Original Post:
I would like to purchase a Flip Video camera
(http://www.theflip.com/products_flip_ultra_specs.II.shtml
<http://owa.cliu.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.theflip.com/products_flip_ultra_specs.II.shtml>
). Does anyone have one and use it in the library? What do you do with them?
Where and how to you "post" clips to share? That's a biggie....is it easy to do???
Thanks for your techno help!
Responses:
Thank you everyone who replied. I may not have thanked you all personally...I'm
swamped with writing my grant proposal now!
-------------------------
I have one and like it, paid $99 at CVS. It's been
used primarily by the math coach to video different
student's work. Very easy to use, and very easy to
download the pictures with the USB connection. The one
downside is that the built-in microphone is very
weak. You have to be pretty close to your subject to
hear him.
Worth the money, though-
--------------------------
bought a Flip video camera for our vacation this summer and it is
really easy to use. My son took videos of the Smithsonian and I just
popped the USB arm into the USB port on my laptop and uploaded the
video. It saved as an AVI file on the computer and played back in
Windows Media Player without a problem. I could see many uses for them
in schools; for projects, to tape presentations or concerts, to produce
their own films for an assignment, and to tape field trips or other
special presentations.
------------------------------
There was a review in SLJ this past month. Check it out.
----------------------
read your posting on LM_NET looking for information about the Flip
Video camcorders. Do you get SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA ACTIVITIES MONTHLY?
The issue that's coming out in a few days has my article looking at the
Flip and Small Wonder camcorders. We'll also be discussing it on the
SLMAM blog at blog.schoollibrarymedia.com . We have one Flip and 6
Small Wonders. I like the Small Wonder camcorders better -- expandable
memory, screen that hinges forward so that you can film yourself and
see what's being filmed, and a screw hole at the bottom so it can mount
on a tripod. This is VERY useful for elementary, otherwise young kids
tend to have camera shots that wiggle. Some Small Wonders are a tad
bit cheaper than Flips, and some Small Wonders have been made available
at places like drugstores and ACE Hardware for a steal after rebate.
I bought Web space from globat.com for about $100/year and store all of
our podcasts and newscasts made with the Small Wonders there.
You will get a lot of bang for your buck with either of these
camcorders. Teachers and students love them. Some teachers who have
never used video before are latching onto them. Footage downloads
quickly, not in real time like with a dV camcorder.
And ... no FireWire cables required (especially important as
traditional dV camcorders require connection to your computer via a
FireWire port, and not all computers have them). No cassettes, either!
So there's less ongoing hassle.
(Though I recommend stocking up on rechargeable batteries, because they
do use a lot of battery power and there is no plug.)
You will also want the person doing the filming to be standing
relatively close to the subject.
I transfer the footage (which films in AVI format) to my desktop prior
to loading it into MovieMaker for editing. MovieMaker needs a special
codec to import AVI footage. Though there's a setting for that in
MovieMaker, I found that the setting worked on some computers and not
others. I downloaded a codec pack from the site below. Check through
the options carefully when installing the codec, or it will install its
Classic Media Player as well. I actually like the media player, but
your tech services folks may not!
http://www.filehippo.com/download_klite_codec_pack.html
<http://owa.cliu.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.filehippo.com/download_klite_codec_pack.html>
Oh, by the way -- Flip is cross-platform (Mac or PC), but when I loaned
it to my Mac-owning friend, she needed to find a Mac codec for it.
Some Small Wonders are PC only -- others are for Mac, too. The Small
Wonder Web site can help you see the options. I haven't tested Small
Wonder for the Mac, though Flip and Small Wonder were developed by the
same company, PureDigital, so I imagine Mac users might need a codec as
well.
------------------------
The flip video website says you can take it to specific vendors and have the clips
converted to DVD. CVS, a local pharmacy chain, is supposed to be able to do that,
but when I went the tech was uncertain. I need to check into this more. However,
I love using the camera. As soon as I get the conversion problem sorted out I will
be in BIG business. My first project this year was to make "psa commercials" with
6th graders about what happened to the damaged books. You know those books you
save to show kids when you do the book care lessons? I gave them to students who
volunteered to make these commercials, and they did a great job. Once I get this
figured out I'll send them to you and you can see what our first project was like.
PS: It is the easiest video camera I have every used!!! All I need to do is
figure out this one BIG piece to my puzzle.
------------------------
I am buying 4 of these for our school. Never tried one, but they seem to be what
I am looking for. My plan is to have teachers dump video into iMovie and produce
their own DVD's for the classroom- that will reduce having to post online. I heard
about a free movie editing site, called Jump Cut, but don't have any experience
with it personally. You could also put videos into your school server space (have
to check if you have space to do that). Then people within your district could
access the videos, but not have them on the web.
If you have to have them on the web, you could post at teachertube.com, google
video, youtube, etc.
Here are some free online video storage sites (beware adult content!). To avoid
the adult content, you can link to only the page you want to have viewed from your
own website, or there is probably a way to embed these into a blog. That's the
good thing about Google Video. You could have a blog set up for your library, and
embed the videos right into it from Google Video.
Here is an article I found about free online video hosting sites. You may find it
useful. I am looking into REVVER.
http://desktopvideo.about.com/od/videohostingsites/a/vidsharing.htm
<http://owa.cliu.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://desktopvideo.about.com/od/videohostingsites/a/vidsharing.htm>
--------------------------
Susan Hanlon
K-4 Librarian
Northwestern Elementary School
6493 Route 309
New Tripoli, PA 18066
hanlons@nwlehighsd.org
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