Stop Motion

A few weeks ago a member of staff was discussing with me what the direction of her inquiry topic would look like this term. When we got around to what the students would produce as a way of sharing their learning she mentioned that she would like to produce a "Stop Motion Movie". Intrigued by the idea and always looking for opportunities to enhance our ICT skills and knowledge, I was happy to send her on a half day professional developemt course to learn how to make a movie. Since then I have been looking at a couple of 'stop motion movies' on YouTube. The following movie is also posted on Educating the Dragon blog spot - see my blog list - by the very person who led the professional development. This movie is very clever and I'm looking forward to what the Room 8 students will be able to produce. I hope you enjoy and appreciate it as much as I did.

Using Picasa 3

This photo of Puketapu School was edited and uploaded using Picasa 3. I have recently been introduced to this photo editing software by Shayne Jeffares who has been supporting an extension group for pupils who have an aptitude in the visual arts. Picasa is a software download from Google that helps you organize, edit, and share your photos. It's free, and easy to use. As the advertising blurb says, 'Using Picasa and Picasa Web Albums together, you can now organize, edit, and upload your photos to the web from your computer in quick, simple steps. Arrange your photos into folders and albums and erase their blemishes using powerful editing tools in Picasa. Then use Picasa Web Albums to share those perfected photos online with family, friends, and the world.'
The point is that this software is easy to use. The guides are detailed and yet written in plain language that even us digital novices can follow.