Mobile Libraries: HOW TO: Convert Videos for Your iPhone (or Any Mobile Device)

This post is from a blog that I follow daily. Gerry McKiernan is a great source of information on mobile technologies. I am very thankful for his work and his willingness to share.

Mobile Libraries: HOW TO: Convert Videos for Your iPhone (or Any Mobile Device)

RealPlayer SP Player also Converts

Part of my job is to help students learn how to create professional looking PowerPoints. Many students like the idea of adding video clips to their presentations. If the video comes from a source, like Discovery Education, all the student needs to do is download the video segment they need and save it in a folder with their PowerPoint presentation. They can also easily make the video themselves with a Flip mini-camcorder and save the video with its .wmv format into a folder too. From here it is straight forward "Insert" into their PowerPoint. However, if the video format is not compatible it gets tricky. For other formats students should try the new version of RealPlayer.

Real Player can convert videos to formats that work in PowerPoint. It can also convert videos to file formats compatible to iPods, iPhones and other mobile devices.

Here's information straight from the RealPlayer website:

"RealPlayer is compatible with Blackberry, most Apple products, mp3 players and gaming systems (like PSP, PS3 and Xbox) and new devices are added automatically.
Customize for maximum control and quality, RealPlayer lets you customize the format settings, or it can convert your video to H.264, the new digital video standard for consumer electronics and PCs."

Watch "How to Convert & Transfer Video"
RealPlayer H.264

The new RealPlayer H.264 converter lets you easily convert your video to the new digital video standard for consumer electronics and PCs.

See videos shared on Twitter. Learn More: Feature List Video Tour "

Vook = Book + Video

I've had students and constituents ask me how I keep up with technology. One way is by following blogs and tweets from professional techies I admire. One blog I read is called Mobile Libraries by Gerry McKiernan.

His latest post on Vooks tells of videos being inserted with other digital media into ebooks. For those who first think of Fiction, the idea is pushy and arrogant. Who wants a film professional pushing their views of the book on them. Part of the pleasure of reading is bringing your own visualization to its interpretation.

However,if your first thought when hearing about Vooks is Non-Fiction you may have a different reaction. I can see a how-to ebook being greatly enhanced by video demos. I think I would enjoy a travel book in this new venue too.I'd like to see a sample, so I'll be looking for one to view.

Until then, here is the link to McKiernan's post if you'd like to learn more about Vooks, Mobile Libraries: Vooks = Text+Video+Etc. > Coming To An iPhone Near You ....

Aviary.com Soars Above Photoshop for Free Photo & Now Audio Editing Off the Web

Here is another open source tool with great artistic capabilities for students and avid Internet users. As a former graphic designer, this site is a jewel. I can play around with this instead of trying to figure out where Adobe photoshop has moved tools to in the new CS4. It is a great quick and easy program where you don't have to stall out your creative idea to hunt around and figure out tool options.

Aviary is free but there’s a paid option available that include more tutorial options, private collaborating, and more private files. The premium accounts run you an extremely-reasonable $24.99 a year.

Microsoft Downloads for Your Mobile

Did you know that many of the Microsoft programs that you use on your PC every day can also be used on your Windows Mobile phone? Learn about and download the mobile versions of the most commonly used Microsoft software available including:

Office Mobile
Outlook Mobile
Internet Explorer
Bing
And many more

Click here to learn more about the programs available, and to download the mobile versions.

Take a look at Total Access from Windows Mobile to get a look at exclusive offers and help for your mobile.

You Can Add Video to Animoto Now. WOW!

You can now add video clips to your Animoto videos! Watch a few sample videos and find out more here:http://animoto.com/video

Just follow these three steps:

1. Upload clips from your camera or phone (iPhone 3GS anyone??), or use some from animoto's collection (thanks to iStockphoto and Getty Images).
2. Choose your highlights. You can choose highlights of up to 10 seconds each, though they recommend using only 3-5 seconds as that works best within the flow of an Animoto video.
3. Create the rest of your video as normal, and you're done.

To celebrate the launch of the video clip feature, animoto is holding a contest in which you can win an action-packed TRIP FOR TWO TO NEW YORK CITY! All you have to do is submit your best video. Sooooo easy. Here's the deal: each week for five weeks, they'll announce 2 finalists, and just for being a finalist you'll get a Flip Mino HD (awesome) or a VholdR ContourHD helmet camcorder (really awesome).

Then at the end animoto will announce the grand winner.

For full contest details, head here:
http://animoto.com/video/contest


posted originally by the ANIMOTO Team

Monster.com Mates Up with Microsoft OfficeLive to Give Career Advice

I think this is a winning combination for these two giants of industry. In this economy it is well advised to choose a good roommate to double up. What we have here is Microsoft Office Live pulling their resources together with the top job hunting website on the Internet, Monster.com. Together they are helping job seekers by

providing career advise, resume tips and a job search engine all in one location.

If you are graduating this year or just looking for a job you should check out this website. Pick up some tips on Top Resume Mistakes or read up on how to get noticed for a promotion at Microsoft Office Online.

New Library Tour Video

Create Your Own Site on TeacherTube for $99

Teacher Tube MySite allows educators to create their own site for courses, classrooms and school districts. It has privacy settings so only those you wish to view the contents may. This is a possible solution to posting student multi-media work and restricting it to specified student audiences. There is no advertising and you may add your own school logo to customize your site.

The sites are not restricted to video uploads. Documents may also be uploaded. If you are one of the schools using Flip, Apec or Kodiak Zi6 mini-camcorders for student projects, this might be a good location for you. For $99 dollars a year you may create 10 MySite TeacherTube sites. A good deal for today's budget. Follow this link to learn more, http://www.teachertube.com/mysite/

Wiggio.com for Groups to Gather?

So, I've been trying out this wiggio.com with two friends. It is a free website that incorporates zoho.com to share documents and images and edit them with friends, team mates or other students. It's a place for groups to collaborate and meet up online for group projects.

I've tried out the messages services it offers such as the sticky notes, voice chat (easy record controls), text and email. The two draw backs I see for some is the need to post your cell numbers. This is so members can receive text messages or voice chats when you want to send a group message out to all the members. I ask, "How secure is this? It may be fine" The batch import option in wiggio lets you batch import your contact information from email services such as gmail and yahoo. When I tried it-the little wheel just spun and spun. Seems like this feature may not be working well. Plus! Here we go again sharing content all over the web and some members might not appreciate it.

Always ask first before you give out other people's information, please. Still, it has possibilities and seems to be suited for the multi-tasking, multi-talented teen and students we see around us today.

Following a tweet to Mashable: The Social Media Guide

Locally, there has been a lot of articles in the newspaper about twitter and how it's being used. A lot of people trying it out aimlessly do not understand the attraction users have to tweeting publicly. To them it seems a waste of time but for regular users who move in a fast paced world it's a way to connect to like minded individuals and find great resources and information quickly. 

I'm constantly on the move working with students and taking care of the administrative duties of the library's Information Commons. I've helped a dozen students while writing this post at the Help Desk. So you have an idea now how busy I am.  Twitter gives me a chance to follow other's in my field and find links to new resources in a quick glance. Yesterday, I linked from a tweet to a blog article on 10 tips for using twitter as a marketing tool  for artist. Today, I used a tweet link to find, Mashable: The Social Media Guide. 

It is a great tweet find for me since I now have a new resource for WordPress and other great articles on using web 2.0 tools in mashups. It is a great tweet because this summer I'm moving the FAQ blog for the Help Desk to WordPress and I don't have a lot of spare time. HTG, I have another student needing assistance.

Go Animate with GoAnimate.com

I hear a lot about the uses of Twitter in the news and from co-workers. One thing I have found it useful for is discovering new applications, web 2.0 articles and websites. Just today I found out about GoAnimate.com. I never would have checked it out except for a Tweet. GoAnimate.com: Welcome! by Alvin


Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Animoto.com retrieves photos from picasa.com and flickr.com

Just tried out the "Retrieve From Another Site" option now in Animoto.com. Here is a video I created from photos retrieved from one of my online Picasa albums. There is one trick to this. Edit and place the photos in an album that you want for the video before you start creating in animoto. This way the pictures can be added as a group.

Tips on Using the Mini Camcorder Flip or Kodak Zi6

I've spent the last two weekends documenting a Lighting and Grip Crew Workshop held for a Chattanooga State Technical Community College Film and Production course. I am taking the Production Assistant (PA) Internship which is an accompanying course with instructor Dave Porfiri. As a PA, Dave gave me the opportunity to assist him on the set and video the workshop.

My goals were three fold. One, I was able to use the school's Flip camcorder and share it with other students on site to introduce them to the camcorder available for student check-out. Two, by passing the camera around to students I could see how easy it was to use and I could evaluate how well this camocorder would stand up in the real world. Third, I was able to video the Lighting and Grip Workshop to provide review material for the final exam in the course and to show case our CSTCC students and instructor.

I confess, I had a fabulous time. I learned alot about the students in the course and picked up tips on filming I could only get with hands on experience. I also learned a lot about the film industry and the equipment used to create a film. The big plus for this post-I learned how to use the Flip camcorder to make good videos. Here are my tips to shooting video with the Flip...

Tips:

1. Find an area out of the wind to record or try to block the wind from blowing on the microphone located on the front of the camcorder. I filmed on a windy day and the voices were picked up well but the wind blowing against the mic was too.




2. Two AA lithium batteries will last 2 hours, the same length of time you will fill up 4GB on a SD memory card.




3. Duracel batteries last about an hour have dozens if you plan to video all day.




4. Have extra memory cards too. Nothing less than a 4GB. I'm not sure the Kodak Zi6 takes larger memory cards but I'm going to try it.




5. Don't try to over edit on the spot. When the record button is first press the video is a shakey for 3 to 5 seconds. Give yourself an extra few minutes on the end of the clip. You can always fine tune the edit then.




6. Don't try to add music from a location unless the location is about the music going on there.




7. Add music in the editing. Most video editing applications let you add your own music selection.




8. Your images will be shakier if you try to hold the camera alone. Brace yourself or the camcorder against a solid services to minimize shaking. Better yet-bring a tripod and use it if you know your subject is sitting or standing in a contained space.

Mini Camcorder Update on Flip

In an earlier post I mentioned that I was trying out the Kodak Zi6 as a replacement for my Flip mini camcorder that was dropped and doesn't work anymore. Before my Flip crashed I loved using it. I still like using the Flip and last summer I encouraged our library to purchase one for student use. This week was the first time students could check it out. A young lady used it to interview a man from Zimbabwe. The video interview will go in a group PowerPoint presentation. The Flip is still number one with me in ease of use. When she checked it out, I went over the basic controls and told her to ask for me when she came back with her video.

When the young lady came back, I walked her through the steps of using the USB adaptor to plug the Flip into the computer's USB port. Basically, you plug it in and the software for editing and saving your video pops up on the screen. An easy application for uploading, editing and saving your video appears. Once we loaded her video we watched it together then saved it to her flash drive.

As we viewed the video I pointed out the positive film techniques she used to make the video. She did a good job. Lighting came through soft white curtains for back light, overhead lights were on for fill light, and a desk lamp, slightly in front of the man lit the face in 3/4 light (This is the most flattering light for men.)

The Flip recorded the video and the sound well. The draw back from the Flip's sound recording is the background noise. Background noise gets picked up at the same level as the sound your trying to record. So... in her video we have the sound of a train traveling in the background for a few minutes and a baby crying softly from another room. I point this out so others will be sure to check for and listen for any background noise that might be picked up while filming. When you can, try to turn off these background noises (fans, televisions, radio). Be sure to close the doors and windows to the room too to block out lawnmowers, passing trains and passing conversations.

Over all, it was still an informative video interview. The video uploaded quickly and it was easy to save first to the computer then the student's flash drive. To put it in her PowerPoint, she just needs to open a slide, click insert media and there it is. Just a reminder for everyone, the video file must be saved in a folder with the PowerPoint. This keeps the files together so that you don't accidentally leave the video file on another computer. It won't show in your PowerPoint if it isn't there.

Web 2.0 and Beyond-Book Review

Web 2.0 and Beyond: Understanding the New Online Business Models, Trends and Technologies is a book written by Tom Funk. It is newly released and very current on the topic of mobile and computer web 2.0 tools and their merging technologies.

In the book Tom begins by explaining that Web 2.0 tools are not just changing the Internet but society itself. We have a whole new generation of technology users that have embraced and expanded on combining mobile and computer applications.

We now have a global society sharing their platforms and ideals on every subject, using their voices and taking on a new democratic power. The power of their voices are projected 24/7 and they speak out on everything from products to politics. They are changing the way business and especially marketing is being done.

In the book Tom address these issues and demonstrates what makes a successful web 2.0 company. He also covers cyber crimes and methods to protect your online business.

Make Comic Books with Comic Life @ Plasq.com

I've used Comic Life with students for a few years and had lots of fun with it. You can create your comic books and save them as HTML to post to your blogs. Here is an example I did this morning. The standard Comic Life is $30 a year for a subscription. Here is a link to the website, http://plasq.com/comiclife-win

There is also a new application by the same company called Comic Life Magiq with more super graphics and PhotoShop abilities. It is only available for Mac at the moment but hopefully they will have a PC version in the near future. You can get more information about the new application and view a video demo for the Magiq version at http://plasq.com/comic-life-magiq. The price for the Comic Life Magiq version is $44.95 a year for a household.

Taking a Moment to look at Monolab

Here is another jewel sent my way from one of my friends. I thought I'd share it with you. It seems almost harsh to call it a website when it seems to me- to be more like a work of art. I hope you enjoy it.

P.S. You can turn off the sound effects. Look for the off switch at the bottom left of the window.

A Song for All my Web 2.0 Friends

Instead of a long post this week here is a song for all my web 2.0 friends. It came through on a Second Life Listserv and it is by a talented singer and writer, Linda French. I hope it makes you smile. http://allmyinternetfriends.com/

P.S. This song does not reflect my real life (RL) work world. We have the best RL at Chattanooga State!

Kodak Zi6 mini-camcorder vs Flip camcorder

I just purchased a Kodak Zi6 camcorder to replace my Flip that broke. My child dropped the Flip one time and it stopped recording. I can still plug it in and access the video through the computer but when I try to turn it on to record- the window does not open. When I contacted the company they said to take out the batteries for 24-36 hours and it would reset. It did reset but then stopped again for good the next time I tried to use it. I did learn from the experience. I learned that though the Flip is easy to use, it only has a 90 day guarantee. There is no place to send it for repairs and though the technical assistance e-support is quick to respond, there isn't anything they can do if it hits the floor.

So, before I replaced the Flip with another I checked out the competition and decided to try Kodak Zi6. There were only four other mini camcorders on the market other than the Flip that I found: RCA, DXG(a Kodak knock off I saw at Walmart) Creative Vado HD, and the Kodak Zi6. The DXG, knock off offered a 2GB memory card, re-chargeable batteries, battery charger, carrying case and tri-pod which sounded good. However, when I tried it out the picture quality was very poor. I moved on to other stores to try the others out.

The Flip Mino HD was on display at another store but would not turn on. I took that as an omen and moved on to the Kodak Zi6. In the store the Kodak Zi6 worked well enough and was on sale. I decided to buy it since I couldn't try out the RCA or Creative Vado. I opened the box in the car. It took me about ten minutes to figure out the controls but deleting was not so easy to figure out. It was simple when I stopped to flip through the manual, something the Flip did not have. Of course, the Flip is so easy you don't need one.

After I got home I started trying out the camcorder in earnest. This is what I've found out so far about the Kodak Zi6:

It has a 1 year guarantee. The structure seems more drop proof, though time will tell. It has a SD memory card slot and can record almost 2 hours on a 4 GB card and will take larger memory cards for more recording time. So far I have not found a way to completely erase and format a memory card. Though directions are suppose to be on the software's website. You can not delete more than one image/clip at a time--within the Zi6 unless the clip is on the Kodak's built-in memory and you do not have a memory card inserted. Kodak expects you to delete video/clips when connected to the PC via its bundled software and I can't get that to open on my home PC.

Moving on, I was able to open the video files in Quick Time and delete them from there. The Kodak has some built in memory but the review said it was only 128 MB but with the memory card that is fine with me-if I can figure out how to format my SD memory card. It is an HD camcorder and actually records for VGA, HD, HDTV. When you enlarge the viewer to full screen the quality is decent. It is, of course designed to format at resolutions more geared to uploads to the web then television viewing. It records .mov files instead of the .wmv file format that Flip uses.

So far it records pretty well though the controls are a little more tricky to use than the Flip. There's a joystick button in the center of the controls with a video/playback button and a stop/delete button on either side of the joystick. My son only had to watch me use it for 5 minutes before he mastered the controls. He liked the quality of the videos and encouraged me to keep it even if I was having problems getting to the editing software.

The Kodak Zi6 does adjust to lighting changes pretty well I think. Though a few reviewers thought it could be better. When you pan or move the camera, it seems to be less shaky than the Flip. It records more smoothly than some but not as well as more expensive full-size camcorders. The video clips my son made were clear and even with a lot of sudden movement, the images did not jerk around like they did with the Flip. I think it might even handle lighting changes better than my Flip. The images are sharper but this is because the Kodak Zi6 is HD.

The drawbacks for me at the moment: the Kodak camcorder doesn't turn on when you plug the USB into your computer, the way the Flip did. It can not be charged through its USB. The editing software is not pre-loaded onto the camcorder the way it is on the Flip and you have to load the software first on your PC then to the camcorder. That is, if you can get it to open and save to your PC. My computer would not recognize the .exe file to set-up and install the software. I'm still working on this.

At work now, the software loaded right away. My office computer runs Windows XP. Not sure if that had something to do with it. After trying to import with the Kodak Zi6 software for 15 minutes, I've given up trying to import. This is not looking good for kodak Zi6. With the Flip you just plugged the camcorder into the USB port and the software opened. It provided quick menus to import and to edit video either on the camcorder or the PC.

I just tried turning on my Flip again and Voila! It is working but for how long I wonder. It must have sensed my trying out the competion. Kodak Zi6 if I don't figure out how to import my videos and edit with your software-you're going back!

Obama, the 2.0 President Has My Attention

Our new 2.0 president has posted his first weekly address from the White House website, via the White House official blog. This, as everyone knows, is not Obama's first encounter with web 2.0 tools. Who could miss the CNN and Facebook postings or the news stories on President Obama and his tight bond with his blackberry. After you view the above video blog, which I embedded via a tool provided by the White House website, I encourage you, the reader to visit the http://www.whitehouse.gov/ website and read the President's Agenda for Technology. As a technology instructor, a librarian and most of all the parent of Net generation children, I am very pleased to see his technology agenda.

Age of the Geek, Baby!

Most of the shows I'm drawn to have a lot of geek technology or show a history of technology with adventure and sci-fi psycho-psychology blended in to them. It is kind of obvious when you look at my top favorites: My Own Worst Enemy, Leverage, Life on Mars and GhostWhisper. The last one might surprise you because it really depends more on the technology behind the special effects that are part of its creative process. Here is a clip by the techno geek of Leverage.

Lee and Sashi LeFever Explain Video Licenses

When I first started exploring the features of Google. I adored the short and simple videos they posted by Lee and Sashi LeFever of commoncraft.com. Lee & Sashi knew just how to explain Google applications and tools in a clear and easily understood video clip. Now they have expanded their video business online and they make how-to videos for other businesses, including Microsoft. You can visit their business at http://www.commoncraft.com/ . What I want to point out is the way Lee and Sashi explain their business practices and show us (and students) how they as a business handle copyright, licensing and fair use. There is a lot to be learned from these two ecommerce entrepreneurs. I hope you'll visit their website to view their video,Video sharing in Plain English. Since this is a blog and I may use one of their free videos here I hope you will enjoy watching this one on blogs...by commoncraft.com : )

Microsoft Trys to Take on Open Source

Microsoft is now seeing the light and promoting collaboration and offering their own web 2.0 tools free of charge. You can go to their microsoft.com/education website and view a webcast on the their new down loadable add-ons and the free online Live@EDU email accounts and Live Office 2007 accounts. The online Office 2007 programs are for Office 2007 licensed users and are being marketed to educators and students. The webcast, Teacher Tech Tuesdays - Free Tools and Resources from Microsoft tells you about these tools and others offered. One can learn more about their new initiative in pursuing the higher education arena by watching the webcast, Live@edu Overview.

I've mention the free down loadable screen recorder, the Community Clips Recorder in a previous post. I've also mentioned the Live Office. I've tried both and think they are impressive. Yet, I hesitate to put full confidence in using them like I do Google tools because they are both still considered Betas and one wonders how long they will last. Of course, one could also wonder if Google can last at the speed that they are offering free web 2.0 services. Will Microsoft stay with their goal of chasing down open source competitors with their own free web 2.0 tools? Can they really adjust to giving away free access to components of their software without charging for it?

I have to admit their webcasts at the Microsoft eduction website are very enticing. I also like the websites student and education product tutorials that is linked the the education web page.

http://www.microsoft.com/education/tutorials.mspx