterfactual history
what if
365 Days
Turbo Tagger

In the past few years, I have tagged along. Some say that Brinson was bringing her press corps with her, but she is equal to that task alone with the launching of her new blog, Education, Technology, and Fun. This year, for many reasons, I opted to remain behind. Much good has come from that decision, including launching Katie Stehly as Brinson’s new helper. And that makes much sense, since Stehly is a history teacher at Salisbury Middle School, and definitely technologically intelligent as a grown digital native (and Salisbury High School graduate). But do I miss being in the moment–absolutely. Am I happy with my decision–definitely. There comes a time when you transition to a place between career and family, and I am finally attempting to do what I should have done a while ago: make family come first.
Jen Brinson
Katie Stehley
Salisbury High School
Model UN
NAIMUN
Education
Turbo Tagger

(Ed. “too” fastidious)