Animoto

Overview

Animoto is a video maker that lets you turn your photos and video clips into a video slideshow. It is free to use and lets you create 30-second videos to use as teasers for introducing a wide variety of things from upcoming events to new product launches. Animoto offers several different account types with one specifically for educators that allows you to enroll students in a more expansive account with the ability to make full-length videos. To create your Animoto simply select a theme and music, then add your pictures, add some text, put it all together and you have a new way other than PowerPoint to present your information. It is a quick easy to use tool that is great to use in your classroom.

Classroom Uses

Animoto is an attractive media tool that teachers can utilize as a way to bridge curriculum and student engagement or develop digital storytelling projects. Animoto is a great alternative for students and teachers tired of PowerPoint presentations. ^[1] . Still not sure how to implement Animoto in the classroom? The following resources offer some great ideas for the educator that wants to use technology but does not have the time to learn something complicated. Because of Animoto's ease of use, it is a natural fit. Introduce it to your students and let them create!

The simplicity of Animoto allows you and your students to create something in minutes rather than spending days editing video footage. All you need to do is select the photos that you want to use and place them in the order that you want them to appear. Next, choose royalty-free music which can be selected right from the Animoto site so you do not have to worry about legal issues with use. Then hit the create button and you are ready to go. If you don't like what you see you have the option to use the "1 click remix" as many times as you like to get the effect you desire.

Using Animoto in the Classroom

Animoto: Examples, lessons, and scaffolding