Media Technology Week 2

I am a novice when it comes to video editing. I relied heavily on this weeks reading to guide me to the right video editing tool. I used Desktops- Video- Guide to point me in the right direction. I knew I needed to use a free program. I do not have access to a MAC thus I could no use IMovie the editing tool that seems to be the highest recommended. Not only is it beneficial for me to use a free tool but due to financial constraints within our school districts I wanted to use something I knew I could use in the classroom. I chose to compare and contrast Windows Movie Maker and AvidFree DV.

Movie Maker is already installed on all computers on my campus and should be installed in any new computer. Movie Maker has easy to use functions and tools. This is great for a novice learner like me. I love their drag and drop features. I loved the idea that you could easily upgrade or download add-ons some free through Microsoft website. This will be wonderful because technology is ever changing. I found that Movie Maker would be a great tool to use within the primary grades. This is a great way to introduce Video Editing to students of all ages. However, it is limited compared to other programs but it is in my opinion the most user friendly. It took me literally one video tutorial and when I played with movie maker I found it enjoyable and easy to use. Thus, it made me feel confident and engaged. Exactly, what we want our students to feel when first presented with Video Editing. Movie Maker can use .asf, .avi, .wmv as video files and MPEG1, .mpeg, .mpg, .m1v, .mp2 as movie files however if they were not encoded correctly when created you may not be able to use within moviemaker. I went to the Microsoft website and they give you steps in re-encoding.

Avid FreeDV is available for both Windows and MAC. It is a free program and includes basic video and audio capabilities. It also allows for two streams of real-time effects (Desktop-Video-Guide, 2009). As a novice I did not like AvidFreeDV. I found it to be complicated and hard to use. I had a hard time finding tutorials on AvidFreeDV to begin with. The few I did find didn’t clear things up for me. However, in the article by Desktop-Video-Guide states that it is easy to use once you learn the ins and outs (2009). I tried editing the same video I did with Movie Maker and found myself frustrated. It did a lot of the same things I just didn’t feel it was as user friendly. I especially didn’t like all the steps I had to take to download it and get it started.

Garrison states that Video “engages and excites; it leads to unexpected discoveries, increased self-awareness and esteem, sharpened critical thinking, analytical skills, group work skills, and ability to communicate ideas… It does all this because students want to say things that have meaning to them - authentic production comes from authentic learning” (Garrison, 1999). As an educator these are very important to me. I want my students to have the skills to succeed today and tomorrow. Through Video and Media Technology our students could acquire skills not easily taught. I could definitely see myself using Windows Movie Maker. I look forward to trying it this year with some third and fourth graders.


Desktop-Video-Guide. (n.d.). Top 5 free video editing software programs. Retrieved on April

12, 2009, from http://www.desktop-video-guide.com/top-5-free-video-editing-softwarereview.html

Garrison, A. (1999, Winter). Video Basics and Production Projects for the Classroom. Center for Media Literacy. Retrieved 8/31/2010 from http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article3.html