Animoto is a web tool that allows users to create videos starting with one of the styles in the animoto library, your own images, video clips (up to 10 seconds) and music. You can also choose from their collection of music that includes tracks from popular artists. Animoto then analyzes the media you have chosen to create a custom video. Transitions and videos are adjusted to fit the music chosen.

Finished videos can be played from the website, embedded into other webpages (think wikis, blogs and teacherWeb), emailed out or uploaded to YouTube.

Animoto offers an educators account for free. This allows you to create longer videos (standard is 30 seconds) and provides a code that you can give to up to students so they can produce longer videos as well for no extra charges. To set up your educator account sign into your animoto account and go to http://animoto.com/education. Fill in the required information and you will be given the code for your students to use.

There is an iPhone and an Android app that makes using Animoto even easier. From the app you can add pictures and videos from your phone, edit the pictures, choose the style and song and create the video.

Think about having students do this to show steps in solving a problem, or in the process of a lab in class. Once they are done they can text you the URL for grading. No other computers are required!

How do you get your student’s attention?

Consider showing this video to introduce a unit on Sharecropping and Cotton Production in Texas:

Set the stage by asking students to describe the images and the faces. How are the the same or different from their lives today? What assumptions can you make about life during that time?

Images are powerful. In our digital age students are used to seeing the images to help them identify and connect with the events being talked about. Thanks to social media images can be spread around the globe within seconds of an event taking place.

How can You Use these Videos in Class:

• Commercials for upcoming Events
• Book Trailers
• Videos of Class Field Trips
• Summarize a Class Project
• Interpret a Topic you are studying with images.

Remember these videos could be student created or teacher created.