Dvolver

Info about Dvolver

Dvolver is an online software that allows you to make customized animated videos. According to Dvolver, "People have a lot to say, and they like to say it with animated characters." Dvolver is easy to use, free of charge, and you don't even need to sign up. Dvolver's website has a very simple layout. Right away you'll see a link to "Make a Movie," which is the first step toward your animated movie. As noted above, you don't even need to make an account before you start making your movie.
Dvolver Moviemaker could be used in a number of ways for education. Instead of assigning all students to do a more traditional write-up, students can chose a form of delivery that is best suited for them. This website could be a great alternative for the assignment that a student who is more visual could benefit from. Teachers could also use Dvolver to make movies to present material. (Dabbagh 2013)

Do it yourself!

 Let’s get started! Click on this link to create your own Movie… Dvolver

1) Begin by selecting the background and sky for your first scene. Each style has a fun description of the climate and culture of your chosen setting. Choose backround and sky.

2) Next, select a plot for your scene. "Rendez-vous," "pick-up," and "chase" are made for two characters, and "soliloquy" is made for one.

Then, choose the characters for your scene. There are more than 30 different characters to choose from, so this is a really great opportunity to customize your video for your desired recipients.

3) Once you have selected your characters and plot, you'll have the option of adding dialogue. Add up to three lines for each character. The dialogue will appear in a thought-bubble above the character's head in the finished movie.

4) Finally, select the music for your scene. By clicking on the options, you can preview the sound and its recommendations for use. 

5)After making your selection, you'll have the options to add a new scene, or to finish the movie. The last step to making your movie is to select a style for your titles. During this step you can also add your name and the title of your choice. These will appear in the title sequence of your video.

6) Now, you can review your video and send it to a friend

It's your turn!

To do an activity click on this link:Activity

References

Peachey N. (2009) Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers. Retrieved in October 2014 from: https://es.scribd.com/doc/19576895/Web-2-0-Tools-for-Teachers

Go Animate

Info about Go Animate

GoAnimate is a cloud-based platform for creating and distributing animated videos. It allows users to develop both narrative videos, in which characters speak with lip-sync and move around, and video presentations in which a voice-over narrator speaks over images and props, which may also move around. The service is provided on a freemium basis to consumers and has multiple subscription levels available for businesses. GoAnimate provides users with drag-and-drop tools that the company's website indicates can be used to access thousands of character models, backdrops, and other assets to create scenario-based videos - like political videos depicted during the 2012 presidential campaign. The platform offers text-to-speech character voices with customizable environments.

GoAnimate can be used as a fun way to introduce or reinforce concepts. Makes the platform for delivering content different instead of having just power points.  It gives the students another mode of expressing what they know. It also helps to have students really reflect on what they want to say and what point they have to get across (this due to the limit of words and time). Makes learning fun. Teachers can create animations for any grade level. Student creation level would be 4th grade and up. Does require some learning to use the tools. Of course, you know your students if you feel they can handle and work with it then go for it. Never stop the creativeness.

Do it yourself!

Let’s get started! Click on this link to create your own animation… http://goanimate.com/

      1) To create your video click on  Make a video – start from scratch

     2) To start your video select the background by clicking on the pictures on the left

   3) Once you selected the backround, choose the character. Click on the character and move it where you want

    4) By clicking on each character you can add voice. On the left, there are four options

   5) Add the props you want to include. By clicking on them you can change the size.

   

       















6) Choose the font of text and the bubbles you want to include in the video

        



















     7) You can choose background music for your video. Select one form the list

  8) Once you finish your first scene, click on “Add scene.” You can add a new blank scene or use the current with the modifications you want 

 9) Once you add all the scene you want, you are ready to preview the movie.

It's your turn!

To do an activity click on this link: Activity

References:

Vincent P (2013) A-Z Tools & Technologies: GoAnimate from: http://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/moodle/2013/10/23/a-z-tools-technologies-goanimate/

The world of Blogs

BLOGS

A blog (also called a weblog or web log) is a website consisting of entries (also called posts) appearing in reverse chronological order with the most recent entry appearing first (similar in format to a daily journal). Blogs typically include features such as commentsand links to increase user interactivity. Blogs are created using specific publishing software.

Variations of the term blog :

• Blogging: The act of writing a post for a blog
• Blogger: A person who writes content for a blog
• Blogosphere: The online community of blogs and bloggers

The World Before Blogging:

There was a time when the Internet was just an informational tool. In the early life of the World Wide Web some 20 years ago, websites were simple and provided a one-sided conversation. As time went on, the Internet became more interactive with the introduction of transaction-based websites and online shopping, but the online world remained one-sided.

That all changed with the evolution of Web 2.0 (the social web) wherein user-generated content became an integral part of the online world. Today, users expect websites to provide a two-way conversation and web logs (or blogs) were born.

The Birth of Blogs:

The earliest blogs started in the late 1990s as online diaries. Individuals posted information on a daily basis about their lives and opinions. The daily posts were listed in reverse date order, so readers viewed the most recent post first and scrolled through previous posts. The format provided an ongoing inner monologue from the writer.

As blogs evolved, interactive features were added to create a two-way conversation. Readers took advantage of features that allowed them to leave comments on blog posts or link to posts on other blogs and websites to further the dialogue.

Blogs Today:

As the Internet has become more social, blogs have gained in popularity. Today, there are over 100 million blogs with more entering the blogosphere everyday. Blogs have become more than online diaries. In fact, blogging has become an important part of the online and offline worlds with popular bloggers impacting the worlds of politics, business and society with their words.

The Future of Blogs:

It seems inevitable that blogging will become even more powerful in the future with more people and businesses recognizing the power of bloggers as online influencers. Anyone can start a blog thanks to the simple (and often free) tools readily available online. The question will likely become not, "Why should I start a blog?" but rather, "Why shouldn't I start a blog?"

Advantages

1) The consumer and citizen are potentially better informed and this can only be good for the long-term health of our societies and economies.

2) Blogs have potential to help the organization develop stronger relationships and brand loyalty with its customers, as they interact with the ‘human face’ of the organization through blogs.

3) Blogs, in an intranet environment, can be an excellent way of sharing knowledge within the organization.

4) Blogs can be a positive way of getting feedback, and keeping your finger on the pulse, as readers react to certain pieces, suggest story ideas, etc.

5) Blogs can build the profile of the writer, showcasing the organization as having talent and expertise.

Disadvantages

1) Most people don’t have very much to say that’s interesting, and/or are unable to write down their ideas in a compelling and clear manner.

2) I have often found that the people who have most time to write have least to say, and the people who have most to say don’t have enough time to write it. Thus, the real expertise within the organization lays hidden, as you get drowned in trivia.

3) Like practically everything else on the Web, blogs are easy to start and hard to maintain. Writing coherently is one of the most difficult and time-consuming tasks for a human being to undertake. So, far from blogs being a cheap strategy, they are a very expensive one, in that they eat up time. As a result, many blogs are not updated, thus damaging rather than enhancing the reputation of the organization.

4) Organizations are not democracies. The Web makes many organizations look like disorganizations, with multiple tones and opinions. Contrary to what some might think, the average customer prefers it if the organization they are about to purchase from is at least somewhat coherent.

If you want to learn how to create a Blog, check this out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oiov0L4blIw 

References:

- Godwin-Jones (2013) INTEGRATING INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE 
INTO LANGUAGE LEARNING THROUGH TECHNOLOGY from: http://llt.msu.edu/issues/june2013/emerging.pdf 

- Gunelius S (2014) What is a Blog? from: http://weblogs.about.com/od/startingablog/p/WhatIsABlog.htm