|
What do we mean by Digital Media?
We are referring to
Sometimes called ‘digital assets’, they are files that you
can download, save or manipulate on your computer. This gives you enormous
flexibility over how and where you use them.
In the 80s and 90s, these might have been clipart. However, with broadband
internet connections, you now have almost instant access to huge numbers
of pictures, movies, animations, old TV programmes, classic radio programmes
and much more.
Ideas for Using Digital Media
a. You can use a raw file as part of your teaching – directly
in a lesson. Simply download it onto your computer and play it back in
the lesson. You might use it, as
- an introduction to topic
- a stimulus for discussion
- part of an Assessment for Learning exercise
- a quiz
b. You can also edit movies and sound files into shorter sequences using
Windows Movie Maker, QuickTime Pro or iMovie. This allows you to focus
on just the part that you would like to use (without getting tangled
up with fast forward and reverse keys).
c. Put together sequences of photographs using Photo Story (a free download)
or iPhoto and iMovie.
d. Get your students to edit and reassemble movie clips, images and
audio files into digital stories and reports. They can combine movies,
images, add music and record their own voice-overs. This is much
more fun than a PowerPoint presentation (to make and to watch).
Copyright Issues Updated
You will need to make sure that you are allowed to use any movies, sounds and images that you get from the web or other source. This is especially true if you or your students intend to use it in work that will be published on a website or blog. Unless otherwise stated, you should assume any images, sounds and movies on the internet are under copyright and should not be reused.
Resources that are ‘copyright free’ are rare. Somebody has created them and therefore they generally own the copyright.
However, more and more materials are being licensed under ‘Creative Commons.’ This allows the copyright holder to specify that certain uses are allowed, and these frequently include educational purposes. The copyright holder might specify, for example, that you can use the materials for non-profit making purposes as long as the author is credited. Usually materials that have a creative commons licence include information about the allowed uses and state that the resource has (cc) Some Rights Reserved as opposed to © All Rights Reserved.
For more information, see:
Even when a digital asset is copyright free, it is good form to acknowledge the source.
FREE Images
You will find images at these sites:
Picsearch: Search
the web for images but bear in mind, these are not necessarily free or
copyright free images. 
FREE Movie Clips Updated
- ARKive A
great site for natural history movie clips of (endangered) species
from around the world. The quickest way to find something is to use
the search.
- Visit
the ARKive
website
- British
Pathe Archive Archive of Pathe news reels.
These are made freely available to schools within the region.
- British
Pathe the world's first digital news archive
- BBC
Archive Updated
The BBC has joined a group of media companies (including Channel 4, the OU and the BFI) who will be providing media clips that are licenced for free use in schools. The BBC seem to be the first to do so for free. They have used various clips to populate four (so far) archives. Each clip is about two minutes long. You can preview the clip in your browser or download it in a number of formats (Windows Media, QuickTime and Mpeg). Please read the licencing details so you understand the terms of use.
- E2BN
Library Categorised video clips of varying quality.
Some of the categories are still to be filled.
- Visit E2BN
Digital Media Assets Resource Library.
- Film Education A range of resources and services to support media education. (There are no free video clips on this site)
- The Open Earth Archive An
archive of clips, images and audio clips from BBC Science & Nature
programmes.
- Superstar
VJ - BBC website An
eclectic mix of clips that have been grouped together as part of a
project for children to become on-line VJs.
- TV-Ark A selection
of TV clips from adverts, drama series and others. In Real format.
FREE Sound and Music Clips
FREE Programs
- Free
internet software. Links to some great software from creating
many different sorts of interactive teaching activities to snapping
screenshots straight into the clipboard.
Windows
- Windows Movie Maker: This
comes as part of Windows XP onwards. It’s worth getting the most
recent version. It allows you to edit movies, record soundtracks and
save the result.
- Photo Story (3): This
is a free download. You can put a sequence of images together into
a sequence, adding fading effects, voice-over and music. You can save
the result as a movie which you can then take into Windows Movie Maker
to combine with movie clips.
- IrfanView: There
are many free or shareware image manipulation programs. However, for
simple manipulation (cropping, red-eye correction, contrast) and conversion
to different file formats, this is a good one.
- Audacity:
This is free, open source software for recording and manipulating sounds.
It is very powerful. If you just want to record a voice-over, then
Windows Movie Maker is probably simpler.
Macintosh
Any new Mac comes with the iLife collection of programs which include
- iPhoto for photo editing and retouching
- iMovie for making and editing movies
- iDVD for creating DVDs and
- Garage Band for making music.
How cool is that?!?
|