Finally!

My final project is done.  What a relief.  To be honest, this project has been looming over me all semester; every free moment I had, I thought to start the project.  But it’s me, so I never did… until I absolutely had to.  Truthfully, it was not all procrastination, I was actually completely overwhelmed.  I have never done a project like this before nor have I ever used Windows Movie Maker.  However, much to my surprise, the project was actually quite simple.  For the most part, I stuck to my original plan that I proposed in October.  I created a content based video on the settlement of the Pilgrims in Plymouth, an instructional video teaching children how to make a Thanksgiving craft, and a stand-alone audio presentation of Corduroy by Don Freeman.

I began working on my content based video first.  The first step I took was to research important sites in Plymouth Harbor.  Based on these sites, I planned my video.  Over Fall Break, I used a digital camera to capture the noteworthy monuments, statues, gravestones etc.  Once I had all of the footage I needed, I uploaded the photos to Windows Movie Maker.  From there, I simply played with different transitions/animations and added text.  I think that it came together nicely.  In fact, out of all three components to the final project, this is my favorite.  My only concern is the lack of audio.  As I mentioned on my blog, an instrumental loop seemed too cheesy.  Other than this, I am pleased with how the finished video turned out.

My second endeavor was the instructional video.  For this, I used an iPhone for filming.  It seemed to be the most convenient approach.  We recorded the craft in segments, one step at a time.  I emailed the videos to myself and then uploaded each snippet to Windows Movie Maker.  I wasn’t sure how the segments would flow together but after playing with transitions, it turned out great.

Lastly, for my stand-alone audio, I read a children’s book, Corduroy by Don Freeman.  My original plan was to read a Thanksgiving themed story but I didn’t have one on hand so I made a minor change.  I used an iPhone to record and then uploaded the file to iTunes.  This was by far the easiest part of the project. 

Now that I have finished my project, I can honestly say that the process as a whole went a lot better than I had expected.  I anticipated the editing process to be complex and tedious but Windows Movie Maker was actually self-explanatory and very easy to learn.  I am glad that I had the opportunity to play around with this technology because I can now see the potential of video and audio in the classroom.  I am relieved that I am done however this was certainly a learning experience and I definitely think that it will be useful in the future.