When creating any type of video, a resource that is as important as the recording equipment is the editing equipment/software. Clever compilation of different material can be as critical to the overall quality of a video as the materials itself. Being that editing is such a significant part of the process, the choice of softwares can be daunting.
Choosing a software that is easy to use is most likely very limited, and outside of making cuts and ordering clips, the most amount of customization comes in the form of trite transitions that instantly lower the quality of a production. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there is software that offers the ability of professional quality videos with a myriad of editing tools, but the learning curve is steep to say the least. As this project is really about the overall product and is not merely an exercise in editing, I thought it beneficial to carefully choose a software that was appropriate for my skill level and knowledge base. I have some rudimentary knowledge of editing, understand some of the vocabulary/terminology and have an overall scope of what I'd like to accomplish, but I lack the expert knowledge necessary to use programs like Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere.
For that reason, I needed to choose a software that is robust and offers opportunities for customization yet is easy enough for a novice to use. For these requirements, I am using iMovie. iMovie is a platform specific software and in the same way that Apple operating systems are characteristically user friendly, iMovie follows the same trend as it is a "simple yet powerful editing [tool] to create video projects" (Apple, 2015). iMovie allows its users to "insert titles, add effects and create a full soundtrack with powerful tools that are easy as drag and drop" (Apple, 2015). For much of my video, these tools are what I need and within them there is the ability to adjust as necessary. While iMovie is helpful within this capacity, its use is commonly explored in education for other resources as well.
Within the paper titled, "iMovie in Teacher Education", Randy Yerrick explores the various uses of iMovie. Of the program, he says that it "offers tremendous ease for the user" and use by educators has shown that it is invaluable for providing students "a variety of backgrounds and experiences to engage in authentic learning" (Yerrick). Of these situations that are created through the use of iMovie, educators can "[introduce] external artifacts...[model] alternative teaching strategies...[review and reflect] upon shared events...[and document] learning or presentation of personal accomplishment[s]" (Yerrick).
One authentic example that Yerrick uses is within the formal teaching of the scientific method. In the past, teachers have often times conceptually taught the scientific method in an isolated manner. Using iMovie (and digital cameras), students could bolster the observation element of the process and review it immersively. Yerrick's example revolves around the common engineering challenge of creating something that prevents a falling egg from cracking and breaking. Within this new educational plan, "students worked together to create written descriptions and designs of their project and then test their project under the critical lens of the camera...[and use the recorded footage to] analyze the failures of the products of other students...concepts taught in this series of lessons included terminal velocity, deceleration, and force" (Yerrick).
Additionally, Yerrick discusses how these lessons can shift and become interdisciplinary. As a video is recorded of traffic driving in front of the school, students could not only discuss motion and speed within science, but explore "societal rules and responsibility, in relation to the problem of cars speeding by during school hours" (Yerrick).
Currently, my use of iMovie is as an editing tool. I can cut footage together, add in transitions between scenes, cut audio, add in my own audio, and change the pacing of the footage. Another way that I seek to make the footage more in depth is cropping different scenes. While I tried to get as much footage as I can, I believe there are safe distances in which recording can take place, for the actor and the camera. Because of this, I got a wider shot than I had originally wished and with iMovie, I was able to eliminate areas on screen that I didn't want. Doing this made the shots more intimate and increased more of the story telling element that I wanted to convey in the videos. So far in my work, I have yet to run into any points where I couldn't do something that I wanted to do, proving the flexibility of the program.
As stated in Yerrick's article and the accompanying videos, these suggestions should introduce you to, but not limit you, to the educational uses of iMovie. As I reviewed some of the video footage that I compiled, I found a new use for the video that I record. Students can record themselves using power tools to document what they have learned and display their knowledge. The video footage could also serve as an example for students in the future of proper technique when using power tools as well. Another use that I came up with is showing students what is happening when they use tools from different angles so they can completely understand what is happening. From only one vantage point, your perception is limited but from two or more angles, you can be aware of the entirety of an action. Additionally, using iMovie gives you the ability to speed up and slow down footage. Doing this, adds another element of demonstration that is not possible otherwise. Students can see, at a slower frame rate, what is happening when they use power tools.
The evaluation of this tool not only solidified my use of this tool but spurred new uses for iMovie. Coupled with digital cameras, iMovie is capable of becoming a valuable tool in many educational settings. The fact that the software is robust and easy to learn makes it invaluable in conjunction with learning activities.
iMovie for Mac. (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2015, from https://www.apple.com/mac/imovie/
Yerrick, R. (n.d.). IMovies in Education. Retrieved April 8, 2015, from http://edweb.sdsu.edu/sciencetg/ie/
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