I "might" not be in class today, but I hope to be back in time But if not...
Use today's class time to work on your Walden Video Essay. Here are the bases you need to cover. I am perfectly happy for you to spend the next couple of class sessions "learning" to use Garageband and iMovie, as we will be using both of these programs extensively this year. Learn from each other. Be ready to make mistakes and learn from them. A mistake should never stop your progress.
I have indicated in red how much time I think it should take to make a real wham dammer of a video essay.
- Collect Enough Images: Figure on three minutes per 500 words. By using the "Ken Burn's Effect" it is possible to use images in a movie for longer than if you simply used a still image. Using the Burn's effect, you can realistically keep an image for ten to twelve seconds. If you do not know how to use the Ken Burn's effect, then spend some time figuring it out. (One-Two Hours)
- Record Your Audio: Use Garageband to make an audio recording for your essay. If you are not familiar with Garageband, learn how to use it. The web is full of useful tutorials. Practice before you speak--and speak slowly and deliberately and pronounce every s y l l a b le of every word. IN the long run of life, every mistake that you leave in will drive you crazy. Leave enough of a space between paragraphs. Record a short piece and check your audio to be sure you have set everything up before continuing. Add appropriate background music to your audio track. If you make a mistake, you should not need to start again at the beginning. (Two Hours)
- Create Your Movie: I am still learning iMovie myself, especially on the iPad, so I am of limited help to you--though I am actively learning right now, too. (Two-Three Hours)
- Upload to Your Blog: The easiest way to do this is to upload first to Youtube or Vimeo and then get the embed code from those sites. You can also upload a Quicktime movie directly to your blog--though it takes quite a while