Before navigating the video tools this week, I had the impression that creating videos requires a degree of talent I do not possess. I had anxiety regarding this assignment because I thought I would have to be on camera and pretend not to be awkward and spend hours editing. I was relieved to find that there are several programs that assist the apprehensive videographer.

I tried Powtoon first because I recognized the company name from several  YouTube videos I have shown students in class. When I set up my account, I was able to customize my experience by answering a couple of questions about my purpose for using the website. I found lots of awesome templates, but they were marked pro and pro+. Luckily, I received a “gift” template for being a new member, but it expires in three days. I wonder if that means I won’t have access to create additional videos using the free template anymore or if my entire video will be removed soon. I forged ahead using my pro+ template since I had spent so much time playing around with the tools and fixing some of the slides I broke. However, I believe Powtoon would be best appreciated with a paid membership to fully explore all its tools.

Here is the link to the Powtoon video I created.

I poked around in Kapwing, but I was overwhelmed and triggered. The features are more complicated and ideal for someone who enjoys the intricacies of creating videos with layering of images, audio, and closed captions. As someone who abandoned creating tutorials for social media because I hated video editing, I simply have nothing to offer Kapwing. However, based on the limited video editing experience I have, I would say that Kapwing is most similar to video editing programs I have used, and it is quite useful as a free editing tool. Though I don’t have the patience for it, I can think of some members of our girls’ club who would love to assist in combining videos, photos, information, and music to recruit new members for the upcoming school year using Kapwing.  

Loom seems most useful for class because I can record myself speaking while sharing my screen. Lessons can be uploaded so that students can access them at home or revisit them during independent time in class. Loom videos would also be ideal for asynchronous learning, and I wish I had known of the tool in 2020 when our school first shut down due to the pandemic. What I love most is the video response feature. I had a student recently with a read aloud accommodation who struggled to write out his thoughts. However, he responded to comprehension questions and essay prompts verbally. During distance learning, when students were separated from their teachers and desired face to face interactions, Loom would have been a great tool to use with him. In the future, I can see myself using it in class to skip whole group lectures and allow myself the flexibility to assist students one on one.