Digital Wish: Flip Video Camera for $24.95

This is the mother of all good deals.

Flip Camcorders are fabulous little devices, are they not? Easy to record with, nice built-in software to put clips together to make a little movie, and completely kid-friendly. I can always hand my Flip over to one of my students to record a project with (almost) complete confidence there will not be any snafus. WHY ON EARTH they decided to stop making these gizmos is beyond me, because they are a teacher's dream to use for capturing your classroom moments and producing student projects. I'm all about the iPad/iPod-mania, but those are going to be expensive and sought after for quite a while. Taking pictures and video is a great skill for students to develop and utilize to show what they have learned, and it's nice when there's a economical way of making it happen.

However, for a very short time (because, like I said this is the mother of all good deals) teachers can get a Flip Video Camcorder through Digital Wish for $24.95! Yes, Digital Wish is touting this as a FREE Flip Cam, but there is a processing fee of $24.95 so I am calling it as I see it. It's a chance to get a video camera for your classroom really cheap. If you want to secure a easy to use piece of technology for your classroom, now is the time to jump on this deal. Even though they are going to stop making Flips, you can still record with them and use the installed software for movie making. Totally worth it and the price is definately right. There is a limit of one Flip per classroom for this offer.

And yes, this offer is completely legit. Digital Wish is a fantastic organziation that I have received grants and special offers through in the past. In fact, check out their website for what's coming down the pike in the way of grants and contests, because there are several things with a deadline of March 15th! Their products and software are made for the classroom. Usually their grants involve writing a lesson or unit plan stating how you plan to you the technology you are applying for in your classroom. In order to purchase the Flip Camcorder, apply for grants, or set up a wish list, you will need to register an account (it's free, no worries) to "prove" that you are indeed a savvy, technology seeking teacher.

Hope this added some zip to the end of your week! And since this isn't what I was planning on posting (I just HAD to share this though), come back for more techKNOW very soon!

http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/product?id=112550

http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/home

UPDATE: My (HD even!) Flip Cam arrived exactly one week after I ordered it! Can't wait to get it charged and put it to good use!

Animoto

Hmmm...
So starting something "new" in the busiest month of the year wasn't exactly the best idea. Well, it's a new year, and I resolve to get this blog on a roll :-)
The first techKNOW tool I have decided to feature is Animoto! This website allows you to take your pictures and videos and quickly create a presentation with transitions and music. It's almost like creating a "music video" of sorts for your memories. Once you create an Animoto presentation, you can embed it into a website, blog, or share it via e-mail. In order to use Animoto, you must create an account. The only way anyone can see your creations is if you choose to share them. There's also a free iPhone app, so you can use the pictures and video you have taken on your phone and directly convert them into an Animoto masterpiece!

As an educator, you are able to apply for a FREE pro account, which allows you to make presentations of unlimited length (the free account for the general public allows you to create presentation of no more than 30 seconds). Once you have an educator account, you can create up to 50 student accounts under your name, which gives them the opportunity to use Animoto individually for classroom assignments. Their are multiple video "themes" to choose from and music selections - all you need to do is upload and arrange your media clips, and within five minutes you will have your multimedia presentation.

The possibilities for how you can use Animoto in the classroom are endless. Create videos for your students to look back on classroom events such as Field Day or holiday activities. Take the pictures and/or video to make a presentation looking back at an exciting science lab activity or field trip. Students LOVE to look back at themselves and their classmates - and at the same time, it allows them to recall what they did and what they learned! Sometimes I select a student or two to be the "super stars" of the movie and record them saying a few things about what they learned or what the activity was about. That way, they are hearing themselves talk about what they have learned. Visit the Animoto for Education link to get your FREE educator account for the new year and see other examples for how you can use this resource in your classroom.

Remember, if you use it and you like it, make comments below and share it with your peers!http://animoto.com/education