Wordle is a great tool for identifying themes and understanding text.  A wordle saved as a JPEG image can be imported into iMovie or Windows Movie Maker.

 

For Macs -

Hold down the Shift>Command>4 keys.  A small crosshair will appear.  Drag the crosshair over the image of the wordle, and let go of the keys.  The wordle image will be saved on the desktop as a JPEG image.

 

For PCs –

Use the Print Screen key to copy the screen.  Using either PowerPoint or Paint, paste in the image.  Use the cropping tools to crop the image so that you only have the wordle.  Then save as a JPEG image.

 

A 9^th grade teacher in Arkansas wrote these instructions in the ISTE’s Learning & Leading with Technology, May 2010.

 

Here’s the long awaited second installment of the editing software breakdown. Last week it was Windows, this week I’ll be tackling programs available for the Mac.

 

iMovie.

There was a time when iMovie was a simple but effective application for all basic video editing on your Mac. This is no longer the case. With the release of iMovie 7, Apple seriously stripped down the program in order to limit what you can actually do with your video clips. Unless you’ve spent plenty of time with iMovie 7 and are already comfortable with it, I recommend you go hereand download the older version, iMovie 6, for free.

 

Cost: Free

 

Pros:

It’s free.

Simple to use, as long as you have iMovie 6

No need to download anything, as long as you’re happy with the new version.

Cons:

       iMovie 7 makes it difficult to complete easy tasks.

 

 

Final Cut Express

I’m admittedly biased here because we use Final Cut to edit on a daily basis here at Spy Hop, but there’s a reason why; it’s a superior program where your only limit is your creativity. There are plenty of editing options, and you can edit pretty much any type of movie with ease. There’s a bit of a learning curve, but once you’ve picked it up, you’ll be frustrated with every other editing program out there.

 

Cost: Around $200

 

Pros:

    As far as I’m concerned, it’s the best editing program out there.

    As many video and audio tracks as you want. Edit multi-camera shoot easily.

Cons:

     Similar to Premiere, the cost of the program can add up when you’ve got it      on several computers. Explore the multi user license option.