Sometimes I get a creative idea and I refuse to let it go for better or worse. A little back story: My current afternoon classes are currently working on a project where they are required to design, build and test a scale-model vehicle powered by a Co2 cartridge. The idea is to apply what we have learning about aerodynamics, the forces of motion and and Newton's 3 laws to make the fastest car possible. For my Animoto I decided to show my students examples of past projects as they get ready to start the design process to reinforce concepts and give them some ideas to jump start the creative process:
I picked the accompanying song for obvious reasons but I also liked how it's annoyingly catchy. Like a "song of the summer" that burns into your brain until you can't get the melody out of your head. On one hand you don't particularly like it but on the other it parasitically sticks to you like a remora. I observed this same phenomena with the jingle from the Japanese Rube Goldberg clips as seen in my last post. The tune drive the students crazy but they can't forget it, even years later.
The other song I was considering was the opening track from Pixar's Cars but I wasn't sure if the students would make the connection or if it really even mattered. I feel like "Real Gone" is overall the better song and has a natural propulsive energy to that nicely reflects the project but I am kind of stuck on the idea of the Gary Numan song. I'd be curious to find out which one you like better. Let me know what you think and I'll go with whichever gets more nods!
Showing posts with label animoto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animoto. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Tech All Over The Place
It's been a busy week for me on the Technology front. I signed up for and began using Diigo. I am starting to get the hang of it but wondering if the software offers too much. I really just want a simple way to organize and centralize my bookmarks. I am hoping I don't find Diigo to be a product that attempts to be everything to everyone instead of something that really focuses on a core competency and nails it. I am going to give it some more time and see how it goes.
I then spent some time researching and comparing Google Drive to Dropbox. I'd like everything to be as integrated as possible and would like to avoid having to navigate to eight separate web sites to enter a password and log in to use eight different web tools. I know other tools exist to streamline that process but here again we are looking at another log in and password and just on principle alone that doesn't appeal to me. I want to use a tool, not spend time fiddling, adjusting, tweaking, optimizing or managing it (which is a large part why I switched from Android to iOS when I purchased my last smart phone). I looked at a number of comparisons and it while both have their pros and cons as they always do it looks like Dropbox has better iOS integration and a more intuitive interface. I have really liked it so far.
Next up was Animoto. I signed up for an account and started collecting photos in my Dropbox to make one for a lesson that I will do sometime next week. I looked at a number of Animoto's from the links in class but one that really ended up catching my attention was one of the samples from the Animoto site. Its called "Canlis family trip to Europe" (scroll down a bit) and it really resonates with me. I think part of it is has to do with where I'm at in life with a young family of my own (a 1 and 3 year old with another on the way) and how I really look forward to doing a trip like this with them someday.
The other element of the clip that drew me in was the music. I really liked the song they picked. The tone and lyrics fit so well and it even sounded like the singers native language might be French. Right from the first few notes it felt authentic in a way that stock music doesn't. It reminded me of a Hyundai commercial from a few years ago that after seeing a few times I started thinking that what I assumed were actors signing and performing in the video might actually be musicians.
It turned out they were an actual group. And that is also true of the Canlis Animoto.The group's name is The Leftover Cuties and the song it titled "Take a Walk on the Sunny Side of Town". I also just discovered that another one of their (Leftover Cuties) songs was used for a different Hyundai commercial! Weird.
I also like the fact that the pictures in the Canlis Family Animoto aren't rotating around or spinning or bursting into a thousand pieces as they transition from one to another. I find this distracting when you see these kinds of elements in PowerPoints or Prezi's. The effects here are subtle and if the photos (and music) are compelling they should be able to stand on their own merits and speak for themselves. Feel free to remind me of the post after I finish my first Animoto and the music is boring while the pictures fly all over the place!
I then spent some time researching and comparing Google Drive to Dropbox. I'd like everything to be as integrated as possible and would like to avoid having to navigate to eight separate web sites to enter a password and log in to use eight different web tools. I know other tools exist to streamline that process but here again we are looking at another log in and password and just on principle alone that doesn't appeal to me. I want to use a tool, not spend time fiddling, adjusting, tweaking, optimizing or managing it (which is a large part why I switched from Android to iOS when I purchased my last smart phone). I looked at a number of comparisons and it while both have their pros and cons as they always do it looks like Dropbox has better iOS integration and a more intuitive interface. I have really liked it so far.
Next up was Animoto. I signed up for an account and started collecting photos in my Dropbox to make one for a lesson that I will do sometime next week. I looked at a number of Animoto's from the links in class but one that really ended up catching my attention was one of the samples from the Animoto site. Its called "Canlis family trip to Europe" (scroll down a bit) and it really resonates with me. I think part of it is has to do with where I'm at in life with a young family of my own (a 1 and 3 year old with another on the way) and how I really look forward to doing a trip like this with them someday.
The other element of the clip that drew me in was the music. I really liked the song they picked. The tone and lyrics fit so well and it even sounded like the singers native language might be French. Right from the first few notes it felt authentic in a way that stock music doesn't. It reminded me of a Hyundai commercial from a few years ago that after seeing a few times I started thinking that what I assumed were actors signing and performing in the video might actually be musicians.
It turned out they were an actual group. And that is also true of the Canlis Animoto.The group's name is The Leftover Cuties and the song it titled "Take a Walk on the Sunny Side of Town". I also just discovered that another one of their (Leftover Cuties) songs was used for a different Hyundai commercial! Weird.
I also like the fact that the pictures in the Canlis Family Animoto aren't rotating around or spinning or bursting into a thousand pieces as they transition from one to another. I find this distracting when you see these kinds of elements in PowerPoints or Prezi's. The effects here are subtle and if the photos (and music) are compelling they should be able to stand on their own merits and speak for themselves. Feel free to remind me of the post after I finish my first Animoto and the music is boring while the pictures fly all over the place!
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