is a tool for video creation and editing!

 

WHAT IS WINDOWS MOVIE MAKER USED FOR?

- Slideshows

- Videos

- Movies

- Music videos

- Voiceover work

- Numerous projects in all content areas!

 

Windows Movie Maker allows students to:

- Collaborate with peers

- Share their thoughts, opinions, and voices

- Interact with technology in an innovative way

- Challenge themselves beyond a traditional pen and paper

- Publish their creations online at sites like SkyDrive, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr 

 

A free and user-friendly video editing program!

Windows Movie Maker --- 

 

- This program was created in 2000 by the Microsoft Corporation (www.wikipedia.org).

 

- Starting with the operating system XP in 2001, it has been preloaded onto all Microsoft PC computers operating with Windows.

 

- Windows Movie Maker 2009 does not appear bundled with Windows 7 but it is available online for download

 

- The new version of WMM, Windows Movie Maker 2012, was released in August of this year for Windows 7 and 8.  It has more interactive audio controls including narration and wave forms!

 

                                                                            Screenshot of 2012 version (softonic.com)

 

Perfect!  I have now downloaded or located Windows Movie Maker on my PC!  

...How do I use it?

 

1. Open WMM into a window -- full screen please!

2. Locate the top bar.  There should be buttons labeled:

 

• Add Videos & Photos
• Add Music
• Webcam Video
• Snapshot
• Rotate left/right (for entire frames)
• Save Movie

 

These buttons will prompt you with another window in order to insert video clips, music, pictures, etc. into your storyboard.

 

3. Above the tab labeled "edit," a yellow bar appears:  Video Tools!  These tools include:

 

• Video Volume Controls
• Speed & Duration of Clips
• Background Color 
• Split & Trim (to cut film clips to desired length)

 

These tools appear as you scroll over your footage in the storyboard!

 

4. Music Tools will also appear in a green bar: 

• Music Volume (separate from the volume of your video clip)
• Fade in/Fade Out
• Split

 

 

5. Text Tools appear about the "Format" tab
 

• Font Controls
• Text Transparency & Placement
• Text Editing
• Text Entrance/Exit Cards

 

Side-note:  

To edit the text of a video, one must scroll over the text card on the storyboard and then click the text on the actual video.

 

6. Animation Effects are in the tab section:
 

• Transitions
• Pan & Zoom Features

 

7. Visual Effects are in the tab section:

 

• Filters (Black/White, Sepia, etc.)

 

This is a lot of information!  Can I actually see how this all fits together in a tutorial?  

 

 

 

Awesome!  I've created my movie and it looks great!  

How do I publish and share it with my class?

 

- Next to the "Home" tab there is a drop-down menu.  You can save the project as a work-in-progress, save the movie as an independent .wmv file, or publish it directly to a website!  

 

- Click the "Recommended Setting" for your project for shorter export time!

 

As a theatre teacher, how can I use Windows Movie Maker in my classroom? 

 

 

1. Upon completing a unit on Elements of a Story, students can create their own original short film using WMM.  Students will design storyboards and create film sequences with a clear beginning, middle, and end.  They will analyze the plot, characters, and setting of a story. 

 

2. During a unit on Script Analysis, students could write a scene that would appear after the final moments in the play they read in class.  They would then film this scene and edit it using Windows Movie Maker for a class presentation.

 

3. Students could be asked to rework a scene from a play or musical and film a short parody.  This could easily be included in a unit on comedy and comedic timing in acting.

 

But what if theatre is not my content area?  

 

Windows Movie Maker can easily fit into ANY content area!

 

1.  Students can use the editing program to create video-blog reflections throughout the school year.  This is a great way to track their learning and can work as a formative assessment throughout your class. 

 

2.  Students in history classes can create a BBC style historical drama that involves the era they are learning about in class.

 

3.  In an English class, students can create a movie trailer for a book they are currently reading.

 

4.  In science, students can demonstrate difficult concepts such as cell mitosis through video clips and photos.

 

Other Resources:
Lesson Plans: http://www.digitalwish.com/dw/digitalwish/view_lesson_plans?keyword=Windows+Movie+Maker

Stop Motion Animations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUNgJsLutbA&feature=share

A Worksheet for Aspiring Directors in the Classroom: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/printouts/Director.pdf

Ideas for SCIENCE Videos: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/lessonplans/technology/moviemaking.html

Some More Movie Maker Projects: http://ethemes.missouri.edu/themes/304

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:
Screenshot from Mariah Felty's computer 

http://cd22011.wikispaces.com/Movie+Maker
http://windows-movie-maker.nl.softonic.com/
www.wikipedia.org