Animoto

As I did some research on educational ways to use Animoto within the classroom setting, I realized the possibilities are pretty much endless.  Some teachers use them in lieu of flashcards, helping students to recognize and learn sight words, spelling patterns, and new vocabulary. Other teachers use them as a way to introduce or review concepts and material covered in science or social studies units.  I saw a examples of teachers and students creating Animoto videos to demonstrate math processes in order to reinforce instruction as well as understanding of a given math topic.  Still, there were many other uses, including scavenger hunts, movie trailers, poetry presentations, research reports and oh so many more!  What I can conclude from the various examples I watched, is that if you can dream it, Animoto can help you do it!  

The first video I made was of my students participating in an experiential learning activity as part of our Social Studies unit on the Civil War.  For this simulation the students acted the part of Union Soldiers fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg.  The classroom was set up in stations that mimicked actual places at the battle sight including a campfire and surgeon's tent.  Throughout the day the students learned about the battle and poor medical care during the Civil War, problem solved real Gettysburg situations, ate hardtack, sang campfire songs, treated battle wounds, read and wrote letters to loved ones, and even took cover when they heard the Confederate soldiers attacking.  Using Animoto's "Old Glory" themed template, I added the pictures and some simple text to create an exciting recap of the day for students to enjoy and reflect on.  

The second video I made was also related to our Social Studies curriculum, but this time it served as an introduction to the unit on Immigration and Industrialization.  This decision was based mostly on timing, seeing as though that is what we are currently studying.  However, it was also made to help students see the connection between immigration and industrialization in the United States, as well as provide a visual aid of the immigrant experience to prepare them for their Ellis Island simulation coming up next week. The first thing I did to create this video was extract the Enduring Understandings from the unit  so I could use them as its framework.  Based on the content of the enduring understandings, I found photos to accompany each one in order to bring the words to life and give meaning to the concepts that are being taught.  Finally I downloaded the song, "Isle of Hope" to serve as the music for the video because it is told from the point of view of an immigrant and portrays the highs and lows of the voyage.  The end product is a video that I showed to introduce the unit, and will show again to review the unit.  My hope is that my students were able to obtain some background knowledge on this topic as they start to learn more about it, become familiar with the enduring understandings, and see first-hand accounts of this time period in history.   Although it may not be the best Animoto ever made, I think it definitely serves its purpose!  Enjoy!