The Flip Digital Video Camera Introduction: Part 1

Greetings,

We are all now rested after the long break. I took a break from last week in observance of Easter. We are ready to go again, full speed. I have been looking online for tutorials on the New Flip Digital Camera Software, and so far I am unable to find any. So I decided to create one.

The training on this new digital camera is usually a 6 hour class, so I am going to break it down in my blog into a 5 part series. In the series I will be posting pictures and videos I took with the camera. I will also post helpful video tutorials you can find online. I will also post helpful ideas on how to use your Flip digital camera with your students or for you own personal use. Ok, lets get started.

Here are the titles of the blog session topics I will be following over the next 4 weeks.

Week 1 or Today: Introduction and Session Breakdown

Week 2: Digital Video Cameras in the Classroom

Week 3: How to Use the Pocket Digital Video Camera

Week 4: Working with Video Footage and the Software

Week 5: Using Video Footage with Other Compatible Software

Make sure you let all your colleagues know that I will be continuing with week 2 on this topic next week. For now you might want to visit the web site http://www.theflip.com/ so you can get acquainted with the camera.

I recently saw comedian/singer and celebrity Jaime Foxx using the Flip digital camera at the Grammy award show a few months ago. I think he was recording one of the music acts. They showed him on TV holding up his flip digital camera. If celebrities are finding these cameras easy to use, then we can all learn to use them with ease for our own personal use.

I did a review about this camera a few months ago. If you have not read it, I recommend you read it before you go through this blog tutorial. It can be found by visiting my January 3, 2010 blog post, or you can just click here: The New Flip Camcord Camera by Pure Digital

Next week I will be blogging about how to use the digital video camera in the classroom with students. So don't forget to let all your colleagues know about my free technology blog. See you next week.

1 Week to 5,000,000 Hits

Greetings,

It's amazing when something goes viral, that a lot of people find out about it, and all the sudden it spreads like a wildfire. Of course it does take time of posting to gather a following on your Youtube or Teachertube site. This next video was released on March 1, 2010, and as of today has close to 8,000,000 hits. That's right 8 Million visits. The video is about everything working together in a synchronistic way, where everything goes just perfect. You can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w

I think this is one of their numerous videos that they have been posting consistently over a 3 - 4 year period. This is where they slowly gathered their following. Remember it takes time of posting videos consistently to get noticed. Unless you do something great and Hollywood picks it up. Yes, it really can happen. If you have not done so you can see a post I did where a video post was noticed by Hollywood Directors and Producers and someone got a nice pay out. You can check it out on the post I did back in December ,27, 2009. I have posted the video in two froms, one off of Youtube and the other posted on blogger.

Ok, today's blog is about a cool web site where you get pictures by spinning a galaxy. That's right, if you don't believe me, you can check it out yourself at http://www.taggalaxy.de/ You can simply type in the tags that you are looking for and you will see a galaxy with a sun and various tags to limit your search. Then you will continue to see more planets with tag words that will help you narrow your search. With the mouse, you can spin the planets and move them side to side, or up and down. It's pretty cool. Here is what the galaxy looks like when you do a search on Spring BreakMost of the pictures will come from Flickr or http://www.flickr.com/ a picture hosting web site. Anyways once you have found your globe with pictures you can click on it and spin it. Pretty cool. Alright, next week I will be sharing with you the importance of backing up your hard drive. What do you do when one goes bad and you have over 250GB of data and files on it and you have not backed it up? Yes, you can pay to recover it, but how much are you willing to pay? I will tell you about that story next week. Do not forget in April, I will be blogging about the Flip camera software and posting step by step pictures on how to create a movie using the software. Take care.

The New Flip Camcord Camera by Pure Digital

Happy New Year!

Greetings Colleagues and Friends,

Today is the day; I know you have all been waiting for the amazing video we shot on my trip to Abilene, TX on Christmas Eve. Remember we were taking a trip from Dallas to Abilene, which is usually a 3 hour trip, but on that day it took us over 9 hours to get to Abilene due to the winter storm we were caught in. Now, I must admit, I drove and my wife shot the video from the front seat while heading west on Interstate 20. I was driving about 20 to 40 miles per hour, until we eventually arrived to a complete stop for about 2-3 hours on the highway. We eventually had to exit near Cisco, TX. I hope you enjoy the winter adventure.



The video was shot with the new Digital Flip Camcord Camera by Pure Digital and I have been asking others about the video we shot and we have been getting great reviews. Remember I said before in an earlier blog that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, what is a video worth that tells a story? I really like the convenience of just pulling the camera out and pushing the button and capturing video. In fact, it is too easy to shoot video anywhere and at anytime. It is even easier to share the video you just shot with others by replaying it on the screen. By the way, the video was edited in Windows Movie Maker 2.

The camera retails for about $150 and you can find more information on their new HD Flip camera at http://www.theflip.com/ I would recommend this camera, if you do not have an iphone. I personally like the iphone camera, except you have to quickly push a few buttons on the screen to get to it. So, if you are just shooting events, family or friends this camera will make a great addition to all the new tech gadgets that are out. Another thing I like about the flip camera is that on the side you will find a USB connection which you can plug in your USB port in your computer.

One of the great features is that the software and the capability to edit your video clips come with the camera. No CD to load into your computer. The software is built in the camera. That's right! So all you have to do is load the software when you plug it in to any computer. The flip camera lets you record up to 120 minutes, but this has not been a problem since you can unload the clips you shoot on your computer. If I had to improve the camera, I would let flip know to add a light so you can capture shooting at night. I hope you enjoy the film we shot and produced. Stay tuned to more exciting videos in the future.

Package Includes: camcorder, 4 GB built-in flash memory (records up to 120 minutes), 2 AA batteries, tv cable, wrist trap, soft case & quick start guide. You can also buy the optional rechargeable battery pack.

The Digital Video Format: H.264 video and AAC stereo audio in MP4 file format, Video

Resolution: VGA 640 x 480 at 30 frames per second The Minimum Computer System

Requirements Include: PC: 2.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or faster processor, Windows XP SP2 with 512 MB or RAM or Vista with 1 GB of RAM, and USB 2.0 port MAC: 1.0GHz PowerPC G4, Intel Core or faster processor, 512 MB of RAM, OS X Tiger 10.4 or Leopard 10.5, and USB 2.0 Port

Next week, I will be talking about how to easily capture pictures or take screen shot pictures in Ms Word. I will also be sharing with you how to edit and crop (cut) the pictures so you can insert them into documents or Power Point presentations. I will also be sharing a few photo sharing sites in which you can post photos for free.