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Tag Archive - video

New From TED: Build Your Own Online Lesson

April 25, 2012 in Media, Resources, Web with 0 Comments

I’m a big fan of TED and what they do online with their videos from their events. They just released a new tool that allows anyone to build an online lesson using web video. You can select a video and video and create questions, quizes or give links for people to dig deeper.

Here’s a diagram to show the parts of the lesson:

I could see using this as a quick training to send out to volunteers, student leaders, or even to get kids thinking about a topic before they come to small group, sunday school, Wednesday night, or what ever other gatherings you have. I know a lot of educators are big fans of having the lecture portion of teaching done independently before a student comes to class so that class can be about discussion and unpacking the material. This is a tool that allows you to do that.

To learn more, visit Ed.TED.com. Also did I mention the service is FREE?

Social Media Exodus for Passover

March 28, 2012 in Featured, For Fun, Web with 1 Comment

Though I am not using this at our Passover Seder, I couldn’t resist sharing it here. Those who were a fan of the digital story of the nativity will love this. I am definitely using this the next time we talk about the exodus!

Friday Fun: Improv Everywhere invades TED

March 9, 2012 in Fun, Media with 0 Comments

Everyone hates the spinning beach ball of death. Imagine if it took over your presentation while speaking to a group of people. Watch as Improv Everywhere brings this to life. Have you ever thought about doing something unexpected like this during a talk? Could be a great memory maker for your students.

Canon 60D Review

February 22, 2012 in Gadgets, Media with 1 Comment

Back in January, Chris Davis and I were at YS! Palooza together, and we were talking about shooting video. Chris was lugging around a giant HD camcorder and tripod that he used to shoot this video. We began having a chat about the video function on most new DSLR cameras. Now, my wife is a professional photographer who shoots with a very expensive Nikon D700 (Here is a shameless plug for her business). But, there are plenty of entry level and semi-pro DSLRs available that shoot tremendous video! After that chat with Chris Davis I was sold. Our student ministry has a handful of Flip cameras, but we have been ready to push through that barrier for a while. This past week I broke down and bought the Canon 60D with the 18-135mm kit lens. I have a friend who manages a big box retail store who sold me the camera (regularly $1300) for $1000 flat. Here is my initial observation of the camera. I will follow this up later with a more detailed review and video samples.

Things I love:

1. Articulated Screen- Up until the past year or so most DSLRs had stationary screens for reviewing pictures. Now with the advent of HD video capable cameras the need for articulating screens is very real.

2. LP-E6 Battery- The 60D uses the same large battery that Canon employs in their professional cameras like the 7D and 5D. This battery lasts close to twice as long as the battery in the cheaper T3i. And since batteries cost around $100 apiece, I felt this was a huge plus for the 60D.

3. 1080p at 30, 25, and 24fps- Unlike the Nikon D7000, the 60D supports 1080p at the 3 most popular frame rates. (Not to mention that the D7000 does not have an articulated screen)

4. Body Size- The Canon 60D has a larger, and larger aluminum frame than the cheaper T3i (steel), and this is one case where I believe that heavier is better. The weight and size allow you to grip the camera with confidence, whereas the T3i feels more like a toy. To boot, the 60D is weatherized better.

5. Manual Controls- If you want to produce the highest quality video, you have to control your exposure manually. The exposure controls on the 60D are easy to operate and accessible without going through menus. The white balance can be controlled easily enough without going through tiers of menus.

All in all I feel that the 60D is the way to go for getting into DSLR video. The price point is right for the features you get. If you want some more info on DSLR video here are a few sites I recommend highly:

DSLR Video Shooter- Caleb Pike runs one of the cleanest and most helpful DSLR Video sites around. Great info in his newsletter.

Philip Bloom- Philip is one of the top DSLR videographers around. He actually shot parts of the latest George Lucas film Red Tails. Philip’s site has an interactive community and he regularly reviews DSLR gear.

The Secret Structure of Great Talks – TED Video

February 6, 2012 in Media, Web with 2 Comments

I saw this come across my Flipboard TED talk feed and thought it was worth sharing:

From the “I have a dream” speech to Steve Jobs’ iPhone launch, all great presentations have a common architecture. At TEDxEast, Nancy Duarte draws lessons on how to make a powerful call-to-action.

What do you think? Are you ready to change the world?

SOPA – What is it? – Video

January 18, 2012 in Media, News, Web with 0 Comments

You may have noticed a lot of sites on the web went “black” today. If you tired to find something on Wikipedia you were met with a black screen telling you that the internet must remain free. I’ve talked to many people that have no idea what this is talking about. Someone told me today, “The Internet isn’t free, I pay for it with my cable bill.” I had to explain that what this bill was talking about was the freedom to post and share what you want on the internet. At the heart of the matter is piracy, or the illegal sharing of copyrighted materials on the internet. That’s where SOPA comes from, Stop Online Piracy Act. Now, I need to say upfront, that I’m not in favor of piracy. People that create the movies, music, and books that we enjoy deserve to be paid for what they create (even the ones we don’t enjoy deserve it too). But where SOPA goes a little off track is that it doesn’t really accomplish what it says it wants to do.

I’d love to be able to explain it all in a way that makes the issue perfectly clear, but it’s complicated and there are people smarter than me that have already set out to do that. So if you’d like to know more about the issues that people have with SOPA or why people say it will “break” the internet, watch these videos. I thought they did a great job laying out the issue. Once you know the background and the how things work, you can decide for your self what you think.

Defend our freedom to share (or why SOPA is a bad idea)

Kahn Academy – SOPA and PIPA

What do you think?

2011 Told Through Twitter – Year in Review Video

January 1, 2012 in For Fun, Media, Web with 1 Comment

This is an awesome video retelling 2011 in tweets.

ht Brandon Early

Vader, Did You Know?

December 12, 2011 in For Fun, Media with 2 Comments

This is such a great mashup of two things that I love, Christmas and Star Wars. The song “Mary did you know?” and Star Wars seem an unlikely pairing, but it’s awesome.

Thanks to Marko for posting it.

This was super cool seeing this kid talk about what he loves. It was a great reminder to me to encourage kids in their interests, you’ll never know where it will take them.