YouTube & Picasa

This week I got to experiment with some new ideas for utilizing YouTube as well as getting to know my way around Picasa (an app I've never used before).  I enjoyed using both and they are pretty easy to use and navigate your way around.

YouTube

YouTube is so great for searching for anything from music videos to tutorials.  It covers a wide range of subject matters; I doubt you could do a search and come up empty handed.  If you really like something, you can subscribe to it so you don't have to search for it every time (you must have a google account to do this).  There is also a YouTube for Teachers and a YouTube for Education.  The education site has allows you to choose your level of teaching, as well as the subject matter you are looking for.

 

The YouTube Education site kind of reminds me of Google Scholar in the respect that it has more "reputable" videos.  Most of the videos (not all) seem much longer and more in-depth in their detail.  If you want to learn more about YouTube Education, click HERE.  Another site that shows videos that I thought was really good for education was WatchKnowLearn- check it out!

Another feature of YouTube that I got to play with this week was a tool called "TubeSnack."  This is a free service that you can sign up for (or use your google account) that allows you to put together a reel of videos to create your own personal playlist.  I like this because you can choose your topic and only put in the videos you want.  I made one on the topic of Zumba for my daily warm ups.  Instead of searching for a video the morning of my lesson, I pre-picked these so I can go right to my stack and it's ready to go.  Also, by having this prepared ahead of time, I already know I like them and I know they are easy enough for the kids to perform them (thus, customizing my TubeSnack to fit my needs).  It's almost like making a video lesson plan; pretty cool!  Check out my TubeSnack of Zumba videos.

Click HERE to watch a video on how to create your own TubeSnack.

Want some more TIPS & TRICKS of YouTube? 

Picasa

Picasa is an awesome photo (image) program that allows you to organize, edit, upload and share your images with others.  As I stated earlier, it is not something I have used before this week.  The cool thing is that once it is downloaded, it automatically searches your computer for images and uploads them into Picasa.  From there, you can create new albums, slideshows, collages, edit and label your pictures, tag people or locations, or even order prints from a local store.  To download Picasa, click HERE.

After downloading, here is an introductory video to help get you started.

I got to create and play around with two cool features this week: create a collage and create a web album.  Creating a collage is easy and fun with different templates, borders/background colors, etc.  I created the collage below of from this school year's track pictures (girls & boys teams).

To learn how to Create A Collage, click HERE. 

Creating a Web Album was fun also.  It really is a great way to share photos and allows you to showcase them in a nice format for others to view.  Also, you can choose who you send it to and who can view it (only you, anyone with the link, or public).  To learn how to Create a Web Album, click HERE.   

Click on Chiefs Training Camp 2013 to view the Web Album I created. 

Need information on Organization in Picasa?  Click HERE or HERE.

Need help Editing and Image?  Click HERE.

Need additional help?  Click HERE or HERE.