The 21 Best Free Websites for Learning

Greetings,

Today I will be blogging about a few resources I personally use with our elementary students at my school. The best thing about the sites, is they are free.

Ok, let's get started. I will list all 21 of them in no particular order. I have researched numerous school web sites throughout the country, and these are the top ones I have found. All of these sites are very excellent. You can choose which ones you like. Simply click on the link, and it will take you to the website.

1. PBS Kids

2. Sprout Online

3. Scholastic Kids

4. Preschool Coloring Book

5. www.Hoodamath.com

6. Abcya

7. Starfall

8. Kidport

9. BBC Schools

10. TVKO kids

11. Crayola

12. Funbrain

13. Learning Planet

14. Gamegoo

15. Enchanted Learning

16. Pearson

17. Growing Course

18. Foss Web

19. Cool Math 4 Kids

20. Play Kids Games

21. Story Online

Hopefully all these sites will keep you, or your son or daughter busy learning throughout the summer months. Please let me know through email, which ones you really enjoy the best. In the near future, I will be blogging about the best paid, or subscription based websites for learning I have found. See you next week for another exciting topic.

What is Scribd and SlideShare?

Greetings,

Today I am excited to share with you Scribd.com and SlideShare.com in greater details. These are both web sites where you can download or share valuable resources. Ok, let's get started with Scribd.com. If you click on the picture below, it will take you to the website.



Check out Scribd 101
or you can watch the video below.



Remember, if you are interested in creating your own blog, and publishing your own blog, it is as easy as clicking on this link below to get the instructions. http://mikejmoran.typepad.com/visual_media/2009/11/creating-a-blog-using-blogger.html or you can click on this link below to see the document http://www.scribd.com/doc/22339943/Creating-a-Blog-in-Blogger If you want to download the power point or PDF then you can become a member of http://www.scribd.com/ for free and download all types of free informational documents. You can post any online document to share with the community. You can also charge for people to download your document and you keep 80% of profit.

Now we are ready to talk about SlideShare. Slideshare is a web site where you can also download free resources.
If you click on the picture below, it will take you to SlideShare.



Check out SlideShare 101
or you can watch the video below.



Stay tuned for next week. I will be sharing with you how to download YouTube videos for your next presentation. Videos are always useful and helpful in getting your point across to your audience. See you next week.

Using Video Footage with Other Compatible Software: Part 5

Greetings,

Today we will be reviewing other ways to share your movies through online web sites, and how to work with other compatible software programs. Ok, we will start with the share menu option at the bottom of the menu it looks like this:

When you click on the Email option you will see this menu:

All you have to do is drag your video to the box and follow the prompts on the screen to email your video to your family and friends. You can also have your own flip channel

You can also share your videos online on the following web sites below. Just drag the video to the box and follow the prompts. If you choose the option, other web sites it will allow you to export it to a folder on your desktop.

When you are exporting your video, you will see the action bar light up on the bottom right. You will see a light blue bar and it will move from left to right, depending on how long your movie is. Once it is finished your movie will be in MPEG format.

If you want to convert it into an avi, wmv, flv or swf you need to use a media file converter. You can get a free one at www.formatoz.com/download.html Once you download it, you will see the following options: (Remember to click on the picture to see a larger version)

Choose your file format options on the left side and follow the instructions and the program will convert your file for you. If you want to edit your files in Windows Movie Maker 2, you want to change the file format to wmv. You can add your movie to MS Office PowerPoint 2007. You can also edit your still pictures in PhotoStory 3 if you wish.

Let's get started with how to import your video in Windows Movie Maker 2. Just follow these simple steps.

1. Open Windows Movie Maker 2, it is under Start ->Program Files menu.

2. On the file menu on the top left, click Import Into Collections or in the movie task pane under Capture Video, click import video or import pictures. In the file name, enter the path and the name of the file you want to import, and then click import.

To add your movie to MS Office PowerPoint 2007, follow these steps:

1. Make sure you copy your movie in the same folder as your PowerPoint presentation before you add the movie to your presentation.

2. Click on the slide you want to show your movie on.

3. On the Insert tab, in the Media Clips group, click the arrow under Movie.

4. Click Movie from File, locate the folder that contains the file, and then double-click the file.

To insert a picture

1. Click on the slide you want your picture on.

2. On the Insert tab click on picture.

3. An insert picture window will appear, locate the folder that contains the file and then double-click the file you want to add.

If you don't have Photo Story 3, it's a free download, click here Simply follow these steps to Import and arrange your pictures.

1. On the Import and picture page, click Import Pictures.

2. In the File Browser dialog box, on the All Files tab, click the folder where your pictures are located on your computer. Select one or more pictures, then click ok.

3. Your pictures will be added to your Photo Story project.

If you don't know how to use Movie Maker 2 or Photo Story 3 simply go to google and type the following: "Movie Maker tutorial" or "photo story 3 tutorial." I Hope these blogs have been helpful in assisting you in using the new Flip Digital Camcorder.

Next week, I will be blogging about slideshare and scribd. These are web sites where you can sign up for free, and download and share your own resources with others.  I will see you next week with another exciting topic.

Working with Video Footage and the Software: Part 4

Hello,

Today, we are discussing how to work with the new video footage you have filmed using your Digital Flip Camcorder. The first thing you need to do is pull on the latch on the side of the camcorder, and the USB Connection will come out. You then plug this into a USB port on your computer.

Once you plug it in you will need to install the software that is inside the camcorder. That's right the software is built inside the Flip Camcorder. No need for an installation disc. When you plug it in, the following menu will come up:

You will choose the top option View Your Flip Camcorder Videos Using the Programs Provided on the device. Click OK and then you will see a licensing agreement by flip that you must agree to. Once you agree, you can install the software. Next you will see this menu:

Follow the instructions for installing the software. It may ask you to restart your computer to use the software. Sometimes this is not necessary. Once the software is on your computer you will see the following menu or the videos will automatically start loading in the software.

You can click on the first option View & organize videos, and all your videos will load on the screen, like below or they may load automatically. Most of the clips you will see are from a snow storm we encountered on my way to Abilene, TX. back in December of 2009. For the full edited video please visit: http://mrybarra.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-flip-camera-by-flip.html This is the first view in which you can see the videos lined up on the left side.

Here is the second view option that you can choose to work with.

Here is the third view.

To edit your videos, simply click on the scissors and you can trim it the way you want. You can also resave your movie with the new edited video.

During the edit process you can chose to resave it or replace the current video.

When you are ready to make your movie, click on either of the Movie buttons down below.

To create your movie, you just click and drag the videos into the boxes that are listed 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Every time you add a video a blank video box will appear in case you want to add more videos to your movie. When you are done you can click on the Magic Movie button and your move will be created automatically or you can click on Full length to continue making your movie.

Next, you can add titles and credits to your movie. Simply click in the white text area and type your title. When you are done click Next

You can also add background music to your movie, if you prefer. The software comes with it's own type of music or you can add your own music.

Now, you are ready to name your movie and save it to your computer. You might want to change the location of where you want to save it. You probably want to save it on your desktop so you can easily find it.

If you go to the create menu, you can also take snapshots of your video. Yes, you can save any part of your video as a picture.

Just click and drag the picture you want and then click on save. It will save it to the Flip Digital Video Library.

Now, you are ready to create a DVD.

Here is a closer view of the Create DVD menu above. Flipshare will save your Movie in a folder on your desktop.

Next week, we will be reviewing other ways to share your movies through online web sites, and how to work with other compatible softwares. See you next week.