Videolicious is a free (iTunes link) universal iOS app which allows users to easily create voice-narrated photo and video slideshows. The app walks users through a simple step-by-step process beginning with selecting photos or video clips, recording narration through the front video camera, and finishing with the selection of a background music track.  The finished video shows the first and last couple seconds of the video narration, and then transitions to all the photos and video clips (no audio from imported video clips) which are fit automatically into the narration length.  Unlike some other photo narration apps, the video is saved to the device camera roll for easy transfer to a computer. Some users don't like the fact that you can't directly narrate to specific photos, as you can't see them when you're narrating. What the app lacks in functionality it more than makes up for in ease of use and efficiency! A great tool for students of all ages!

Voicecards Are Not Flashcards ($0.99, iTunes universal iPad/iPod/iPhone app, Free lite version available) is remarkably different from most other flashcard apps in that users can both create and use flashcards auditorily! Quick and easy to create for students of all ages as well as a searchable online database of pre-made question sets, this app is a MUST for the inclusive, UDL classroom!

StopMotion Recorder ($0.99) allows users to create stop-motion ‘claymation-like’ videos using your iPod Touch 4th Generation camera! This is a simple, yet powerful app that can get students creating great stop-motion videos instantly!



Download Link (11.4MB .mp4)

Many teachers see the value of viewing YouTube video content with their students but have concerns about some of the advertisements and the other 'wrapper' elements that often surround the YouTube video.  Certainly using sites such as WatchKnow.org are an option, however not all YouTube videos are in WatchKnow.  Some teachers use websites such as Zamzar.com or methods such as KissYouTube or PwnYouTube to convert and download YouTube videos, however some teachers are nervous about copyright and YouTube Terms of Service issues.  Yet other teachers embed YouTube videos on their own blogs and wikis, but some teachers don't have their own easy web publishing spaces.

Recently, while reading Andrea's Blog I discovered that YouTube videos can be embedded into PowerPoint 2007 relatively easily.  Below is a YouTube video describing the process, as well as a download link to a PowerPoint 2007 presentation which has the directions and a couple sample embedded YouTube videos as well.



Download sample PowerPoint 2007 presentation with emedded YouTube video and instructions (1.2 MB PPTX)

A picture is worth a thousand words so I encourage you to watch the YouTube video directions, however if you want the quick instructions the steps are:

1. In PowerPoint, enable the 'Developer' tab by choosing 'PowerPoint Options', then 'Show Developer tab in the Ribbon'
2. On a new slide, choose 'Developer' tab-->'More Controls'-->'Shockwave Flash Object' and click and drag a rectangle for your embedded YouTube video.  It will look like a rectancle with an 'x' inside it.
3. Copy the url of the YouTube video you want embedded
4. Right-click the 'rectangle x' and choose 'Properties'
5. Copy/paste the YouTube url into the ‘Movie’ line.
   E.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hChq5drjQl4
6. Remove the ‘watch?’, put a / after the ‘v’, and remove the ‘=‘ sign.
   E.g. Before
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hChq5drjQl4
   After
   http://www.youtube.com/v/hChq5drjQl4
7. Exit the properties
8. Launch your PowerPoint presentation and your YouTube video will appear (*Requires live Internet connection)

Download sample PowerPoint 2007 presentation with emedded YouTube video and instructions (1.2 MB PPTX)

The Pecha Kucha presentation essentially involves 20 media-rich slides with little or no text voice-narrated for no longer than 20 seconds per slide for a total presentation time of 6 minutes, 40 seconds.  In this episode you'll see an overview of Pecha Kucha and how your students can create Pecha Kucha presentations of their own.

Thanks to the following people in my Twitter PLN, friends, and the blogosphere for their expertise and experience which helped me create this:

• Aaron Ball, @MrAaronBall, Casual Teacher Blog
• Jeff Johnson, @iLeadCommunity, @iPadEducators
• Sylvia Tolisano, @Langwitches, Langwitches Blog Post "Presentation21 Make-Over"
• Dean Shareski, @shareski, Ideas & Thoughts from an Edtech Blog Post "My First Crack at Keynote and Pecha Kucha"
• Scott Walker, TeacherTechBlog Post "PowerPoint: Students Use Pecha Kucha to Streamline Presentations"
• Joni Dunlap, Thoughts on Teaching Blog Post "Pecha Kucha, an alternative format for presentations"
• Pecha Kucha 20 x 20

Here is the PowerPoint presentation I used in the screencast:

• Using the Pecha Kucha Presentation Technique with Students (6.2MB PPTX File)

Right-click to download:
Windows Media Version (720 x 480, 31Mb)

Microsoft PowerPoint is software which is present in most of our schools, however it can be used for so much more than presentations. In this episode, you'll see how PowerPoint can be used to create a beautiful classroom magazine. While the screencast demonstrates PowerPoint 2007, 2003 can also be used.

Project ideas include:

• Thematic articles (e.g. poetry magazine, global citizenship magazine)
• Subject-specific (e.g. math magazine)
• Student portfolio magazine for each student (e.g. work samples, reflections, interviews, etc.)
• Cross-class magazine (e.g. collaborative project between two or more classes)

Publishing options include:

• Print copies with services such as HP's MagCloud
• Online publishing services such as Youblisher

Right-click to download:
iTunes Version (1280 x 720, 32Mb)
Windows Media Version (720 x 480, 13Mb)

Having students create their own graphic organizers with key words or phrases, multimedia, connections, color, and layout can be a great way for them to develop visual literacy and thinking skills, construct and represent knowledge, and show the connections between their ideas and understandings.

In this episode, participants will be shown specific examples of three different types of graphic organizers for different purposes:

• Compare and Contrast Map
• Concept Map (in the form of an opinion composition)
• Hierarchy/Classification Map (in the form of a decision tree)

These three graphic organizers will be demonstrated using three tools which are free or readily available for most students:

• PowerPoint (not just a slide show tool anymore!)
• Prezi zooming presentation tool
• Glogster EDU multimedia poster tool

The ideas shared and discussed with participants will be consistent with the social constructivist classroom in a Universal Design for Learning environment.




 Right-click to download:
iTunes Version (640 x 480, 29 MB)
Windows Media Version (640 x 480, 39 MB)

There are many excellent web 2.0 tools that can enhance learning and allow students to communicate what they know, such as Animoto.com/education, Prezi.com, and GoAnimate.com. One of the issues for teachers, however, is that some of these tools require unique email addresses for each user. In this episode, you'll learn how to create numerous unique email addresses for web 2.0 account registrations instantly using a single Gmail account.



Right-click to download:
iTunes Version (640 x 480, 9.4 MB)
Windows Media Version (640 x 480, 4.2 MB)

In this episode, we'll look at four elements of the iPhone which make it a great educational tool for a teacher and students:

• Still/video camera and apps to edit/enhance photos (00:43)
• Audio recorder (04:15)
• iPod/iTunes (05:04)
• Blogging apps (07:31)

Show links: None this episode


Right-click to download:
iTunes Version (320 x 240, 34 MB MPEG-4)
Windows Media Version (640 x 480, 47 MB WMV)

The thought of burning photo slide shows, PowerPoint presentations, and video projects to DVD as a way of sharing schoolwork with home is desirable to many teachers. With Windows XP however, too often it means having to buy software.

In this episode, you'll see options for converting these projects and burning them to DVD which are easy and which involve using free, trusted software.

Show Links:
DVD Flick Website
Microsoft Photo Story 3
Windows Media Encoder 9


Large Google Video Version
Right-click to download:
iTunes Version (320 x 240, 42 MB MPEG-4)
Windows Media Version (640 x 480, 38 MB WMV)

We know that our students learn better through multiple representations of the same idea, not to mention the engagement that multimedia can offer our students. With text, animation, narration, and the ability to insert video/audio clips, using PowerPoint to create multimedia storybooks is a natural! In this episode you'll see the basics of creating or retelling a story using PowerPoint 2003.

Show Links:
Rubistar - Online rubric creator
Sounddogs - Downloadable sound effects
Sample multimedia storybook rubric (9KB PDF)
Sample PowerPoint shown in this episode



Large Google Video Version
Right-click to download:
iTunes Version (320 x 240, 37 MB MPEG-4)
Windows Media Version (640 x 480, 36 MB WMV)