Assignment #5

Learning to use iMovie was one of the hardest things that I have done. Going in to this project, I had never used iMovie and was looking forward to becoming familiar with it. Before I had made the final decision to do iMovie for my final project, I went on the Apple website and found information on how Apple is designing programs, such as iMovie, that can be used in the education world. In addition to programs like iMovie, Apple has downloads available to anyone that can be used for students in the classroom.
Although iMovie is difficult to use without previous instruction, it can be a really useful tool. I researched ways in which it had been used in the past and I was amazed. Students have been taught how to use this tool and have created movie projects on famous people or issues. Students have also written and illustrated their own stories and have created a video of their story. Students can import film from a video camera or record audio clips to add to their presentation.
As I learned to use the program, I had to learn to use other applications as well. To import a YouTube video, I had to learn to covert it to a movie file. I used a website that allows you to covert files for free (www.vixy.net). In iMovie, I had to learn to use different features such as media (music, photos, animation, etc.), editing tools, audio recording and importing, and creating and importing video taken by iSight. The project I created by using iMovie does not cover half of the things that iMovie can do.
This project took many hours and caused a lot of frustration. I feel much more comfortable using iMovie now that I’ve worked with it. There is still a lot to learn, and with technology that will always be the case. We can’t know everything. But I feel that it is important to make the effort, especially for those of us who wish to become teachers. We are going to be expected to teach our students technology and to include it in our teaching lessons. I feel that this class has helped me to become more comfortable using technology. At the same time, it is hard not to feel overwhelmed. Each day there are a million more things to learn- and it won’t ever stop.
I’m glad that I chose to do iMovie for my final project. It was definitely a learning experience that required a lot of hard work and a lot of hours. I really think that if I have the opportunity, I could put it to great use in the classroom.