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Digital Creativity ... Looking back

Jason Dilling — 2008-07-05T08:27:00+01:00

St Stephen's School Animation

Jason Dilling — 2008-06-20T22:24:16+01:00

A group of children from year 3 at St Stephen's school in Tonbridge worked very hard to put together an animation. From the initial ideas through to the completed movie was about three hours of working time - which is the quickest a group has worked through with me. They were very pleased with their finished movie. You can watch it HERE.

Cage Green Podcasting Training

Jason Dilling — 2008-02-29T18:40:20+00:00

On the 29th February, I guided a group of year 5 children at Cage Green in Tonbridge. They Brainstormed, scripted and recorded their Podcast.
Jingles and intro music was composed on Garage Band on the Mac mini.
Subscribe to their Podcast here: (Click on Advanced>Subscribe to Podcast in iTunes then paste in the link).
http://www.podiumpodcasting.com/~182313/Year290208151825/rss.xml
Download the mp3 here:
http://www.podiumpodcasting.com/~182313/Year290208151825/Episode1.mp3

ScreenFlow Screen Capture for Mac

Jason Dilling — 2008-02-16T23:07:44+00:00

ScreenFlow is a complete workflow for creating screencasts: powerful enough to capture your desktop, video camera, microphone & computer audio at the same time.
Check out the awesome demo video and download ScreenFlow from www.varasoftware.com/products/screenflow/ .
The advanced features of this screen capture application put it far out in front of the existing apps.
ScreenFlow requires Mac OS X 10.5

Chipmonk mp3 Playback

Jason Dilling — 2008-02-16T08:44:05+00:00

FAQ: My mp3 recording sounds fine when I play it back on the software that I recorded it in, but sounds like chipmonks when downloaded as a Podcast.

The main issue is that you are playing the Podcast back using a player that can not cope with the sampling rate. If it is played in a Flash based player this is almost certain to be the problem. Flash Player only supports two sampling rates: 22050 and 44100. Most other players - including Audacity, can play tracks of different sample rates and sound totally normal.

The article here explains the issue and a possible solution by resampling (involves getting your hands dirty in the command line!):
www.boutell.com/newfaq/creating/chipmunk.html

Ideally all recording would be done at 44100 in the first place.

If the sampling rate is set at too high a value and needs to be reduced to 44100, this can be done from the track menu. See screencast video here.

The mp3 export from Audacity is rather crude and can lead the user into thinking that the file is being exported out at 44100, when it is in fact nothing of the sort.

The Lame encoder used by Audacity can have different front ends applied. These open up other features of the Lame encoder. One key one, is to force a fixed sample rate for exported mp3s.
See http://www.dors.de/razorlame/index.php for the free download for Windows.

Once you install Razerlame, click on the LAME button, choose the Audio Processing tab, and set the sample rate to 44.1 kHz. That will force the resulting mp3 to 44.1.

To be safe in future, export from Audacity as a WAV file, then encode as an mp3 externally as a second step.

Podcasts Quell Exam Fears

Jason Dilling — 2008-02-15T06:44:00+00:00

When exams are just around the corner, many students let fear of failure affect their performance. So why not video the dreaded GCSE results day, and make a podcast to show that it’s not as scary as it sounds? Windsor Boys School did just that, proving how podcasting can tackle a wide range of learning problems in unexpected ways.
www.apple.com/uk/education/profiles/windsor/

Animate IT '08

Jason Dilling — 2008-02-13T23:41:52+00:00

Curtis Jobling, designer of Bob the Builder and creator of the soon to be aired CBBC animation Frankenstein's Cat, has teamed up with independent educational software developer Kudlian Soft and Film Street the website from First Light Movies designed to engage under 12-year-olds with film and filmmaking, to launch a fantastic new competition for children - Animate IT '08.

Animate IT '08 challenges keen young animators to design their own 3D character for an animated, claymation film.
The competition is open to children aged 12 and under with both school and individual categories with two winners being chosen from each category.

The two individual winners will receive an iMage webcam and a copy of either Kudlian Soft's I Can Animate or Stop Motion Pro.
The two winners from the school category will win six iMage webcams and a school site licence for I Can Animate or Stop Motion Pro each.

www.kudlian.net/competition/animateit/

The Levelator

Jason Dilling — 2008-02-12T22:40:10+00:00

The Levelator is software that runs on Windows, OS X (universal binary), or Linux (Ubuntu) that adjusts the audio levels within your podcast or other audio file for variations from one speaker to the next, for example. It's not a compressor, normalizer or limiter although it contains all three.

www.conversationsnetwork.org/levelator

Podcasting Guide

Jason Dilling — 2008-02-12T22:21:16+00:00

There is a detailed guide to using Podcasting as an education tool at Poducateme:
www.poducateme.com/guide/

Audacity Training at Canterbury

Jason Dilling — 2008-02-08T20:29:04+00:00

On the 7th February 2008, I gave training in how to edit audio using Audacity, to representatives from ten schools from the Canterbury City and Country Cluster.
The session took place at at Simon Langton Girls' Grammar in Canterbury.
Thanks to Rob Slight - ICT AST and Projects Officer - for the invitation and the photos he took.
Photos follow:

Super Snail and Slowcoach Worm

Jason Dilling — 2008-02-04T21:16:18+00:00

I supported a group of year 2 children at Hadlow School. They worked for a morning and an afternoon session on their animation: Super Snail and Slowcoach Worm.

View it HERE. (Takes a while to load).
Watch it as a streamed Youtube movie HERE.

The Naughty Race animation

Jason Dilling — 2008-02-04T21:15:44+00:00

Year 2 children at Stocks Green School in Hildenborough, Tonbridge created "The Naughty Race"
Watch it as a Quicktime movie HERE. (Takes a while to load)
Watch it as a streamed Youtube movie HERE.

2D Animation for Kids

Jason Dilling — 2007-12-20T21:07:43+00:00

New animation software for kids of all ages...
(Mac / Win) Flipboom http://kids.toonboom.com/ - £16

JPGVideo for animations

Jason Dilling — 2007-12-20T20:31:15+00:00

JPGVideo creates a video file from a series of JPG Files, these files can be from any source, as long as they are all the same size. This would make it a free alternative to other stop-frame animation programs. It would be necessary to shoot the jpgs on a digital still camera or a web cam.
Videos are exported as AVI files.
I have not tried this software yet, but it is worth a look.
(Win) JPGVideo www.ndrw.co.uk/free/jpgvideo/index.html - FREE

Digital Blue Animation Tutorial

Jason Dilling — 2007-12-15T09:16:57+00:00

My latest Screencast shows how to use Digital Blue Movie Creator to make stop-motion animations.
Because of the limitations of the Digital Blue camera, I would suggest making your models as large as possible so that they will fill as much of the frame as possible and have some chance of being in focus. Work in a nice light area. The image from the camera is poor in low light.
To view the Screencast as a Quicktime movie click HERE.
To view the Screencast as a streamed movie on Teacher Tube click HERE.

[Update... The Digital Blue Screencast had 75 views in its first 12 hours of being live]

Photo Filtre

Jason Dilling — 2007-12-13T22:47:51+00:00

Free for educational use, this image manipulation package can be downloaded from:
http://photofiltre.free.fr/

New RSS Feed

Jason Dilling — 2007-12-12T00:12:04+00:00

You can now subscribe to the continually updated contents of this blog via my rss feed.
Paste the following link into your rss reader:
http://homepage.mac.com/jasondilling/dvproject/blog/files/rss.xml

Animation on teachers.tv

Jason Dilling — 2007-12-11T20:37:57+00:00

This programme takes a look at ways in which animation can be incorporated into the primary curriculum, focusing specifically on the different approaches to 2D animation used by two schools in Bristol.
www.teachers.tv/node/2743

Capturing system sound on Mac

Jason Dilling — 2007-12-10T21:04:58+00:00

To allow you to capture system sounds, streamed audio and unsupported audio files in Audacity on Mac you need the help of a virtual audio device. This passes the audio currently being played to Audacity.

Soundflower is a Mac OS X (10.2 and later) system extension that allows applications to pass audio to other applications. Soundflower is easy to use, it simply presents itself as an audio device, allowing any audio application to send and receive audio with no other support needed. Soundflower is free, open-source, and runs on Mac Intel and PPC computers. Visit the Soundflower download page to try it out.

What people are saying...

Jason Dilling — 2007-12-10T19:28:31+00:00

"I would also like to take this opportunity on behalf of all who attended to thank Jason for his excellent input. It is always a daunting challenge to be presented with a mixed group of experienced users and beginners. Jason, you manged the situation superbly. We all left the session confident about using Audacity in the classroom and inspired to explore using some of the additional features."
Philip Bracegirdle
Key Stages 1 and 2 ASK HOS Consultant

Audacity in Ashford

Jason Dilling — 2007-12-08T15:16:29+00:00

On the 7th December 2007 I gave a training session on Podcasting and Audacity recording software. The host school was Oak Tree School in Ashford.
By the end of the afternoon the attendees could record multi tracks of sound, amplify, adjust volume using the non-destructive envelope tool, and pubish a recording as an mp3.
Feedback was good.

More Podcasts go live.

Jason Dilling — 2007-12-08T15:13:22+00:00

My ongoing work in schools has led to the publishing of six Podcasts created by junior aged children.
Check them out here.

Reflection Maker

Jason Dilling — 2007-12-08T13:04:08+00:00

Another useful web-ap that allows quick image manipulation is Reflection Maker. This does exactly as it says - adding a modern reflection to your image.
www.reflectionmaker.com/

East Peckham Animates

Jason Dilling — 2007-10-13T09:02:09+01:00

I supported a group of year four children at East Peckham School for the morning of 12th October. The children worked on a short animation starring a couple of colourful monsters.
To watch their video click HERE. Now includes sound and titles.

Hildenborough pupils start Podcast

Jason Dilling — 2007-10-13T08:57:55+01:00

I worked with an enthusiastic group of year 6 pupils at Hildenborough CE School this week. They started to script and record their first Podcast show.
It's in the early stages but you can sneak a listen HERE.

Audacity Screencast

Jason Dilling — 2007-10-06T00:32:15+01:00

My new step by step guide into how to amplify sound in Audacity. Click HERE to watch the Screencast.

Jing screencast capture software

Jason Dilling — 2007-10-04T00:40:34+01:00

Jing is a fantastic and powerful program from TechSmith that can be downloaded for free. Using Jing it is easy to capture still screen images or to create video screencasts (recordings of what is on your computer screen), and then share them. Images or videos can be saved to your computer and/or stored online.
http://www.jingproject.com/

Jing creates swf files

Looking for the onine photography tools?

Jason Dilling — 2007-10-02T20:37:19+01:00

Look in the September 07 blog archive. They will have a home of their own at some point soon.

FlashMeeting Training

Jason Dilling — 2007-10-02T20:30:00+01:00

Tonight saw the launch of a FlashMeeting project in the Tonbridge cluster.
FlashMeeting is a simple video conferencing system that uses Flash technology to run a meeting in your browser window.
Each of the participating schools received a Logitch QuickCam Pro webcam.
Currently one teacher from each of the schools will have been signed up with a login account. Extras will need to be requested as other classes wish to use FlashMeeting.

I will be working with FlashMeeting over the coming weeks. I have booked a test meeting and made a test recording with no trouble at all using my MacBook and its built in camera.

Radio SRS Podcast Nears Completion

Jason Dilling — 2007-09-28T20:46:50+01:00

After 2 support sessions, the year 5 and 6 children at Sussex Road School are nearing completion of their first Radio Show.
To sneak a listen copy the following feed address into iTunes:
http://www.sussex-road.kent.sch.uk/podcasts/Sussex140907144931/rss.xml
You will need to delete, unsubscribe and re-subscribe to download the completed show once it is uploaded.
To download the file directly without subscribing:
www.sussex-road.kent.sch.uk/podcasts/Sussex140907144931/Episode1.mp3

Slade Radio Podcast Goes Live

Jason Dilling — 2007-09-28T20:32:32+01:00

After 3 support sessions, the children from the Slade Podcast group are proud to announce that Slade Radio is now live... well almost... The first programme is finished and available for download.
The feed for their Podcast is: http://www.podiumpodcasting.com/~182318/Slade140907100448/rss.xml

Simply click on 'Advanced' in iTunes, then 'Subscribe to Podcast', then paste in the feed address.
To download the file directly without subscribing:
www.podiumpodcasting.com/~182318/Slade140907100448/Episode1.mp3

MacLive Expo 2007

Jason Dilling — 2007-09-28T20:29:57+01:00

More details here: www.macliveexpo.co.uk

Balloon flight video

Jason Dilling — 2007-09-27T23:00:30+01:00

Check out the launch of a recent balloon flight taken by my wife.

(Hosted on YouTube... so sadly not accessible within the KCN)

Warhol & other online effects

Jason Dilling — 2007-09-23T22:21:05+01:00

To add another string to your online editor bow, head over to www.blibs.com/editor/ to add Warhol and other effects to your photos.

Picnik online image editor

Jason Dilling — 2007-09-23T21:43:00+01:00

Picnik is a really easy to use, and really responsive web browser based image editor. It offers basic image correction, some special effects, resize and rotate. For quick adjustments or a bit of fun, it is great. Who needs photoshop!? www.picnik.com

Online paint package

Jason Dilling — 2007-09-23T12:22:34+01:00

If you visit http://artpad.art.com/artpad/painter/ , you will be able to pick up a paint brush and create a masterpiece in no time at all. It's great fun and your work can be added to the gallery.

You'd think I'd have learned...

Jason Dilling — 2007-09-23T10:19:42+01:00

Around six years ago, my computer, with around four year's worth of data - hundreds of digital photos, emails, docs etc. died - taking the hard drive and all of its data with it. It was not backed up.

Since then, I have been very careful to back up my own personal laptop - with online storage for the most valuable photos and a rotation of three external hard drives.

My second laptop - supplied by the cluster - for cluster support & conference presentations also has a whole load of important data on it. Many hours of video. Presentations that I have given. Feedback forms. Support notes etc. It is not backed up.

The hard drive died this week - without warning. Ouch!

Learn from my mistake.

Iaza Image Manipulation

Jason Dilling — 2007-09-21T21:41:11+01:00

www.iaza.com is a free image manipulation website. The interface is simply a list of text based options. It has some interesting special effects.

Web Resizer

Jason Dilling — 2007-09-21T21:15:38+01:00

www.webresizer.com is a FREE online image resizer. It can add a border to the uploaded photo and perform some basic colour correction.
In the time that it takes Photoshop or Photoshop Elements to complete its initialisation you can upload an image, resize and download the finished file.
This very screenshot was resized online.

Projects Calendar

Jason Dilling — 2007-09-20T22:26:31+01:00

Forgotten when your support booking is? Looking for an available slot? Check out the project support calendar HERE.

Weekly support for schools

Jason Dilling — 2007-09-20T22:26:28+01:00

This week saw the start of an exciting development. I will be providing out-reach support for primary schools in the Tonbridge cluster.

The projects to be supported include: Digital video editing, Stop frame animation, Podcasting, Website creation and possibly some photography.

The projects got off to a really positive start with a morning at the Slade school, working with a group of year 5 and 6 children.
Their teacher Tracey Houghton will be taking the project on further with the children over the coming weeks.

The feed for their Podcast, which is currently 'work in progress' is: http://www.podiumpodcasting.com/~182318/Slade140907100448/rss.xml

Simply click on Advanced in iTunes, then Subscribe to Podcast, then paste in the feed address.

Note. If you do subscribe to the partly finished Podcast episode, you will need to delete the Podcast completely from iTunes and resubscribe to get the finished version when it is published.

If you wish to download the first radio show directly without subscribing to the Podcast click HERE.

Animoto Online Photo Movies

Jason Dilling — 2007-09-20T22:17:14+01:00

Take a look at the seriously cool movies you can make in minutes from a collection of uploaded photos and a selected backing track. The clever site servers do all the hard work for you at the click of a button.
http://animoto.com/
Sign up required.
Free movies limited to 30 seconds.

Joost Invitations

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-28T09:59:33+01:00

Get your invitation to Joost today and you'll enjoy a TV-like experience enhanced with the choice, control and flexibility of Web 2.0. Joost can be accessed from your PC or Intel based Mac with a broadband Internet connection and offers broadcast-quality content for free.

http://joost.com/presents/gigaom-newteevee/

Switch free audio format converter

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-26T22:46:47+01:00

Switch is a free audio format converter for Mac or Windows.

www.nch.com.au/switch/

DoubleTake

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-26T09:41:55+01:00

You can use DoubleTake to stitch two or more images seamlessly together to make a wide or high panorama.
It can also be used to create 360 degree Quicktime VR movies for a fraction of the cost of other packages.
Mac OS X only.

http://echoone.com/doubletake/

ArtRage 2.5 Released!

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-26T09:15:22+01:00

Ambient Design is proud to announce a major update to their natural painting application - ArtRage 2.5. This upgrade is a free update to existing purchasers of ArtRage 2. It is available for Windows, and as a Universal Binary for MacOSX.

ArtRage 2.5 is a significant upgrade to the product. It adds many important new features in a way that retains the unique look and feel of ArtRage.
ArtRage 2.2 is still available as a free download for Mac and Windows.

www.ambientdesign.com/artrage.html

Posterino 1.1

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-25T23:05:16+01:00

If you want to create a collage of your favorite photos and put it on a poster, Posterino 1.1 is the slickest and easiest way to get the job done. The program offers a variety of templates, with grids of identically sized frames or with mixtures of shapes and sizes. Adding photos from iPhoto or elsewhere is a cinch. You can have Posterino fill the frames for you, or you can drag and drop images manually for more control. You can also change the size and shape of individual frames, and adjust the placement of each image within its frame. Export options let you send your finished poster to iPhoto or Flickr, hand it off to your e-mail program, or save it elsewhere on your hard drive.
http://zykloid.com/posterino/

Windows being helpful again...

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-25T20:23:08+01:00

Just copying a simple file to CD... It seems it wasn't such a simple task after all...

Laugh at one's mistakes...

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-25T20:15:17+01:00

When the moo.com website went down...

Website with a sense of humour!

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-25T20:13:45+01:00

"We really are going to have to find some more pictures of puddles.... if anyone has any then please feel free to upload them to the gallery.

Anyway, back to the weather..."

Comic Life in use

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-20T00:38:02+01:00

My school had a Roald Dahl day this week. The children in my class all contributed to a single cartoon put together on Comic Life that is on our new MacBook.
They enjoyed working using Comic Life and found it easy to insert the scanned pictures and resize the boxes. One group went on to produce another comic telling the story of 'The Magic Finger' - also by Roald Dahl.

Exciting times ahead

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-15T23:30:58+01:00

September will bring with it more exciting projects and even greater support.
Official announcements to be made soon...

WMA to MP3 conversion for Mac

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-15T23:30:54+01:00

EasyWMA allows you to convert wma, wmv audio, asf and ogg vorbis files to aiff, mp3, m4a or wav on your Mac. EasyWMA can be helpful if you need to convert files created by your Olympus voice recorder.
www.easywma.com/

Voices from the web

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-15T21:08:40+01:00

What people are saying...

"I first heard about Jason and his work on podcasting when researching the recent Harnessing Technology in Kent Schools Conference which showcased some great podcast examples from Sussex Road Primary School where he teaches and Downs Primary School the home of Downs FM." says Joe Dale in his blog:
http://joedale.typepad.com/integrating_ict_into_the_/2007/07/promoting-the-p.html

"Jason Dilling at the Kent ICT Conference
If you were not at the Conference then you missed Jason doing his thing about podcasting … here are some useful snippets..."
www.podiumpodcasting.com/blog/?p=56

Make a series of slides in Keynote from a group of images

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-15T09:19:37+01:00

Keynote is an alternative to Microsoft PowerPoint. It has many advantages. Its handling of media files is much better. It produces very slick presentations. It has a number of useful export options - for example allowing you to export to an interactive QuickTime movie - complete with any buttons or 'hot spots' you set up in your presentation.

There is an easy way to make a series of slides in Keynote from a group of images in the Finder.

From the Finder, simply highlight the images you want to import to Keynote and drag them to the Navigator window along the left edge of the presentation. (You may have to set your View mode to Navigator (e.g. Keynote » View » Navigator) first). Each image then appears centered within a separate slide.

Recent feedback

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-15T08:09:00+01:00

"I really enjoyed your presentation at conference last week - very informative."
Anna Kerr
ICT Coordinator
St. Teresa's Catholic Primary School

"I met you at the ICT Conference a few weeks ago and I was really impressed and inspired by what you are doing."
Fiona Newton, St Thomas' Catholic School, Sevenoaks

Camstudio Tutorial Video

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-14T22:08:16+01:00

The Windows based tutorials that I record for my support section are created using Camstudio.
Check out this tutorial into how to use it for the best results:
http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=90f19c78c75bd1e06f21

Digital Students @ Analog Schools

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-14T21:30:16+01:00

This well filmed and presented video could equally be applicable to primary aged children in some of our schools.
Pull out the stops to make digital projects bring learning to life!
www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=b5c8973ade16764156be

Online video conversion

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-14T19:45:42+01:00

Youtube and similar online video services are growing ever more popular. The flash video content can not easily be watched off-line.
To convert the videos and download them to your computer, you can use the services of:
http://vixy.net/

Converting JVC digital video files

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-14T11:36:44+01:00

The JVC HDD series is a good camcorder. But the files it creates are NASTY MOI/MOD format. Here is how you can convert them to work with iMovie or other Apple application:
www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=cc0be55b2c82f6975038

Using slow motion video

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-14T11:00:07+01:00

makebeliefscomix.com

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-14T10:29:30+01:00

How to run Windows on a Mac

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-14T09:18:54+01:00

Take Control of Running Windows on a Mac, Second Edition
Find essential advice for running Windows on your Intel-based Mac!
www.takecontrolbooks.com/windows-on-mac.html

Read this book to learn why you want to use a Mac to run Windows; understand the pros and cons of Apple's Boot Camp versus virtualization software; and find advice and step-by-step instructions for installing either Windows XP or Vista in Boot Camp, Parallels Desktop 3.0, VMware Fusion, and VirtualBox.

You'll also get help with connecting third-party peripherals and printers, sharing files between operating systems, avoiding Windows malware, and backing up a Windows installation. Plus, the book looks briefly at running Windows software without installing Windows and at running Windows on PowerPC-based Macs.

www.takecontrolbooks.com/windows-on-mac.html

Stocks Green Radio

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-12T22:05:22+01:00

Have you listened to Stocks Green Radio?
They publish a new Podcast every other Wednesday. Listen to them via iTunes. Click HERE. (Note if you have not yet got iTunes, you will need to download it HERE first.)

Comic Life Windows B2

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-12T20:45:13+01:00

Comic Life is fantastic. Until recently it was a Mac only product.
It's making the trip to Windows.
The second Comic Life for Windows Beta is now available for download.
This latest beta includes many small improvements relating to installation, usage and stability.

You can find the download, new beta serial number and release notes in this forum post here.

Podium Screencasts

Jason Dilling — 2007-07-08T23:50:24+01:00

See the support section for Podium tutorial Screencasts. Or click HERE.

Animation Movie Festival

Jason Dilling — 2007-05-16T06:11:52+01:00

Olivier Maissin, an Apple Destinguished Educator from Belgium, is a long time iStopMotion User.

In February 2007 he organized the first "Animation Movie Festival" at the Saint-Joseph school in Libramont, Belgium. It was a big success: 220 visitors, teachers, parents and students, were present for the screening of 27 animation movies all created with Boinx iStopMotion by kids aged 11-12.

Find out more and see some example films at http://istopmotion.com/articles/maissin/

Scratch multimedia programming

Jason Dilling — 2007-05-16T05:57:40+01:00

Scratch is a new programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art -- and share your creations on the web.
Scratch is designed to help young people (ages 8 and up) develop 21st century learning skills. As they create Scratch projects, young people learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the process of design.
Scratch is available free of charge from http://scratch.mit.edu/download
To find more about the educational ideas underlying Scratch, visit http://scratch.mit.edu/pages/educators

Podsafe Music

Jason Dilling — 2007-05-11T21:47:38+01:00

If you need free Podsafe music for your Podcast head to http://music.podshow.com/
Top tip: To be able to download the mp3 tracks, you need to sign in and add the tracks to your play list first.
Remember to credit Podsafe Music Network in your Podcast.

EvoCam streaming video software

Jason Dilling — 2007-05-11T21:12:26+01:00

Use EvoCam to publish a webcam with streaming video, view and record video from network cameras and video servers, create timelapse movies, or use it as part of your home security system with its configurable motion sensors - these are just a few of the things you can do with this easy-to-use yet incredibly powerful webcam software!

www.evological.com/evocam.html
Mac
$25 (£13) download

EyeSight webcam software

Jason Dilling — 2007-05-11T20:39:10+01:00

EyeSight software allows you to capture pictures with your iSight camera and uploads them to an FTP.

www.klieme.com/EyeSight.html

FREE or Donation

Animation at the Kent ICT Conference

Jason Dilling — 2007-05-09T23:37:57+01:00

I took a group of pupils to the Kent ICT Conference.
They spent the day creating animations using the Mac mini and iStop-Motion software.
They received a lot of attention from the deligates at the event.
Listen to what they have to say in their Podcast.
www.sussex-road.kent.sch.uk/media/mp3/ictconference2007.mp3

For a video tutorial about how to subscribe to the Sussex Road School Year 6 Podcast, click here.

Focus on Animation

Jason Dilling — 2007-05-09T23:30:35+01:00

http://www.nfb.ca/animation/objanim/en/index.php

Examples, contests and tutorials.

Digital Blue Animation Tutorial

Jason Dilling — 2007-05-09T22:45:43+01:00

Check out this tutorial by Duncan Whitehurst - ICT Advisory Teacher.
It shows step by step instructions on how to use Digital Blue to film animations.
www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/plasticine_anim.pdf

Other tutorials and resources:

Making a simple movie using digital blue 2.
http://www.merthyr.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/89CA7531-B734-4AC3-9129-F06C63A5A3DF/0/digital_blue.pdf

You tube Digital Blue video tutorials (4 in total).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVZhmU7QNQY

Intro to Movie Maker 2.
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/moviemaker.pdf

More Movie Maker 2.
http://www.merthyr.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/17DCCAB1-8642-4582-A3EA-D08F836CDADB/0/HowtouseMovieMaker2.pdf

Newsfilm Online

Jason Dilling — 2007-05-09T22:37:09+01:00

Newsfilm Online is planned to be one of the most exciting resources to be offered to Higher and Further Education in the UK. 3,000 hours of television news and cinema newsreels, taken from the huge collection of the ITN/Reuters archive, is to be made available online in high quality format for teaching, learning and research. Newsfilm Online will be a gateway of unmatched richness to nearly one hundred years of news, from the 1910s to the present day.

Currently 50 films are available, arranged in decade order.

http://newsfilm.bufvc.ac.uk/staticpages/index.php?page=about

CamStudio Screen Capture

Jason Dilling — 2007-05-08T21:48:19+01:00

CamStudio is able to record all screen and audio activity on your computer and create industry-standard AVI video files and using its built-in SWF Producer can turn those AVIs into lean, mean, bandwidth-friendly Streaming Flash videos (SWFs).
You can easily record video tutorials of any Windows software.

Downs FM Podcast

Jason Dilling — 2007-05-05T22:04:24+01:00

The Downs FM Podcast must be world famous by now.
I listened to some of the VERY early Podcasts they did. They have become very polished over the past years and should prove to be an inspiration to anyone thinking of setting up a school Podcast.
Listen and learn! Very entertaining... except for the karaoke competitions...
www.downsfm.com/

Inexpensive Macro Studio

Jason Dilling — 2007-05-05T14:34:46+01:00

Needing to take high quality close up photos for your digital project?

There is a guide on how to make yourself a 'light tent diffuser' out of a simple cardboard box on the Strobist blog:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html

Voice Candy

Jason Dilling — 2007-05-04T06:50:21+01:00

Voice Candy is a fun and useful recorder for the Apple Mac.
It allows you to add fun effects to your recorded voice.
You get 8 different effects to play with. You can switch the effects while recording for some extra fun. For example, record a conversation between Darth Vader and chipmunk to produce something that just seems wrong.
This would be an ideal addition to your normal recording software to produce fun Podcasts with your pupils.

http://www.potionfactory.com/voicecandy/
Voice Candy requires
Mac OS X 10.4
G4 or faster processor
$12.95 (£6.90)

Digital Blue Movie Creator 3

Jason Dilling — 2007-05-04T06:50:18+01:00

The Digital Blue Movie Creator 3 is now shipping. I have been given one to evaluate. Ahead of my review... I have put the DMC3 into the hands of a group of my children. They produced a Podcast to give their initial thoughts of the camera. The audio of the Podcast can be downloaded HERE.

Photo to Movie

Jason Dilling — 2007-05-04T06:50:15+01:00

The animated movement in Photo to Movie makes a fantastic difference to basic slide shows. The flexibility goes far beyond the Ken Burns technique.
(Mac and PC) www.lqgraphics.com $49 download (£26).

There is a gallery of different techniques on the website. I will be giving this a try soon.

Picturesque

Jason Dilling — 2007-04-24T19:23:12+01:00

According to its publishers: "Picturesque is an application designed to make images look gorgeous for the web.
With an animated "drag and drop" style interface, Picturesque can beautify your images with reflections, soft glows, shadows, delicate curves, strokes and fades in less time than it takes to open Photoshop.
Picturesque can also beautify a whole folder of images in batch with a single click, and includes Automator actions for automation."
www.acqualia.com/picturesque/index.html
(Mac) OSX 10.4+
$19.50 (£10.39)

Make your own labels

Jason Dilling — 2007-04-22T23:17:52+01:00

RapidWeaver Theme Tutorial

Jason Dilling — 2007-04-22T20:07:00+01:00

If you have ever wanted to build your own RapidWeaver theme from scratch, then the linked tutorial that follows is just what you need.
It is very clear and very thorough.
http://www.rapid-ideas.com/downloads/creaturion_files/page50_2.pdf

Crossword Forge

Jason Dilling — 2007-04-22T11:47:35+01:00

Crossword Forge allows you to easily make and share classroom style crossword puzzles and word search puzzles.
Puzzles for the Web, Print, & PDF
Mac + PC
I love this program. It is fantastically easy to use. It is cross platform and produces high quality output for both paper and online crosswords.
Check out my science vocabulary crossword here.
£26 download.
www.solrobots.com/crosswordforge

Quiz Press

Jason Dilling — 2007-04-22T11:47:32+01:00

Quiz Press has an easy-to-use interface. You can make your own quizzes that you can put on the web or print out for classroom use

Varied question type: multiple choice, fill-in the blank, short answer, true or false & cloze.
www.solrobots.com/quizpress/index.html
Mac and PC.
£26 download

Free Software for Windows

Jason Dilling — 2007-04-22T11:47:27+01:00

Although not necessarily the best, FREE is often good enough....
So check out the offerings at www.freeserifsoftware.com

SImpleMovieX

Jason Dilling — 2007-04-21T10:49:15+01:00

Simple Movie X is a QuickTime Pro replacement which allows easy editing of video clips.
Native Editing
Most popular file formats mov, mpeg, avi and iPod mp4, are natively supported, so you can edit and save them in a breeze without loss of quality.
Chapters
Add Chapters to give direct access to sequences inside the movie, to create compilations of movies or songs.

www.aeroquartet.com/SimpleMovieX/info.html
[Mac only]
$30 download
(£16)
Fully featured demo available
....Having tried this software, I found it to be a little frustrating in the way that it works and for its rather odd omission of the usual transport controls for navigating through your video - Jump to start being a key one!

IShowU screen video capture

Jason Dilling — 2007-04-12T10:43:33+01:00

Snapz Pro update

Jason Dilling — 2007-04-12T10:39:25+01:00

Snapz Pro X is by far the most powerful, versatile, and easy to use screen capture solution for Mac OS X. It has recently been updated to bring Intel Mac compatibility, performance optimisation, and minor bug fixes.

Recommendations for Formatting Video Podcasts

Jason Dilling — 2007-04-12T10:32:57+01:00

Apple recently sent out an email with recommendations for how to encode Video Podcasts. The recommendations follow:

Recommendations for Formatting Video Podcasts

1. If you're encoding your video podcast at 320x240, please increase the resolution to either 640x480 or 640x360 (depending on the aspect ratio of your source files). Why? Because video podcasts at this resolution look great on Apple TV and still port to video iPods. Lower resolution podcasts might also work on both platforms, but they don't look nearly as good on a widescreen TV. As always, make sure to test any encoding changes you make to ensure device compatibility. QuickTime 7.1's "Export to iPod" function will ensure that a video file is encoded at a width of 640 and is iPod-compatible.

2. It's best not to create two different podcast feeds for different resolutions. By doing so, you dilute the popularity of your podcast and reduce exposure in our charts. It's better to have one feed high in the charts than two that are lower.

3. If your source files are 16:9, stick with that aspect ratio. Don't add letterboxing to make them 4:3. By doing so, you prevent the video from expanding to fill a 16:9 widescreen TV and instead end up with black space on all four sides. Also, your original source files should be at least 640 pixels wide.

Of course these are just recommendations. We understand that there are good reasons for 320x240 (bandwidth bills) and 720p (looks fantastic). Do whatever makes the most sense for your show. For more information on formatting video, see the recently updated spec:

http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcaststechspecs.html

To see a sample of excellent podcasts that also look great with Apple TV, check out the Apple TV Podcast Showcase.

RapidWeaver Tutorial Videos

Jason Dilling — 2007-04-03T09:15:01+01:00

You will find a variety of instructional videos to help you in developing your Rapidweaver-built site here:
http://www.elixirgraphics.com/videos/index.html

Podium INSET 29th March

Jason Dilling — 2007-03-29T21:45:38+01:00

Thanks to all that attended the Podium INSET on the 29th March.

Topics covered:
Setting up a Podcast and adding descriptions.
Adding multiple episodes to the podcast.
Scripting for different presenters.
Recording - with colour coded waveform to match script colours.
Publishing and publicising.

Look forward to hearing your Podcasts.

Next meeting Sussex Road School 10th May 2007 - Bring the links to your Podcast or email them to me.

Entertaining Backup

Jason Dilling — 2007-03-29T00:19:29+01:00

Digital photographs have become the most valued files on any home computer yet few people actually take time to back up their images on a regular basis. This tutorial seeks to create not only a valuable back up but also a DVD that will entertain and allow easy cataloging of your photos. This tutorial uses iDVD’s ability to add additional content to DVD disks. (Click here).

www.digmo.co.uk/tutorials/iphoto-entertaining-backup/

Exilim EX-V7 Records H264 Video

Jason Dilling — 2007-03-23T21:48:12+00:00

Casio has unveiled 'the world’s slimmest digital camera with a 7X optical zoom lens.'
More significant is the fact that it records High-quality movies using next-generation H.264 video encoding method.

▪ Creates movies at high compression ratios that save storage space.
▪ Records about 1.5 times longer, with the same capacity and same picture quality as conventional MPEG-4.**
▪ Silent lens motion enables optical zooming while recording movies in stereo sound.
▪ Records 16:9 wide-aspect movies compatible with wide-screen TVs.

** Casio comparison, at Normal picture quality setting.

Movie clips are recorded in the following resolutions:

• 848 x 480 @ 30fps
• 640 x 480 @ 30fps
• 320 x 240 @ 15fps
Find out more: http://exilim.casio.com/

Quizlet.com is great!

Jason Dilling — 2007-03-23T21:13:45+00:00

If you are in education you will love Quizlet.com. I have set up the KS2 science vocabulary list for children to learn and play with, in the comfort of their own home. The kids love it. Some have even set up their own quiz.

Check it out: http://quizlet.com/set.php?id=11081

Lineform Illustration

Jason Dilling — 2007-03-20T21:39:50+00:00

Lineform is a completely new drawing program. Winner of a 2006 Apple Design Award, it is the ideal tool for vector based diagrams and illustrations. Powerful features combine with a simple interface to create an intuitive artistic process.
£42 download from www.freeverse.com/lineform/
The user contributed images look pretty impressive. I will definitely be giving this a try.

Gadget Show Mac v PC

Jason Dilling — 2007-03-20T20:21:56+00:00

An entertaining look at a face off between Mac and PC for a few everyday creative tasks...

To see this week's Gadget Show click the You Tube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTCJ3bJkVBI

Relaunched Website

Jason Dilling — 2007-03-08T23:03:33+00:00

The Sussex Road School Website has been redesigned and has grown enormously - with contributions from all classes. Take a look: www.sussex-road.kent.sch.uk

New Website

Jason Dilling — 2007-03-08T22:57:05+00:00

One of my recently completed website commissions is for St George's School in Wrotham. The site will be launching any week now once the remaining gaps have been filled.

Take a look: www.st-georges-wrotham.kent.sch.uk

ICT Conference May 3rd

Jason Dilling — 2007-03-08T21:46:15+00:00

I will be presenting and running a display stand at the ICT Conference on 3rd May.
I would like to be able to share video work that has been produced following my training in the DV Project. If you have anything suitable please drop me a line or bring in work on CD or DVD.
Thanks Jason.

Podium Launch Meeting

Jason Dilling — 2007-03-08T21:33:22+00:00

The Podium launch meeting was well attended and there was a sense of excitement about the project ahead.

James Watson from Softease gave an overview of what Podcasting is all about and demonstrated the Podium features.

A Quick Overview of Podium:
Apart from the administration of the web server details, which are managed by a separate password protected application, all operations are carried out from one simple page. You set a name, an author and a description for your Podcast. You add similar details for the episode.

Recording is a simple process and publishing is a one click process.

All that is left is to publicise your Podcast rss feed and submit it to iTunes.

It was decided that the published meeting on Thursday 29th March would be changed to focus on Podium Training rather than Audacity – which will be covered at a later date.

Please email me to advise of your availability. jdilling [at] sussex-road.kent.sch.uk.

More details of Podium can be found at http://www.podiumpodcasting.com/
The getting started guide is at http://www.podiumpodcasting.com/pdfs/podiumguide.pdf

I will be publishing a review of Podium as soon as I have had a proper play with it.

Web Graphics Tutorials

Jason Dilling — 2007-03-07T22:36:00+00:00

Lesa King is running a series of tutorials on preparing web graphics on her most useful website: www.graphicreporter.com/

Final Cut Pro v Avid Xpress DV

Jason Dilling — 2007-02-03T23:01:48+00:00

Final Cut is Apple's non-linear video editing system. It is used in high end video production by companies including the BBC>

Avid Xpress DV is the company's solution for non-linear editing. Avid Xpress DV's toolset includes professional video editing, effects, audio, titling, compositing, graphics, interoperability and digital delivery tools.

There is a comparison of the two packages here:

http://www.scottsimmons.tv/blog/the-avid-vs-fcp-articles/

Bravia Advert Behind the Scenes

Jason Dilling — 2007-02-03T22:43:59+00:00

You have probably seen the Sony Bravia advert with the paint explosions. It looks fantasic.

There is a behind the scenes video here:

http://www.bravia-advert.com/paint/behindthescenes/

Windows Vista is not Mac OS X

Jason Dilling — 2006-12-18T23:20:55+00:00

Just in case you had noticed any similarities between the new Windows Vista and Apple's established OS X, David Pogue from the New York Times has made a video review that proves they are not the same thing. Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYqA83sitz8

RapidWeaver Project Launch + Training

Jason Dilling — 2006-12-16T19:38:40+00:00

RapidWeaver Project Launch + Training
Thursday 25th January 2007

Venue: Sussex Road School

Please email to show availability.

Thanks

Kuler

Jason Dilling — 2006-12-16T19:38:36+00:00

Adobe has recently launched a colour scheme designer. This is useful for web designers as it is easy to play around with colour combinations that work well together. There is a gallery of other peoples creations which you can choose from. The downloadable colour schemes only work with Photoshop CS2 or above. You can use the apple colour picker within Photoshop Elements to lift the colours from the screen. If you want the colours to customise website css files you can simply take a note of the hex values when in create mode.
http://kuler.adobe.com/

Dorling Kindersley - Clipart

Jason Dilling — 2006-12-16T12:09:18+00:00

The clipart can be used freely in school projects and is found here:

http://uk.dk.com/static/cs/uk/11/clipart/home.html

Maths Problem Videos

Jason Dilling — 2006-12-16T12:02:09+00:00

Maths TV has some fascinating Flash movies dealing with maths problems. It is ideal for the IWB or for students to work through on their own.

www.actionmath.com/index.html

Microsoft PowerToys

Jason Dilling — 2006-12-16T11:54:36+00:00

PowerToys add fun and functionality to the Windows experience.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

Some useful tools for your digital projects are:

Image Resizer
This PowerToy enables you to resize one or many image files with a right-click.
http://download.microsoft.com/download/whistler/Install/2/WXP/EN-US/ImageResizerPowertoySetup.exe

Webcam Timershot
This PowerToy lets you take pictures at specified time intervals from a Webcam connected to your computer and save them to a location that you designat
http://download.microsoft.com/download/whistler/Install/2/WXP/EN-US/TimershotPowertoySetup.exe

HTML Slide Show Wizard
This wizard helps you create an HTML slide show of your digital pictures, ready to place on your Web site.
http://download.microsoft.com/download/f/c/a/fca6767b-9ed9-45a6-b352-839afb2a2679/HTMLSlideShowSetup.exe

British Pathe Newsreel archive

Jason Dilling — 2006-12-16T11:43:28+00:00

Beyond Pathe brings the British Pathe Newsreel archive to schools in the UK.

Beyond Pathe is a project of WMnet. It is a pilot project whose aim is to enable schools within the West Midlands to utilise the Pathe archive, which are free to use in educational establishments. The Pathe archive is huge, so the Beyond Pathe Project has focused on World War II as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the end of the war.
www.beyondpathe.org.uk/

Video Tutorials

Jason Dilling — 2006-12-16T11:00:18+00:00

Not everyone learns by reading books!
Often the best way is to watch someone else first.
Watch the recording, stop it, start it, rewind, fast forward. You can work at your own pace and see it as many times as you need.
Tutorials included on the Teach ICT website cover Word, Powerpoint, Photoshop, Excel, Flash, and Dreamweaver.
www.teach-ict.com/videohome.htm

Matrox Dual/TripleHead2Go Mac

Jason Dilling — 2006-12-07T08:16:23+00:00

Matrox DualHead2Go and TripleHead2Go for Mac

Now Mac users can benefit from Matrox's multi-monitor expertise with the award-winning Matrox DualHead2Go and TripleHead2Go products. DualHead2Go and TripleHead2Go are palm-sized boxes that connect externally to the VGA output of the compatible Mac notebooks and Mac desktops, allowing users to attach two or three monitors to their systems, creating a multi-monitor environment. See the website for the list of compatible Macs.

www.matrox.com/graphics/en/gxm/support/mac/home.php

iStopMotion Review

Jason Dilling — 2006-12-02T11:00:00+00:00

David Pogue a technology reporter from the New York Times reviews iStopMotion after a weekend playing with his family.

View Here

16mm Animation

Jason Dilling — 2006-12-02T11:00:00+00:00

A simple but effective hand drawn animation with a humorous play on a filmstrip idea.
In Quicktime format. Very easy to recreate with children.

www.christamoesker.nl/Paginas/16mm.htm

Digital Movie Maker 3

Jason Dilling — 2006-12-02T11:00:00+00:00

The Digital Blue Movie Maker has just received a much needed upgrade. It now features a memory card slot to allow expansion and easy copying to the computer allowing you to bypass the quirky software that comes packaged with the camera.
Included software Windows only.

Buy your Movie Maker 3 here:

Digital Blue
Digital Movie Maker 3 - £115

Brits to pay 70 per cent more for Office 2007

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-30T19:19:51+00:00

Confidential Microsoft figures reveal the estimated retail price of Office 2007 Ultimate edition in the UK will be a staggering £600 - 68 per cent more expensive than Microsoft's suggested US retail price.
Read more here:
www.pcpro.co.uk/news/98967/

Microsoft Zune Support

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-28T23:02:00+00:00

I couldn't help but be tickled by these entries on the support page of the new Microsoft Zune music player...

SYMPTOMS
When you try to install the Zune software on a Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition-based computer, you receive the following error message:
Operating System Not Supported

CAUSE
This issue occurs because the Zune software supports Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 with Rollup Update 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. This update is available in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 900325.

However, the Zune software does not support previous releases of Windows XP Media Center Edition.

THINGS TO TRY
1.
If you are using Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 but you do not have KB article 900325, visit the Microsoft Windows Update Web site. Then, install KB 900325 before you can install the Zune software.
Note The Zune software cannot be installed on computers that are running Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2002 or Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004.

Clear?
Fantastic!

And there's more...

If the Zune device does not appear in Device Manager, follow these steps:
1.
Connect the Zune device to another port on the computer, such as a USB port on the back of the computer. Do not use a USB hub.
2.
If this action does not resolve the issue, connect the Zune device to another computer or to an Xbox 360 console to determine whether the Zune device is detected in a different setup.
If the Zune device appears in Device Manager, register ZuneSP.dll. To do this, follow these steps:
Note A .dll file is a set of functions that can be executed or data that can be used by a Windows application. In this case, ZuneSP.dll provides the service in Windows Media Device Manager (WMDM) for Zune devices.
a.
Click Start, click Run, type regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\Zune\zunesp.dll", and then click OK. You receive the following message:

DllRegisterServer in C:\Program Files\Zune\zunesp.dll succeeded.
b.
Click OK.
4.
If Zune Software still cannot detect the Zune device, remove and then reinstall Zune Software. To do this, follow these steps:....

You can tell that Christmas morning is going to be buckets of fun!

Lightbox Photo Gallery

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-28T21:58:38+00:00

Lightbox JS is a simple, unobtrusive script used to overlay images on the current page. It's a snap to setup and works on all modern browsers.

Read more and download here:

www.huddletogether.com/projects/lightbox2/

Magnetic Photo Rope

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-24T23:47:35+00:00

Magnetic Photo Rope from photojojo.com
These are sent from America, so the postage is a bit pricey, but they do look neat.
Hang photos along a wire rope.

2 for $20 plus $10 postage.

Jonathan Ive CBE

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-23T06:57:18+00:00

Jonathan Ive, the man behind Apple's iconic iPod and iMac, has become a CBE in the New Year Honours list.

Read more here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4569912.stm

New Smart for Two

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-19T11:23:11+00:00

The new Smart for Two has been unveiled... and I want one.
It is due to hit dealers and roads in April 2007.

For in depth details and photos visit here:
www.thesmartclub.com/board/showthread.php?t=9678

See the YouTube video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooco5tId41s

The Promise of Windows "Longhorn"

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-18T19:42:57+00:00

Ready 2003... and it looked pretty...
Time has passed, and so to the dream, it seems.

The replacement for the ageing Windows XP is still not quite with us... and from all reports bears no resemblance to the promises.
Check out the video on YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=b9ifQvQCO7Y

Snapz Pro Update

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-16T23:01:12+00:00

Snapz Pro X 2 allows you to effortlessly record anything on your screen, saving it as a QuickTime® movie or screenshot that can be emailed, put up on the web, or passed around however you please. Snapz Pro X 2.0 costs $69 (£36.50)

The latest version (2.0.3) is Intel Mac compatible.
www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/snapzprox/

Podcasting Guide

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-14T21:15:51+00:00

If you are looking for my Podcasting Guide click HERE

Introduction to Podcasting Video

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-14T21:15:48+00:00

Assignment: Podcast is a mini-website dedicated to providing pupils and teachers with everything they need to know to make their own internet audio programmes.

Find out more and watch the online video guide here:
http://www.bteducation.org/img/lib/dialogics/AssignmentPodcast/index.html

Photo Story Tutorial

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-14T21:15:39+00:00

There is a good video tutorial of Microsoft Photo Story here:

http://www.bteducation.org/resources/view.ikml?id=184

The BT education resources require a free registration.

The Rasterbator

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-12T21:29:29+00:00

The Rasterbator was featured on the Gadget Show recently. Attempting to use the site in the days following the show was fruitless as the servers were obviously swamped with visitors. After a week however things are back to running smoothly and with relative speed.

The Rasterbator creates huge, rasterized images from any picture. Upload an image, print the resulting multi-page pdf file and assemble the pages into extremely cool looking poster up to 20 meters in size.

Give it a try. Images must be less than 1MB.

http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator/

Digital Media training and teaching centre

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-09T23:21:00+00:00

http://www.digitalmediacentre.org

The Digital Media Centre is found at:
South Hill Park, Ringmead, Birch Hill, Bracknell, Berks RG12 7PA
Box Office telephone- 01344 484123

Ink on Glass animations

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-09T23:16:26+00:00

Check out the examples at:
http://www.spellboundanimation.co.uk

PC maker fumes at Vista price hike

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-02T23:52:35+00:00

Leading PC manufacturer Acer has accused Microsoft of ratcheting up the cost of Windows by effectively forcing consumers to opt for the Premium version of Vista.

Acer claims that the Vista Home Basic - the new entry-level Windows - is so poorly featured that consumers will simply reject it. "The new [Vista] experience you hear of, if you get Basic, you won't feel it at all," said Jim Wong, senior corporate vice president at Acer. "There's no [Aero] graphics, no Media Center, no remote control."

Read more HERE.

Mac Expo 06

Jason Dilling — 2006-11-02T23:52:32+00:00

For photos from Mac Expo 06 click HERE

Skype Video for Mac

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-24T09:35:50+01:00

Skype for Mac 2.0 has been released after successful beta testing.
What’s new in Skype 2.0 for Mac
▪ Make video calls to anyone on Skype, no matter what kind of computer they are using.
▪ Say hello, smile, or even wave with anyone, anywhere in the world on Skype.
▪ Great quality video that just works.
▪ All for free of course.
Free to download and use
▪ Make free calls to anyone else on Skype, anywhere in the world.
▪ Chat with one person or have a group chat with up to 100 people at a time.
▪ Conference call with up to four people for free.
▪ Easily send files and photos to each other.
Find out more here:
http://share.skype.com/sites/mac/2006/10/video_goes_gold.html

Pro DJ system for the Mac

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-21T23:14:45+01:00

DJ-1800 is a complete, self-contained professional DJ system for the Mac - all you need is some amplification!
www.dj1800.com/index.php
$60 (£32)
Mac OS 10.3.9+

Flip4Mac WMV Player Pro

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-21T20:59:19+01:00

Flip4Mac WMV Player Pro allows you to import Windows Media video and audio for editing or conversion to other QuickTime formats. You can import directly into applications like Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express HD, QuickTime Pro and iMovie. You can also convert files from Windows Media to other QuickTime formats using applications like QuickTime Pro, Cleaner 6 and Sorenson Media Squeeze 4.1
$29 (£16)
www.flip4mac.com/wmv_playerpro.htm

The free player plugin for QuickTime is available from the Microsoft website:
www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/wmcomponents.mspx

Seashore Image Editor

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-21T19:53:04+01:00

Seashore is an open source image editor for OS X. It features gradients, textures and anti-aliasing for both text and brush strokes. It supports multiple layers and alpha channel editing. It is based around the GIMP's technology and uses the same native file format.
Importantly it is FREE.
http://seashore.sourceforge.net/

I'm sometimes asked why I prefer Apple computers...

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-13T22:31:52+01:00

Comparing Apple's products to its competitors' can turn out to be really fun.

Check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3A0srzrYHI

iView Media Pro

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-12T23:03:26+01:00

iView Multimedia has released a free update to its flagship digital asset management program iView MediaPro. The first comprehensive update since iView’s acquisition by Microsoft this summer, iView MediaPro 3.1.2 delivers significantly more robust performance, including clearer error reporting and improved memory handling for both Mac and Windows customers, as well as a number of minor feature enhancements.

Title Graphics for iPhoto Slideshows

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-12T22:44:40+01:00

Amazing Title Graphics for iPhoto Slideshows

Here's a great graphics trick that many people don't know. You can easily build fantastic slideshow titles right within iPhoto 6.
Find out how HERE.

Boinx FotoMagico Slide Show Software

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-12T22:05:56+01:00

Boinx FotoMagico sports a very clean and intuitive yet powerful user interface. It lets you create professional slideshows from your photos and songs in your iLife libraries with just a few, simple mouse clicks.
Mac OS X 10.3.9+
$79 (£42)
www.fotomagico.com

Boinx iVeZeen

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-12T21:57:48+01:00

With Boinx iVeZeen, you can record movie clips in various formats. Record DV clips and edit them directly in iMovie or Final Cut Express, record movies to post on a web site or send them via email.
Mac OS X 10.3.9+
$14.95 (£8)
www.ivezeen.com

Photo Mechanic

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-12T21:35:11+01:00

Compatible with both Macintosh OS X and Windows XP/2000, Photo Mechanic is a cross-platform solution for digital photographers who need to manage large quantities of photos under tight deadlines.
$150 (£80)
www.camerabits.com

Stock Music Downloads

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-12T21:23:34+01:00

Although not free, you can use the music from these stock music sites legally in Podcasts and your movies:

www.stockmusic.net

www.productiontrax.com

www.royaltyfreemusic.com

The prices reflect the fact that you will be broadcasting / sharing your finished work.

Soundslides Storytelling Software

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-12T21:11:29+01:00

Their website descibes it as "Ridiculously simple storytelling".... and goes on to say: "Soundslides is a rapid production tool for still image and audio web presentations."

Having downloaded it to try it, it seems rather clunky and alien in the way that it works. The interface is neither Mac like nor Windows like.
It may be worth a try if you have a Windows PC. If you have a mac, you are better off sticking with iPhoto or iMovie for your slide shows.

It runs on OS X and Windows XP.
$39.95 (£21)
www.soundslides.com

Creating iStopMotion Flipbooks

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-12T20:53:28+01:00

iStopMotion in Education
Creating Flipbooks

Flipbook printing is a very cool feature added to iStopMotion with version 1.9. Why is it so cool? It allows students to take their work with them and show it to friends and family in a very low tech way. They can take possession of their work and proudly share it with others.

Find out how at www.istopmotion.com/articles/flipbooks/

iStopMotion featured film

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-12T20:48:08+01:00

Darcy Prendergast is a 21 year old clay animator from Melbourne Australia. At 21, he has already achieved international success with his animated films, and continues to push the boundaries of the medium with the aid of iStopMotion. "iStopMotion is on the same level as sliced bread, or the invention of television…… to an animator at least", he says.
Find out more at: www.istopmotion.com/articles/prendergast/

School Nights at the Apple Store

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-10T21:08:34+01:00

School Nights give students and schools a chance to showcase the great work they’re doing on the Mac. Invite parents, students, friends and teachers to the Apple Store for an evening presentation. Then watch the place spring to life with historical documentaries, poetry books, digital science reports, original music recordings and more. Sign up now

Morgan photos

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-09T23:22:59+01:00

The latest photos of Morgan can be seen here.

Photos from Apple Expo Paris 2006

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-09T07:43:55+01:00

To see the photo gallery from this year's Apple Expo 2006 in Paris, click HERE.

Pixen - paint and animation

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-08T22:11:59+01:00

Bitmap graphics in style
Pixen is an innovative graphics editor for the Mac. It's designed from top to bottom for pixel artists—people who make low-resolution raster art like the sprites you see in old video games. But it's great for artists of all arenas: Pixen is like a very powerful MSPaint or a simpler, more agile Photoshop. Allows bitmap animation. And best of all, it's Free!
www.opensword.org/Pixen/

Purple and Brown

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-05T21:19:56+01:00

Simple models, simple story lines. Very effective.
Check out Purple and Brown for inspiration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJdBrpX71l8
'Gum' and 'Halloween' are my favourites.

ICT Conference DV Display

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-05T21:03:00+01:00

Movies created by children from Sussex Road School, Woodlands Junior School, Hadlow School, and St Margaret Clitherow School were on display at the ICT Conference for Leading Teachers 27th September 2006.

Dr Helen Smith was impressed by the quality of the videos and intrigued by the diminutive Mac mini.... with the fantastic comment "What is THAT?"

Thanks to Mandy Barrow for the photos.

Display Eater - Screen Capture Tool

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-05T21:00:00+01:00

Display Eater is a piece of software that allows you to screencast.
You can record streaming video to disk or make video tutorials.

Mac OS X
http://reversecode.com/displayEater/displayeater.html
Price: $17 (£9)

iShowU - Screen Capture Tool

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-05T20:19:00+01:00

iShowU - software to capture and record video from your screen into a Quicktime movie, in realtime.
Create tutorials, make a demo for the web.

Max OS X
http://shinywhitebox.com/index.html
Very inexpensive £11. Sounds useful. In its early stages of development and is not altogether stable.

Quicktime to Screensaver Conversion

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-05T20:11:00+01:00

If you visit http://iscreensaver.com/ you will be able to find out how you could convert your quicktime movie creations into a screensaver to work under Mac OS X or Windows.

From $29 (£16)

Mac OS X Instant Slide Shows

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-05T19:39:03+01:00

Mac OS X Tip of the Week: Instant Slide Shows

Say you have a bunch of photos in a particular folder — did you know that you can view them as a slide show with just a few clicks
Find out how HERE.

Note: This technique needs OS X 10.4 or above.

Perian Codecs for Quicktime

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-05T19:16:04+01:00

Perian is a free plugin that enables QuickTime to play almost every popular video format.

With Perian installed, any OS X application that uses QuickTime can now use these additional media types:
• Divx, XviD, FLV, AVI
• MS-MPEG4 v1, MS-MPEG4 v2, MS-MPEG4 v3, DivX 3.11 alpha, 3ivX, Sorenson H.263, Flash Screen Video, Truemotion VP6
• These formats when they are inside an AVI:
h.264, mpeg4, AAC, AC3 Audio, and VBR MP3.

Note: Perian requires 10.4.7

http://perian.org/

The inclusion of this software link is not a recommendation.
I have no personal experience of this software.
It appears to bring useful features.

Cinematrix 3

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-05T07:03:00+01:00

Cinematrix 3, enables pupils and teachers to mix music and video in real time. It can bring together many multi-media tools already being used in schools such as cameras, music software etc. This produces impressive results instantly and easily. Cinematrix 3.0 can mix twenty channels of audio and video in real time, using pre-installed files. A pupil can also easily capture and load in their videos, photos and music to create documentaries, presentations and music videos.Teachers have found that Cinematrix has helped pupils to explore, develop, share and exhange idea as well as evaluate and develop their work.
www.taglearning.com
Price: from £49.00 (excl. VAT)

See Simple Viewer in action

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-04T23:55:00+01:00

Take a look at Simpleviewer in action with some recent photos of my son Morgan.

Click HERE

Guide to setting up a Podcast

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-03T23:52:00+01:00

Find out how to set up a Podcast in my step-by-step guide:

Click HERE

PostcardViewer

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-03T23:30:07+01:00

PostcardViewer is a free Flash image viewer. The interface is based on the real world metaphor of a set of postcards shuffled onto a surface.

www.airtightinteractive.com/projects/postcardviewer/

AutoViewer

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-03T23:10:38+01:00

AutoViewer is a free Flash image viewer. AutoViewer is designed to display a linear sequence of images and caption.
It's really slick.
www.airtightinteractive.com/projects/autoviewer/

Simple Viewer 1.8

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-03T22:51:42+01:00

Simple Viewer is a flash based photo gallery tool for web creation.

The galleries produced are very slick.
Download it here:
http://www.airtightinteractive.com/simpleviewer/

iPhoto Export 1.7

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-03T22:46:14+01:00

Simple viewer is a great photo gallery generator for web sites. iPhoto Export 1.7 allows you to easily make SimpleViewer galleries from iPhoto. www.hagus.net

Adobe Captivate 2

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-01T22:28:17+01:00

Screen Capture

Use Adobe Captivate 2 to record any application quickly and easily. Adobe Captivate 2 automatically includes text captions, editable mouse movements, and highlights.
|(Windows)
http://www.adobe.com/products/captivate/

Snapz Pro X 2.0.3 Update

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-01T22:07:08+01:00

Ambrosia Software, Inc. announced today the release of Snapz Pro X 2.0.3, an Intel-compatible update to the popular video capture product Snapz Pro X. This updated version, which is free to registered users of Snapz Pro X 2.0.x, may be downloaded here:

http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/snapzprox/

New version of iStop Motion

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-01T21:20:31+01:00

Update your version of iStop Motion.
This version adds compatibility to include Intel Macs.
www.istopmotion.com

Stop Motion Pro

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-01T20:59:17+01:00

Stop Motion Pro is a software tool for making stop motion and other animated films. It requires a video camera, webcam or digital still camera and is compatible with Win XP.

iSquint video conversion

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-01T20:59:14+01:00

iSquint is an iPod video conversion app for Mac OS X.
It's many times faster than QuickTime Pro, works with almost all popular video formats, and it's infinitely free-er.
It's also really easy.
Just drag in your file, and click Start.
You can also choose "TV" or "iPod" size, set your quality, or even go all-out by playing in the Advanced drawer.
On a 1GHz G4, iSquint can convert most video files to iPod-screen-sized videos in realtime.

You can of course play the converted movies back on the computer
FREE
www.isquint.org/

VR Movies

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-01T20:59:11+01:00

VR Movies are excellent!
With SimplyVR, you get two software tools that let you turn digital images into exciting interactive virtual reality. Using SimplyVR, you can show someone the places you have visited or the environments you have created. Create a virtual tour of your school and its grounds. The Mac version seems very out dated and only runs in OS 9 not OS X. This would mean that it would not work on the current Intel based Macs. It needs Quicktime 7 on Windows and apparently runs happily on Windows XP.

$30 (£20)

www.tech4learning.com/simplyvr/index.html
The site also links to examples of VR, quite literally, in motion.

Slick Caption

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-01T20:59:08+01:00

Whether used for training, education, or translation purposes, Slick Caption is the easy and affordable solution for adding captions to your digital video.

The software imports a DV movie created in iMovie, Final Cut Express/Pro or other video editing software. Text files can be imported, or the text can be typed in the program. There are various formatting options for displaying the captions.

Matching the text to the dialog in the video is a simple as pressing a key while watching the video. There are simple controls to change the timing of the captions by dragging markers in the timeline or “nudging” with the keyboard arrow keys.

When you are finished, just export the movie as a DV clip which can be output to tape or DVD.

Cost $49.99 (£27)

Visit www.gee3.com

Animation Web Links

Jason Dilling — 2006-10-01T20:59:03+01:00

Look at these web sites for more great ideas for using clay animation in your classroom!

General Information:
Youth Media International
KLICK - Getting Started with Clay Animation
Stop-Motion Animation
Student Corner at Animation World Magazine
Animate Clay

Teaching Animation:
Library of Congress - History of Animation
Making Flipsticks
Simple Animation Techniques

Professional Examples:
Aardman Animations
Aardman's Creature Comforts
Aardman's Wallace and Gromit
Vinton Studios
Fun House Films
John Lemmon Films

Samples:
Animation and Effects
STLP Summer Camp

Stop Frame Animation

Jason Dilling — 2006-09-28T22:32:47+01:00

iStop Motion does its job perfectly. However choice is always a good thing:

With Frames students can create stop-motion animated stories using pictures of clay characters they make, stop-motion pictures from a DV or USB camera, pictures they have taken with a digital camera, or pictures they have drawn or painted.

Single (Mac-Windows Hybrid CD) $44.95 (£24)
www.tech4learning.com/frames/index.html

Animation Course

Jason Dilling — 2006-09-28T20:19:27+01:00

Animation for Education October 9th in London on the Steam ship SS Robin.
For more details email oscar@animationforeducation.co.uk

Make your own ebooks

Jason Dilling — 2006-09-28T03:33:00+01:00

Create Your Own Microsoft Reader eBooks
Create eBooks from Microsoft Word version 2002 or Microsoft Word version 2003 files at the click of a button. The Read in Microsoft Reader (RMR) add-in for Microsoft Word enables you to convert any Word document into a Microsoft Reader format eBook in just a few simple steps. Windows only.

Download HERE.

Mac OS X Tips

Jason Dilling — 2006-08-31T11:48:00+01:00

Even if you are not new to the Apple Mac, you are bound to pick up some useful tips at the Apple Pro Tips pages:

http://www.apple.com/uk/pro/tips/

Day in a Day Video

Jason Dilling — 2006-08-31T11:47:39+01:00

The children were part of the 'Day in a Day' video project.
Watch the video that they filmed and edited and published... all in one day!
Click HERE for the video. (Quicktime 7 required)

For an evaluation of the Day in a Day Video click HERE.

Podcaster

Jason Dilling — 2006-07-04T22:13:15+01:00

A podcast is an effective method of publishing recorded talk and music through the internet, in a way that will automatically share your material with your listeners.

Podcaster allows you to produce enhanced podcasts.
Check it out www.kudlian.net/products/podcaster/

Podcast Maker

Jason Dilling — 2006-07-04T21:43:01+01:00

Podcast Maker is a tool for Mac OS X that makes podcasting simple.

The tutorial video at www.potionfactory.com/podcastmaker/ shows how fantastically easy it is to create a Podcast from an exisiting mp3 recording. It produces the XML code to go with your recording. What it doesn't do is register the podcast with iTunes. You will need to do that yourself manually.

It allows you to make enhanced podcasts with chapters and integrated graphics.

Visual Hub

Jason Dilling — 2006-07-03T23:56:00+01:00

Visual Hub from Techspansion software allows you to easily convert video from one format to another. At the 'easy' level there are few choices to make before getting the job done.
The Advanced panel of VisualHub allows every aspect of encoding to be modified. Automatically crop, change the size, the framerate, the bitrate, the decoding method, and much more. Helpfully the software warns you before you make advanced changes - "Don't - You'll screw it all up!".

Features:
• Fast conversion from nearly every video format to iPod, PSP, DV, DVD, AVI, MP4, WMV, MPEG and Flash.
• Convert any file in three steps. Click, drag, click.
• Fit up to 18 hours of video on one DVD. Play it in any standalone DVD player.
• Xgrid support. Use the power of every Mac on your network for batch encoding.
• QuickTime Pro or special plugins not required.
• DivX/XviD AVIs, all forms of MPEG video, and many other formats QuickTime struggles with are supported.
• Batch Processing of multiple files. Save in-place, or to a different folder.
• Very comprehensive Advanced panel to modify every aspect of encoding.
• Dynamic Preview - See results before beginning a long encode.
• Stitch multiple files together to combine videos.
• Highly detailed, informative Users Guide.
• Universal Binary for PowerPC and Intel Macs.

Visit www.techspansion.com/visualhub/ for more details and to download & purchase.

Pivot Stick Animator

Jason Dilling — 2006-07-03T22:00:00+01:00

Pivot Stick Animator is an excellent way for children to get into animation. Windows XP.
www.snapfiles.com/get/stickfigure.html

Sony HC35 - Poor picture quality!!!

Jason Dilling — 2006-06-28T00:21:32+01:00

I recently bought a camcorder for my own personal use. Despite having always bought Canon kit before, I went for the Sony HC35 mostly because it was by far the most comfortable compact camcorder I have ever used. It fitted perfectly into the palm of my hand with all controls readily available. The firewire in/out connector was on a docking station, but I was prepared to put up with this.

Sadly the picture quality from the HC35 was the worst I have ever seen. It has currently been sent back to Sony service for repair. There was massive fringing on any moderately contrasty areas. There was also very noticeable stepping in lines. Although not present in quite the same degree, the other examples of this model at Currys exhibited poor quicture quality.

Avoid this camcorder.

Plug-ins for RapidWeaver

Jason Dilling — 2006-05-30T22:26:51+01:00

As elegant and simple as RapidWeaver is, there are some page layouts that are difficult if not impossible with the package in its vanilla state. The different page designs within RapidWeaver are produced by plug-ins. These can be joined by 3rd party plug-ins to bring more versatility and extra creative effects.

I have been using a number of plug-ins available from www.yourhead.com . If you take a trip to my shop page and you will see columns in action. Collage is also simple to use and very effective. Blocks needs a bit more understanding and can lead to unexpected results if care isn't taken.

The plug-ins cost between about £4.50 and £10. Once you have used columns and collage you will wonder how you lived without them.

New MacBooks from Apple

Jason Dilling — 2006-05-20T20:21:27+01:00

The Apple MacBook is the replacement for the popular iBook.
Visually it is very similar, though is simplified in that it has no latch to keep the lid closed - using magnets instead.
The screen is improved and has the option of a gloss finish that looks bright and sharp.... though is more prone to reflections and fingerprints.
The screen is widescreen in aspect ratio, which feels more natural to look at after having used a wide screen for some years now. The 13" measurement is perfectly usable but allows the MacBook to remain compact for transporting it.

The MacBook is significantly faster than the machine it replaces. According to Apple it is 5x faster. It uses the new line of Intel Core Duo processors. Full specs HERE.

The keyboard is slightly odd in look as the keys have flat tops and spaces in between - a bit like a calculator. It is however perfectly comfortable to type on... though not as good as the PowerBook I am using right now.

These machines start at £599+VAT (EDUCATION) including the excellent iLife package which allows creative work with digital video, music and photos. These laptops would be a fantastic tool in the classroom.

£719+VAT (EDUCATION) gets a faster processor and a DVD writer to burn movies and data to DVD.

Classy Glassy Store

Jason Dilling — 2006-05-20T20:21:00+01:00

It just had to be done.... would have been a bit rude not to.

Photo Courtesy of Apple

Animation for Education

Jason Dilling — 2006-05-18T09:32:13+01:00

Oscar Stringer is a leading animation in education practitioner in the UK. He has authored and designed an animation toolkit aimed at education.

The toolkit is designed to give pupils of all ages an understanding of the basic principles of animation and guide them through the different stages of making their first stop-motion animation film.

The toolkit is purchased on CD ROM and can be toured at: http://animationforeducation.thewhole.co.uk/index.htm

The cost is £40.

There are also examples on the website of work created by pupils.

The art of time lapse video

Jason Dilling — 2006-05-18T08:42:31+01:00

If you were ever in doubt that time lapse can be an art form in its own right, check out the video demo at Pixelstream.com.

Their website is another fine example of RapidWeaver in action.

Still Art in Motion

Jason Dilling — 2006-05-18T08:38:29+01:00

Artist Daniel Rossi uses digital video to capture the making of his artwork.
Check out the "Making of Movies" on his website.
Children could just as easily use the same techniques to chronical the changes in their master pieces as they are created.

Mac OS X tips

Jason Dilling — 2006-05-10T22:27:45+01:00

The more you use a system, the more shortcuts you find that help to speed up productivity.
Why not accelerate your learning?
Take a look at the Mac OS X tips:
www.apple.com/pro/tips/

Revelation Natural Art

Jason Dilling — 2006-05-09T11:38:12+01:00

Revelation Natural Art by Logotron is a art package that allows the user to create art-work with the look of natural media - such as chalk or water colour. Although I have not personally used the package, the results and the applications to which it has been put are impressive. Check out the gallery on the Logotron website.

The software has an animation feature that allows you to produce animated cartoons with a true 'hand drawn' look, but also show how you arrived at your final masterpiece.

Examples in the gallery also show the use of symmetry and repeated pattern.

Cost for the software alone is £55.
Special offer: Cost of VOLITO pressure sensitive graphics tablet and pen from Wacom including REVELATION NATURAL ART is £79.
Extended School Licences covering pupil and teacher home use are available - Telephone: 01223 425558 x. 795

RapidWeaver Web Design Project

Jason Dilling — 2006-05-04T21:41:29+01:00

Nine of the Primary Schools in Tonbridge, Kent have signed up for the RapidWeaver Web Design Project. There may be more to come.... drop me a line...

Each school will receive a copy of RapidWeaver and Photoshop Elements.

RapidWeaver makes it fantastically easy to combine photos, text and movie files in a website that can be quickly built upon.

The initial work would be to prepare a ‘theme’ for RapidWeaver that was individual to the school.

Follow on work would be to structure a site and build the content to create a working site.

Further development could be to train additional teachers or a whole staff into how to use the software.

Once up and running, the sites will be linked to from this site to showcase the work.

There is a video interview with one of the creators of RapidWeaver here.

DV Project Grows!

Jason Dilling — 2006-05-04T21:38:54+01:00

Entering its second phase, the DV Project is growing. Three new schools are joining the original ones.
Stocks Green, Capel and St Stephens will all receive an Apple Mac mini, a DV camera, and a microphone.

To allow for easy support and a standardised software base across all of the schools, the existing Mac minis will be upgraded to OS 10.4 with iLife 06, which is of course standard on the new Mac minis.

Welcome to all of you.

Exciting times are ahead.

New Discussion Board

Jason Dilling — 2006-05-04T21:38:52+01:00

I have set up a new discussion board to allow members of the DV Project to support each other and offer tips.
Visit the board HERE or follow the link from the front page. I hope you find it useful.

New version of iStopMotion

Jason Dilling — 2006-05-04T21:38:48+01:00

iStopMotion 1.9.2 - Import Images

Schools within the Tonbridge DV Project have iStopMotion software and unlock key.

Now create animations and time lapse movies from your scanned drawings, pictures you took long time ago, or any other images that you have on your harddrive. iStopMotion 1.9.2 now also handles RAW format files.

The advantage of importing the pictures into iStopMotion before iMovie is that they will be combined into a single DV file which does not have the restrictions of single 'stills' in iMovie. As such you are free to add transitions and titles of lengths that would not be possible with a series of individual stills to make up the animation. iMovie is more efficient at working with true DV files than it is with a series of still images.
Tip: You can use this new feature to easily change a time lapse movie's frame rate. Simply export all frames, create a new movie with the desired frame rate and reimport all frames using the convenient menu commands.

iStopMotion 1.9.2 is available as a free upgrade for registered users of iStopMotion 1.x versions from our website where you can also request a trial license.

QuickTime 7

Jason Dilling — 2006-04-29T12:01:45+01:00

Why use QuickTime format for your movies?
QuickTime 7 Player takes advantage of the latest video compression technology. It’s called H.264, and it’s an important new industry standard that’s quickly gathered widespread support. Chosen as the industry-standard codec for 3GPP (mobile multimedia), MPEG-4 HD-DVD and Blu-ray, H.264 represents the next generation of video for everything from mobile multimedia to high-definition playback.

It's ultra-efficient, the H.264 codec compresses video tightly — resulting in much smaller files — without sacrificing any quality. So you can watch video of astonishing quality — crisp, clear and brilliantly saturated — in a window up to four times the size you are currently used to seeing.

If you haven't upgraded to QuickTime 7, visit www.apple.com/quicktime/ for your free player download.

Rip DVD video

Jason Dilling — 2006-04-29T09:59:42+01:00

If you have ever burnt a DVD to disc and deleted your original Quicktime or DV files you will appreciate the power of a tool that will allow you to rip the movie back from the DVD to allow for web sharing or further editing.

Handbrake is an Open Source program which means that a collaborative approach has been taken by the computing community to develop it. Think of the community as volunteer programmers working to provide tools in return for donations.

As such Handbrake can be downloaded and used for free.

The program is easy to use.
It should be noted of course that, as ever, video takes a mammoth amount of disk space so check that you have enough space before you start ripping a DVD.

Handbrake can rip the contents of almost any DVD film, though consideration should be given to copyright laws relating to the material.

Photoshop / Photoshop Elements Tutorials

Jason Dilling — 2006-04-27T23:02:02+01:00

At GraphicReporter.com, you will find weekly hints and tips for using Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.
Applicable to Mac and Windows. Usually very straight forward but effective.
Here is the latest tip in action to give Morgan, my son, an interesting frame.

Click HERE for the tips.

Art Rage 2 is released

Jason Dilling — 2006-04-27T22:27:27+01:00

Art Rage is an Open Source natural media painting package.
The new version has vastly improved performance, and as it seems so far, stability.
There is a free version that can be used to create some stunning pieces of art work.
Check it out - for both Mac and Win.
http://www.ambientdesign.com/artrage.html

Mac does Windows too!

Jason Dilling — 2006-04-07T21:28:08+01:00

Apple has introduced Boot Camp, software that enables Intel-based Macs to run Windows XP. Once installed, users can restart their Mac to run either Mac OS X or Windows XP. Available now as a free download, Boot Camp will be a feature in “Leopard”, Apple’s next major release of Mac OS X, that will be previewed at Apple’s upcoming Worldwide Developer Conference in August.

“Boot Camp does exactly what it’s supposed to, and with the relative ease you’d expect from Apple software”, writes Ken Mingis in Digit Magazine.

http://www.digitmag.co.uk/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=5663

Digital photo / video tips

Jason Dilling — 2006-04-01T09:17:06+01:00

The Adobe site has a section aimed at helping children get the most from digital imagery. The presentation is dry but the tips are useful.

http://www.adobe.com/education/digkids/tips/main.html

They also have a story board pdf that can be downloaded:

http://www.adobe.com/education/digkids/intro_video/support/storyboard.pdf

Day in a Day Project

Jason Dilling — 2006-04-01T09:17:01+01:00

At the cluster meeting 16th March 2006, the Day in a Day Video Project was announced.

The Day in a Day project is open to all schools that took part in this year's DV project.

The plan...
Each school will produce a video of a day in the life of a school. Shot in a day. Edited in a day and finally published to DVD and the web.
Pupils will use time lapse video, photo slide shows, video, voice overs and music accompaniments to bring the school day - dawn 'til dusk - into a five minute video.
Up for the challenge?
Email me for details.

Rapid Weaver Demo

Jason Dilling — 2006-03-16T20:12:21+00:00

Also at the cluster meeting, I demonstrated how a stylish web site can be created quickly and easily using Rapid Weaver.

If you have a Mac, head to www.realmacsoftware.com and download your free demo version.

Were you at the demo?

Email me your thoughts.

Irish Children Fulfilled by Film

Jason Dilling — 2006-03-16T09:59:00+00:00

Teaching through film is helping Ireland’s children learn key skills in communication, teamwork, problem solving and critical thinking, according to the Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin. The Government’s FÍS film project has proved such a success that all of Ireland’s 3,500 primary schools will soon be using film right across the teaching curriculum.

Apple technology is at the centre of this unique education project. “The three watch words for FÍS are simplicity, connectivity and creativity”, says Creative Director Ciarán McCormack. “Apple gets ticks in all three boxes. The hardware and the software are so intuitive that teachers and children can just get on with what the project is all about — making and using films to learn”.

Schools have found that FÍS delivers a wide range of benefits, some of them quite unexpected. Collaborative skills, articulacy, decision making and creativity are all developed using film, many schools have indicated.

For more info click HERE

Web Development

Jason Dilling — 2006-02-21T21:45:25+00:00

I have chatted to Roger Waddingham about the possibility of giving some Web Development training.
I use a fantastic, easy to use, VERY cheap package called Rapid Weaver for the Apple Mac.
As all schools involved in the DV Project have a Mac mini. For £20 outlay they could use it to develop a school website.
The Sussex Road website www.sussex-road.kent.sch.uk , and my own website www.jasondilling.co.uk are built using Rapid Weaver.
Having worked on websites for around ten years, it is refreshing to come across a program that really makes easy work of what can be a really technical process.
I am confident that I can demonstrate the building of a fully functional website in just 5 minutes.
If you are interested in finding out more, get in touch.

Hands on Support Visits

Jason Dilling — 2006-02-21T21:44:24+00:00

As part of my role as a leading teacher for ICT, I am required to spend time in schools to develop the skills of staff and pupils.
As none of the schools produced stop frame animation films for their projects, I am proposing that this will be the focus of the work / training carried out during the visits this term. A group of around 6 children will work with the designated teacher under my guidance.

I have one booking so far from Steph Apps at Woodlands school (Friday 10th March pm).
I am suggesting that all the visits should take place on afternoons so that there is not the pressure of having to get back to teach afterwards.
I will try to space out visits at least a fortnight apart to try to lessen the impact on my own class teaching.

Note that it is the individual school's responsibility for funding supply cover for the teacher taking part in a Hands on Support training session as the video editing equipment was supplied instead of supply funding.

Please email me to arrange a date suitable for your school.

I will forward details of pre-visit requirements once further bookings have been made.

For schools wishing to take the training to a wider audience, it may be possible for me to run some twilight training sessions for staff. If you are interested in this, let me know.

DV Showcase

Jason Dilling — 2006-02-21T21:39:26+00:00

Teachers came to look at the published video work and ask questions.

DV Showcase

The DV Showcase and related display stand at the TLF joint INSET day attracted a fair level of interest and some very favourable comments:

"An impressive display....", "Can we be involved too ?....", "You filmed that when OFSTED were in?!"

Thanks in particular to Steph Apps from Woodlands, Frani Hoskins from Sussex Road, and Richard Palmer from St Margaret Clitherow for the efforts they put into getting videos published and work on display.

It was understandable that some schools were not able to display work due to unforeseen circumstances such as OFSTED visits and the like.

Movie Portfolio

Even if we have not seen your completed project videos, I would like to have a copy of each to add to a portfolio and possibly, with appropriate permission, publish to the web. Please could you forward a CDR containing a QuickTime movie of each completed film to me at Sussex Road School TN9 2TP. Ideally QuickTime size should be at least 640x480. If you need help doing this, just ask. Any accompanying photos of the children actually working with the DV camera or the Mac mini would be lovely. If you feel able to write a brief commentary this would also be helpful. Digital copies of photos and commentary could go onto the CDR. A DVD version of your work is also fine if you no longer have the editable material.

Movie Maker 2 Tutorials

Jason Dilling — 2006-02-20T20:15:27+00:00

There are important differences between the ways that iMovie on the Mac and Movie Maker on Windows handle video files. These clear video tutorials give useful advice and guide you through the process of editing video footage and publishing as final movies.

Take a look at: http://www.atomiclearning.com/moviemaker2

Ironically the tutorials are in QuickTime format!

RapidWeaver at Apple Store

Jason Dilling — 2006-02-01T00:31:48+00:00

On February 8th, Real Mac Software are going to be demoing RapidWeaver at the Apple Store in Regent Street, London.

They have an hour slot in the theater from 7:00 till 8:00pm. As well as demoing RapidWeaver 3.2, they'll also be looking at how it compares to iWeb and taking a sneak peak at the forthcoming version of RapidWeaver (v3.5).

Twilight Meeting

Jason Dilling — 2006-02-01T00:31:44+00:00

If you are taking part in the DV Project, you are invited to a twilight meeting at Sussex Road School at 4:00pm.
The plan is to discuss progress and share examples of work.
Hopefully we can make suggestions to polish up the videos ready for the TLF INSET on 20th Feb

Apple Teacher Institute 2006

Jason Dilling — 2006-02-01T00:31:41+00:00

Apple Teacher Institute 2006 will take place at Malvern College in Worcestershire from April 18th to 21st. Aimed at creative educators, Apple Teacher Institutes are fee-paying, residential courses that are designed to meet a wide variety of technology professional development needs, from basic technical knowledge to advanced leadership skills.

Find out more:- http://www.apple.com/uk/education/ati/

Video Storytelling Guide

Jason Dilling — 2006-02-01T00:31:37+00:00

The Atomic Learning website gives video tutorials on many popular computer packages, both Mac and PC. They also give this helpful tutorial on basic video filming.
http://www.atomiclearning.com/storytellingindex.shtml

BETT 2006

Jason Dilling — 2006-02-01T00:31:33+00:00

Click HERE for a report on BETT 2006

Editing .avi movie clips

Jason Dilling — 2006-02-01T00:31:30+00:00

It is simple and quick to edit .avi movie clips from digital stills cameras. For a simple guide click HERE

Apple Reports First Quarter Results

Jason Dilling — 2006-01-19T21:53:00+00:00

Apple shipped 1,254,000 Macintosh computers and 14,043,000 iPods during the quarter ending Dec 31st 05, representing 20 percent growth in Macs and 207 percent growth in iPods over the year-ago quarter.

For more details click HERE

Welcome

Jason Dilling — 2006-01-18T22:48:00+00:00

I was appointed Leading Teacher for ICT in December 2004. I am working with ten primary schools from the Tonbridge area of Kent. The initial project will involve Digital Video for movie making. Teachers will learn how to use the different aspects of movie making to support learning in the classroom.

Baby Morgan is born!

Jason Dilling — 2005-11-24T22:04:00+00:00

18th November 2005 was an eventful day, baby Morgan was born.
For photos and news check out his website: www.morgandilling.co.uk

Podcast Maker

Jason Dilling — 2005-11-16T21:25:00+00:00

Podcast Maker is a tool for Mac OS X that makes podcasting simple. Novices can become podcasters and professionals can podcast without having to do XML situps. Create enhanced podcasts with your images and links to take your podcast to the next level.

Check it out: http://www.potionfactory.com/index.html

Special Event: Apple Store, Regent Street, London

Jason Dilling — 2005-11-10T22:21:00+00:00

On November 15th, RealMacSoftware are going to be demoing RapidWeaver at the Apple Store in Regent Street, London.

They have an hour slot in the theater from 7:00 till 8:00pm, As well as demoing RapidWeaver, they'll also be doing a short Q&A session.

After the session, they're going to be giving away 100 limited edition demo CD's, Realmac stickers and some printed material (includes a 20% off code), to everyone who attends.

Check out Apple's website for the official details.

Flash MP3 player for your website

Jason Dilling — 2005-11-04T20:31:00+00:00

If you want a slick way to allow visitors to access mp3 recordings on your website, check out:

http://www.jeroenwijering.com/?item=Flash_MP3_Player

Stop Frame Animation courses for teachers

Jason Dilling — 2005-11-04T20:31:00+00:00

Oscar Stringer from South Street Studios provides training for teachers both in the technical side of animation and how to apply it in the classroom

He can work with up to 20 teachers at a time and supplies all the necessary equipment.

Costs are £400 per day plus travel & accommodation.

Contact
Oscar Stringer
Director
38 South Street
Corsham
Wilts SN13 9HB

Mobile: 07974 764849
e-mail: southstreet@easynet.co.uk

Using iLife packages in education

Jason Dilling — 2005-11-04T20:30:00+00:00

Check out:

http://www.apple.com/uk/education/ilife/

Workshop Sessions at the Apple Store Bluewater

Jason Dilling — 2005-11-04T20:30:00+00:00

If you need a bit of extra help mastering the iLife packages, take a trip to the Apple Store at Bluewater.
Click the link for a calendar of events:

http://www.apple.com/uk/retail/bluewater/

BETT SHOW 2006

Jason Dilling — 2005-11-04T20:29:00+00:00

Polaroid Style pictures

Jason Dilling — 2005-10-30T21:18:00+00:00

If you want Polaroid style pictures for your website or video production upload the photo to your webspace then head to:

http://polaroidonizer.b3ta.org/

to apply the effect.

View the classic Amiga Animations in a web browser

Jason Dilling — 2005-10-28T11:13:00+01:00

Eric Schwartz was a legend in the days of the Amiga. The Amiga was well ahead of its time for graphics and animation. Eric Schwartz was the best known and most creative of the animators of the time.

Until recently the only way to watch the animations was to run them on Amiga hardware or an emulated system. There is now a collection of animations, including most, if not all of those by Eric Schwartz.

Take a look at:
http://www.randelshofer.ch/animations/index.html
The animation techniques and comical elements to the story lines will be an inspiration to animators starting out today.

www.isighted.com

Jason Dilling — 2005-10-24T23:58:00+01:00

This site gives details of video conferencing ideas and resources.

http://www.isighted.com/

Meeting for DV Project members

Jason Dilling — 2005-10-05T22:36:00+01:00

Friday 7th October 2005, the members of the TLF DV Project are meeting at Sussex Road School from 4:00pm until 5:30pm.

Bring any video work on CD, DVD or your Mac mini.
You do not need to bring keyboard, mouse etc. as you can use ours.

Rapidweaver 3.2 public beta is due out on Friday

Jason Dilling — 2005-10-05T22:30:00+01:00

The next version of Rapid Weaver adds even more helpful features and allows you to make variations within the themes that are installed.

Check out www.realmacsoftware.com for details and download.

If you are in the TLF DV Project, I have a discount code for you to use if you are interested.

Free opensource FTP program

Jason Dilling — 2005-10-05T22:29:00+01:00

If you are looking for a good free FTP program for Mac OS X, then take a look at Cyberduck. It comes highly recommended by MacWorld. If you find it fits your needs you can make a donation to show your appreciation.
http://cyberduck.ch/

This would be particularly useful if you are having problems publishing with the inbuilt FTP feature of Rapid Weaver.

Clips from the Creative Archive are now available online

Jason Dilling — 2005-10-01T23:06:00+01:00

The first batch of clips from the Creative Archive are now available online for download in QuickTime, Windows Media and MPEG-1 format.
Individual and education users can incorporate these in their own non-commercial video materials under the terms of the Creative Archive Licence. Nearly 100 BBC clips are now available.

http://creativearchive.bbc.co.uk/index.html

Encoding to H264 - Tutorial

Jason Dilling — 2005-10-01T22:52:00+01:00

The new H264 Codec allows high quality video to be compressed to much lower file sizes than ever before.

Check out the apple site for the tutorial:

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/tutorials/h264.html

Iomega Mini Maxi External Hard Drive

Jason Dilling — 2005-10-01T19:35:00+01:00

Visit http://www.iomega-europe.com/eu/en/index_en.aspx to check out the new external hard drive made to match the Mac mini

Apple Expo Paris 2005 Photos

Jason Dilling — 2005-10-01T13:38:00+01:00

Apple Expo Paris 2005 was bursting with new ideas to take working with the Mac further ahead of the competition.
I was there.
Here we see four way video conferencing using the built in technology of Tiger OS X 10.4.

Rotoscoping special effect tutorial on Mac User website

Jason Dilling — 2005-09-28T20:35:00+01:00

If you have mastered the basics of DV capture and editing, you may want to build on your skills with the Rotoscoping tutorial on the Mac User website. Originally released at the time of iMovie 4, the guide can still be applied with little changed for iMovie 5. Stretch your more able children!

For details click HERE

Rapid Weaver 3.2 is on its way !

Jason Dilling — 2005-09-26T22:08:00+01:00

For schools in the TLF Video Project, I have a special discount code giving 20% off when it is released in October.
Watch the video HERE, then drop me a line for the code.
Visit www.realmacsoftware.com for more details.

iDive Video Management Software

Jason Dilling — 2005-09-25T11:55:00+01:00

This software looked fantastic. It allows you to catalogue video footage in much the same way as you do photos in iPhoto. You can add descriptions and info that will be useful for you to find clips at a future date. It handles everything that you want to throw its way, including Quicktime and DV format material. The effects of the video slideshows are out of this world. You can export individual sections of video clips to iMovie or Final Cut to be added to an ongoing project.

It can be tried out for free at:
http://www.aquafadas.com/index.html

Educational rates are available.
From arounf 40€

Video Conferencing between Mac & Mac and Mac & PC.

Jason Dilling — 2005-09-16T20:11:00+01:00

There is a very good tutorial and general overview of setting up a video conference connection between Mac & Mac and Mac & PC.

http://www.mvldesign.com/video_conference_tutorial.html

First Five Schools Receive Mac mini Equipment

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-11T00:16:00+01:00

Tues 10th May the first five schools in Tonbridge received introductory training on how to use the Mac minis for DV editing. The equipment was taken away to be used in classes.

The other schools will receive training and equipment in the near future.

The project is up and going!

Twilight Meeting for DV Project 10th May

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-08T19:01:00+01:00

There will be a meeting of the members of the DV Project at Sussex Road School at 4:00pm on Tuesday 10th May.

You will set up your Mac mini, and take your first steps with Digital Video.

You will be taking your Mac mini and DV camera away with you.

I have a number of tutorial videos for you to take away with you.

The Mac Minis and DV Cameras are now in!

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-04T20:49:00+01:00

TLF DV Project members. Please contact me to arrange collection of the Mac Mini for your school.

iStopMotion Tutorial

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:34:00+01:00

DV in Education website have published a simple tutorial on how to use iStopMotion software.

http://213.232.94.135/dv/e107_files/downloads/istopmotionanimationsml.pdf

Campus MovieFest

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:33:00+01:00

An American website that showcases the work of American Students. Some very high quality inspirational work. Some movies not suitable for primary aged children.

Campus MovieFest is the only event of its kind to provide tens of thousands of students with the latest technology to create short movies in a week. Student teams at participating universities receive the latest Apple laptops, digital camcorders, and training… in addition to thousands of songs to use from the best independent musicians. Oscars-style showcases deliver unforgettable events for students, faculty, and community members.

http://www.campusmoviefest.com

Last Clock Video Art

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:32:00+01:00

The Last clock 2002...
Last is a clock that records history. The clock has most recently been exhibited at Siggraph, Ars Electronica and in 'Navigator' in Taiwan which featured the best of the last 15 years of digital art. The clock has won numerous awards including 2 Silver D&AD's visit the Last clock website for more details. This project was a collaboration between Jussi Ängeslevä and Ross Cooper.

Stop Frame Animation with Lego

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:31:00+01:00

This site is unbelievable in that all the animations posted by the community members, include Lego people and Lego sets. Some of the movies are not suitable for viewing by children, but others can give ideas of how to film using the plastic characters. You will need Real Player and Windows Media Player to view.
http://www.brickfilms.com/

EvolutionTV records video with MPEG 2, 4, DivX

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:30:00+01:00

Miglia Technology on Tuesday announced EvolutionTV, a new USB 2.0 digital video recorder (DVR) peripheral compatible with the Mac. It records video using MPEG 2 and 4 codecs, and also supports DivX, the popular MPEG-4 based video compression technology.

The EvolutionTV device has a coaxial cable connector, as well as composite video, S-Video in and RCA stereo audio inputs. It also supports Decisionmark's TitanTV Electronic Program Guide in the United States, enabling users to find shows they want to watch and schedule them for recording. And support for MPEG-4 means video recorded using EvolutionTV can be used directly by iMovie 5 without requiring any conversion first.

Miglia expects to ship EvolutionTV in mid-March for US$279, €209 or £149. System requirements call for a Mac with USB 2.0, G4/800MHz or faster, 256MB RAM and Mac OS X v10.3.x and higher.
http://www.miglia.com/products/video/evolutiontv/index.html

Audio Hijack Recording Software

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:29:00+01:00

Audio Hijack is a tool to record any audio on your computer. With Audio Hijack, you can quickly and easily save audio from almost any application to an AIFF file. This file can then be burned to a CD, or played in any software audio player like iTunes or any hardware audio player like an iPod. It can also be used to transfer audio into a video in iMovie. Audio Hijack is cheaper than WireTap Pro but offers similar functionality.
http://www.rogueamoeba.com/audiohijack/

Airfoil audio streaming

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:28:00+01:00

Airfoil lets you send any audio to remote speakers attached to your AirPort Express - It's not just for iTunes anymore.
http://www.rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/

Animation in the TES

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:28:00+01:00

The TES Teacher magazine Feb 25th 2005 printed an article about using Animation to support literacy.

Check out the example movies at:
http://www.cleo.net.uk/display2.cfm?subject=03&group=1&module=content%2Fenglish%2FallNewman2

iLife '05 workshops

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:27:00+01:00

iLife '05 and iPod workshops
Experience Apple's free interactive workshops, where you can find out firsthand about the latest digital lifestyle applications and hardware solutions from Apple. Trained Mac Specialists will walk you through everything, from editing your photos, making movies and creating music with iLife '05, to getting the most from your iPod and iTunes.
For more details, contact:
Apple Store, Regent Street
235 Regent Street, London W1
Tel: 020 7153 9000

Multimedia Story Tutorials

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:25:00+01:00

There is a useful set of tutorials, including video and iMovie at:
http://journalism.berkeley.edu/multimedia/
You will also find shooting tips and techniques for compressing video to publish to the web.

Video Tutorial

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:25:00+01:00

The Magix website offers a tutorial on how to make a successful digital video.
They also produce some excellent software to produce music to accompany your video.
Check out Music Maker www.magix.com and the video tutorial at
http://site.magix.net/index.php?id=18052

Electric December Projects

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:24:00+01:00

Electric December is an annual online festive calendar

Each year's calendar offers 24 days of new digital delights and information about the creators.

There are some high quality examples of digital video and animation. The support of the companies involved has obviously had an impact on the way that the movies have been presented.
Take a look at some of the more simple ideas:

http://www.electricdecember.org/04/content/18/present.php?dateSwitch=18

http://www.electricdecember.org/04/content/23/broadband.php

First Light Online

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:23:00+01:00

First Light fund and inspire the making of short films by young people in the UK, reflecting the diversity of their lives.

They have enabled almost 8,000 young people between the ages of five and 18 to write, act, shoot and produce over 500 films. Working with filmmakers and organisations, First Light films cover many topics and genres, and make use of accessible digital film technology.

One useful guide they offer for free is a screenwriting kit to help pupils to develop films to discuss issues of citizenship. The guide can be downloaded from: http://www.firstlightmovies.com/assets/ScreenwritingKit.pdf
Check out the example movies for inspiration: http://www.firstlightmovies.com/index.php

iStabilize Video Stabilizer Software 2.0 Released

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:22:00+01:00

iStabilize is a software video stabilizer for MacOS. It stabilizes movies by removing unwanted shaky motion and smoothing the image path.
Shaking often originates from lightweight handheld cameras, particularly when driven at high magnification. Built-in stabilizers mostly do a good job, but can get overcharged in various conditions. Then, iStabilize can be a helpful utility. Being powerful enough to meet professional demands but also affordable for video amateurs
Single license $59 USD
http://www.istabilize.de/index.html

Video Cue Software for OS X

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:21:00+01:00

This software allows you to write a script for an auto-cue, read it as you record yourself on video and overlay subtitles as they do on news programmes.
The software allows you to mix in other Quicktime movie clips, pictures and sound files.
They can be linked together with interesting but tasteful transitions.
The cost of this package is $99 from the website store:
www.varasoft.com/products/videocue/

New iLife Curriculum Expansion Packs

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:20:00+01:00

Apple’s iLife software suite has not only made rich media accessible in the classroom, it has also inspired software developers to add additional resources and capabilities to the applications in the suite. One such developer is Kudlian Soft, who used the recent BETT show to launch a series of iLife Curriculum Expansion Packs designed for education.
http://www.apple.com/uk/education/articles/kudlian/

Pro VJ

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:19:00+01:00

We all know the term DJ, but we may not have come across a VJ. A Video Jockey creates sequences of moving images to match the live on-stage performances of musicians. This could be an inspiration to the youngsters we work with. These guys get paid for this art work. Probably lots!
http://www.apple.com/pro/video/virkhaus/

iMovie Tutorials

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:19:00+01:00

This gives a video walkthrough of many tasks in iMovie
http://213.232.94.135/dvined/ilifetutorial/imovie.html

Using iLife in the classroom

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:18:00+01:00

This is a video walkthrough of how iLife can be used in the classroom to make slideshows and movies.
http://www.denbighict.org.uk/dv/files/misc/ilifehowto.mov

Mac mini in-depth review

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:17:00+01:00

The Mac mini is the smallest and cheapest Macintosh computer Apple has ever released. Interest is unsurprisingly high.
Check out a recent review on:

http://www.ipodlounge.com/articles_more.php?id=6243_0_8_0_C

Digital Narrative with Macromedia Flash MX 2004

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:16:00+01:00

Macromedia have launched a book to support the use of Flash in Narrative writing. It is entitled "Digital Narrative with Macromedia Flash MX 2004: Communicating Ideas and Information in Science and Other Disciplines" It is most likely to be useful to staff developing reources or to Key Stage 3 students.
http://www.macromedia.com/uk/buy/volume_license/education/studio_site_license.html

iMovie Plug-ins

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:15:00+01:00

http://www.geethree.com/ is the home of iMovie special effects and transitions to be purchased and downloaded.

iMovie Resources Page

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T22:14:00+01:00

http://www.macilife.com/imovie/index.html

iMovie Tutorials

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T18:15:00+01:00

Although not yet covering the most up to date version of iMovie, the tutorials on the Atomic Learning website may be useful. Some of the tutorial videos require subscription.
http://www.atomiclearning.com/imovie3x

Rapid Weaver 3.0.3 Released

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T18:13:00+01:00

This website is put together using Rapid Weaver. It costs around £20 by online download and is for Mac OS X. It is quite simply the easiest to use web creation tool I have ever come across.
Check out: http://www.realmacsoftware.com

WireTap Pro

Jason Dilling — 2005-05-03T18:11:00+01:00

WireTap Pro
Version: 1.0.0
Genre: Audio Capture
Price: $19.00
Requirements: Mac OS X 10.2 or later
Extras: MP3 audio capture
Summary: WireTap Pro allows you to record any audio, saving it to a file for later listening or processing. Streaming Internet audio, sound snippets of a DVD movie, voice notations/narration, audio from a game, digitized audio from a line-in... WireTap Pro does it all.