Video editing apps for iPad

 

Using Blogsy today.

 

Ok, so I know that video editing isn't exactly one of my projects this summer, but I came up with an idea for a little project using the iPads. For the trees and forests unit, students will need to find, observe, and describe 3-5 facts about a local tree using the video camera app on the ipad.

Looking for a decent, FREE video editing app, however, is difficult. Most of the free apps out there either have:

• Length restrictions
• Ads
• Limited functionality

Started using VideEditorFree, which was recommended via a variety of Ed tech sources. No good - doesn't have the ability to add titles or transitions, nor can you trim clips. Tried several more for both ipad and iPhone, with mixed success. Magisto (free) worked alright - had most of the features I wanted, and was able to export to my camera roll. Someone suggested Vimeo, which is my favourite so far. (Also free)

 

(Side note: favourite autocorrected to the Canadian spelling)

 

With Vimeo I was able to quickly and easily add, reorganize, and trim clips, and add a still photo. To that I added a title and adjusted transitions. After proofing, the entire process took about 10 minutes for a 1 minute video. Assuming that students don't work as fast as I do (after trialling 15 apps) they should be able to create a 30-60 second video, with filming, in an hour.

 

Uploaded to my YouTube account using YouTube Capture (free) took about 3 min. FYI: YouTube capture also supports synchronous uploads to Facebook, google+, twitter.

I wonder if I can attach it here too... Nope. Although Blogsy has all the buttons on the right, you need to have an account with each of them to be able to use that button. So, in theory, I should be able to access any of my accounts and attach the video...

Hey look, it worked once I logged into YouTube via Blogsy :) although I could have just added it right from the camera roll, good to know that I have some options.

Posted with Blogsy

Testing Blogsy

Paid the $5 to test the Blogsy app with my blogger account through google. The advantage to using Blogsy is that our students receive google accounts anyway, and Blogsy would enable them to richer the content of their blogger account, as it appears so far that the blogger app is somewhat limited.

However, in my browsing of the App Store, I discovered that Kidblogs has an app itself, and its FREE! Perfect for educational institutions on a budget. That will be my next project to look into this summer. For now, I will continue to blog the basement renovation and our upcoming vacation.

Note: Blogsy saves drafts and you have to manually publish after by changing the settings in the top left gear icon. Also, each individual ipad would be set up with a specific student's blog. Which would be open and accessible for other students who use the ipad to... "Update" :)

Posted with Blogsy

Sore arms...

Day five of drywalling. It's done, but still working on the mudding and sanding. I once (or twice) said that this was the only job I would pay someone to do, because I find it the most tedious, time consuming, and frustrating job of all renovations. 

Taping went fine, but one thing that we needed to spend a little more focus on was getting all the air bubbles out when we embedded the tape. After two coats, there are still several areas with bubbles. Bah!

Frustration and boredom set in when you're putting on a third coat of drywall mud, and its easy to run out of steam. Especially when there are a few areas that take longer to dry than others. One thing that I  didn't think of was that closet. With little or no air circulation in there, after two days the corners were still damp, and that of course throws off the timeline. It would have been nice to do each step of the reno sequentially, but with the closet off drying time by an entire day, parts of the basement are drying their third coat as I write this, and the closet is still needing the third coat. Oh, and I'm out of mud.

Therefore, I'm out of time and patience and taking a vacation. Back to the renos in August.

Let's get muddy!

Basement Reno, project 2: Tuesday, and drywalling is 90% complete. I just have to finish the ceiling in the stairwell, and that's going to be a nightmare. 

The duct has been boxed in and drywalled:

It will look much better when the ceiling is installed.

I framed out a closet in room 1, big enough for a walk in, and wide enough for the larger Rubbermaid containers to fit width wise, so that will be a storage area for us, but the next owner could install some shelves if they wanted to.

The dreaded electrical panel... What to do with that? I decided that I couldn't leave it bare ( code says you have to protect the lumex wife somehow ) and because there is a ground rod on the floor, I should just enclose it behind a bifold door or something. So, I framed that out for a 36" bifold. We'll see how that turns out.

Also, ceilings are a pain to drywall, and they are even worse to mud and tape. 

Speaking of which, that is going well. First coat and tape is almost completed. Finish that tomorrow and start sanding what we've completed thus far.

And finally, Habitat for Humanity's ReStore had flooring on sale this week, so we went and picked out flooring. 32 boxes of laminate for $217. We're going to try the multicoloured floor like Ellen has on her dance floor:

My own contractor

Project 2: basement renovation

I decided to call some contractors and see if we could just have them finish it completely while we were away on vacation. One guy never got back to me, one guy said that he wouldn't go near it, because I had already framed some walls, and a third is booked until the fall. So I guess now I'm my own contractor.

Turns out, drywall went on sale this week, yahoo! 30 sheets of drywall I to the truck and down to the basement = 1200 pounds and sore legs and arms. And that's the ultralight stuff!

Living space is dry walled, just have to box in one vent. 

Project 1: launching the camera app from inside blogger sucks. Aspect ratio is wrong, and the view is small. Multitask to launch the app separate and use photos from the camera roll instead.