If a picture says 1000 words, what does a video, animated slide show or multi-media say?

 
In Challenge #5, participants and readers were asked to talk about the beach scene image in 5 words. To date, more than 53 have responded making more than 250 words for that pic. Thank you. If you have not responded please do so at – Images the “Eyes” of the Blog. Then check out the fabulous responses by clicking on this link to the google sheet.

Some blogging platforms will allow you to embed code. Such code can add rich, powerful and interactive media to blogs, giving real ‘nerve’ to the blog. See the beginners Kick Start Your Blog Challenge #6 for more of Sue Waters’ great sharing and advice on this topic.

Youtube, Teachertube and other popular video sites can be embedded in blog posts by seeking out the html embed code. Polls, voicethread, animated slideshows etc can also be added. Size of the media, file type, creative commons and copyright  must all be considered.

It is fun to make your own movies using MS Photostory, MS Moviemaker, iMovie etc. Upload them to youtube or teachertube etc, grab the code and embed them back in your post. Audio and podcasts can be uploaded and shared as links within the blog post (rather than embedded).

My students made a text movie on “What makes a good teacher.” One of the girls tagged her post with ‘good teacher’, used the upload media button (the movie size was less than 3mb). See diagram below:-

Look for these buttons or similar to add audio and media

Look for these buttons or similar to add audio and media

This added a hyperlink to Rachael’s movie within her post. It opens up in windows movie player (as it was an wmv file).

Several months later she got a comment from a university lecturer in USA saying that she would be using her movie to show the education graduate teachers what a young student thinks makes  a good teacher. See Rachael’s post.

Below, is a voicethread (VT) embedded into this post. If you do not have a voicethread account, register for one and seek out the free educators version (access to  more than three voicethreads). Add your tip(s) for successful blogging to the VT. Please use your voice where possible.  If English is not your first language, please use your native language. If you need help with adding the audio, see the slideshare at the end of this post.

Alternatively, here is the link to the Blogging Tips voicethread.

Your Challenge#6 – Add some “nerves” to your posts/pages.

  1. Share your favourite media for embedding into your blogs. Give tips/hints/success stories and ways you have used it or
  2. Find a variety of posts that have media embedded and share these with your readers. Discuss their impact and effectiveness or
  3. Add a short survey to a blog post eg polldaddy and encourage your readers to share their votes or opinons or add a voicethread or try embedding a new tool to you or
  4. Your choice  of post, with the theme of embedding media.
  5. Add the url to your blog post as a comment back on this post
  6. Add the tag #ksyb (Kick Start Your Blog) and other appropriate tags. Adding #ksyb, means that if you key that tag into eg google, all the references with that tag will appear.
  7. Find at least 5 other blog posts and comment back on their post. Try and find two other blogs that you have not checked out before.

Extension activity

  1. Make an original short movie using MS Photostory, MS Moviemaker, iMovie or your choice of software, (ensure it is a small size), upload it to youtube or teachertube, then embed it back in a post or upload the media into your blog.
  2. Upload one of your Powerpoint presentations (or create a new one) to slideshare, grab the code and embed in your blog post, or try prezi, create a presentation, grab the code and embed in a post.
  3. Make sure you check out the wonderful array of tools suggested in the Beginners’  Challenge #6 and try some of them.
How to add Audio to Voicethread
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