Journal 4 Animoto Web 2.0

I was looking around at the different topics in classroom 2.0. I clicked on photo sharing and found a great site called Animoto. Once I clicked on the site I got caught up trying to make my own video. Basically the concept is that you upload your own videos and music or music from their library and it will put it together in a really cool slide show collage. These videos are 30sec long, you do have to pay a fee to make a longer one but if you e-mail animoto and tell them you are an educator they will give you a password so you can use it for free. Some of the complains about Animoto were it lacks the ability to be creative. Although this is true it still can be such a good tool to get students excited about school projects. I made a couple of short films from pictures I had on my computer and uploaded them right to blogger. The film was automatically embedded in my blog. It is very easy to use and I think it could be used in any subject area. Although it does lack a creative side it can push the student to find ways to get creative with their pictures and music. I have not tried the extended version because I do not want to pay for it but I think this is something students could be really excited about. All the feedback was pretty positive from other educators who are using this program. I thought I was going to follow my subject and get the journal out of the way but Animoto had me consumed for about 40 min. you guys should check it out.