Web 2.0 - Animoto

I love Animotos - they rock and the kids love them! They are fun and easy to create. The directions are below.

1. Click the link to go to Animoto for Educators
   
   
2. Complete the process to create an account. Educators can sign up for a free account with all the features of a paid account. Once your account has been processed you will receive an email from Animoto with the directions for completing the log in process.
   
   
3. Once your account is created and you log in you will see the following screen. Click the “Create Video” option from the menu bar.
   
   
4. Follow the steps to create an Animoto. First, choose your video type. Select the Full Length option to begin the process.
   
   
5. Step 1 is to select your images and/or video. You can upload from your computer, select from their collection, or retrieve from another site like Flikr or Facebook.
   
   
6. Next edit your photos that you uploaded. You can add text between the photos and reorder photos by dragging and dropping them to their new location. All editing features are at the bottom of the image gallery.
   
   
7. Step 2 is to add your music for your Animoto. Animoto offers a large selection of royalty free music to choose from or you can upload your own music. With students I always have them use the music that Animoto offers for copyright purposes.
   
   
8. Once music has been selected click the Save and Continue button to move to the next step.
   
   
9. Step 3 – finalize your video. Here you can change the speed and select the video cover. I usually leave the speed on the default setting. ½ speed moves really slow and 2X speed is really quick for students to see the pictures. I like to start with the green screen on the videos. When finished click Continue. The next screen will have you enter a title, description, and the producer of the video. When finished click Create Video.
   
   

The process for generating the video is slow at times so you may have to leave it and come back to it. When your video is complete you will receive an email letting you know. If you want to create another video follow the link to begin the process again. You can create another video while the first is being processed.

Other projects that have been created can be added into Animoto as long as they are jpegs. I have often taken student’s trading cards, magazine covers, Wordles, and other pictures they have made and put them all together in an Animoto for the students to see everyone’s projects at one time.