cropping video fast for dummies on a mac

Posted on by
1

Two years ago, I wrote about cropping video fast for dummies on Windows.  I now need to do the basically same thing on the Mac.  This time is a little simpler as I only need one continuous segment cropped.  And I have more experience.  I’ve done it once before 🙂 on a different operating system.  However, I still don’t have any special software.

Where I started

The original video is 2 minutes and 44 seconds.  I want to get a 5 second or so video of the robot shooting a basket.

How I did it

  1. Learned that I do have video editing software – iMovie – that came on the Mac.
  2. Use ClipNabber to download youtube video.  Had to click “clipnabber classic” to get to the download screen as the first screen is about some Mac software to download.  As I don’t do this often, I don’t feel the need to download anything.  This downloaded the clip as an .mp4 file.
  3. Downloaded Squared to convert from mp4 to something iMovie can import.  (Squared beta lets you download directly from youtube, but I’ve already downloaded it.).  Open mp4 in it and choose export to DV>  Conversion took less than a minute.
  4. In iMovie, file > import > movies
  5. iMovie automatically splits the video into short thumbnails.  Drag the one(s) you want to the top.  It’s cool because you can select a range so this serves as a rough cropping.  You can also join clips that way.
  6. Click on point of subclip you want to start and choose split.  Repeat for end of subclip.
  7. Right click video and choose detach audio.  Select the purple audio track and select cut.
  8. Share > Export movie

Converting to Flash

It was requested I provide a Flash version of my 4 seconds of video.  There is software you can download that does this, but I didn’t want to download something (trial version) that I’d only use once.  Another option is to upload it to youtube.  I went with the youtube option.  Then back to ClipNabber to download as flv (flash.)

How did it work?

This process was better than the Windows way (without a real editor.)  iMovie is impressive.

The final product

The completed video does show what I wanted.  It was easier to get rid of the sound this time too which is good because I won’t control the viewer’s machines this time.

complaining about a free online class

Posted on by
2

I took ai-class and am currently taking saas-class.  In the forums, I feel like there as been an inordinate amount of complaining.  In ai-class, it was about the grading of homeworks/exams “not being fair.”  In saas-class, it is about being expected to learn Ruby and having deadlines.  And technical issue during the quiz.

Both classes are free and you don’t get university credit.  Which means any grade you get is just for you and has no impact.  So why all the discontent?  If you get something wrong without actually being wrong or mis a due date, your “grade” goes down, but not your knowledge.

In college, I liked taking my liberal arts classes “pass no credit.”  As a good student, I wasn’t worried about failing.  Knowing I’d get a “pass” let me enjoy learning and not having to think about the grade.  That’s the feeling I get in the classes online now.  Enjoyment learning.

I bought the book so none of these classes was free per se.  But it was the absence of a grade that counted that mattered.  In a way this is similar to why coding on your own is different than the coding you do at a job.

Thoughts?

Classroom of the future

Posted on by
1

I attended Social media Week‘s classroom of the future talk.  See my notes from the higher ed version or my notes on the K-12 version in this post.

Tools in physical classroom

  • Twitter like tool (since twitter blocked at some scools) – back channel during class and after class
  • Social media study groups
  • Blog about what learning so understand it more
  • Text – questions, announcements, ask someone outside school like parent to get outside perspectives. Let cell phones enhance learning and not be a distraction. There is a program that strips out phone number and saves history

Cool: showed live demo of interactive quiz to see comprehension

Be an early tester but a late adopter of technology. It needs to fit your work/life flow. “twitter is for old people”. When did that happen?

Computer acceptable use policy better than filtering because teaches responsibility. [hmm. Maps to coporate america]

Schools behind companies in terms of tech. And companies behind what you do at hone. Income divide. Not everyone has a cell phone. And the district doesn’t have ebough money to lend laptops. Same for connectivity. Not everything is on broadband. Schools making money advertising on billboards and lockers to pay for things like this.

When not everyone, has a phone, pair/triple up. she also can get laptops. [what happens when everyone is poor?]. In India, very poor people have a phone because it is a life changer. Don’t need a smartphone. Can learn by SMS.

We’ve been hearing about the disuption of the textbook market for years. Think will be delivered on tablets and the real question is how to get people to pay for them. Need to take advantage of tech and not just make paper look nicer. A textbook limits you to one point of view [or collates info]. Also allows making it better suited for ESL or kids reading below grade level. The White House announced last week that they will be pushing a guide/advice for digital textbooks.