PhotoStory3 is an easy-to-use free download that allows you to create photo slideshows with movie effects, music, and narration. You can edit the photos and audio right in the program, and output the video for use on the web.
Picasa is an image editing software from Google that helps you organize, edit, and share your photos. It’s free, and easy to use and works on both PC and Mac. The program is free and has many features that you’d typically have to use an advanced image editor such as Photoshop in order to make those same changes without Picasa.
Skype is a FREE VoIP technology (Voice over Internet Protocol) which can be used to make audio and video phone calls via Internet.
Blogger allows you to create your own personalized blog where you can post content (text, audio, video, images, etc.) that can be viewed and commented upon by your user community.
Flip video cameras are a useful tool in language classes as they are extremely easy to use and fairly inexpensive. With a class set of flip cameras, students can interview each other, perform skits in the target language, create their own “commercials” or music videos and much more. In order to produce a “professional” video, students will work on their project from storyboarding to rehearsal and finally to filming.
Google Docs is an easy-to-use online word processor, spreadsheet and presentation editor. You can use it to create, store and share your documents instantly, securely, and collaborately online in real time.
Animoto is a web application that, with the click of a button, produces videos using images and music that a user selects. Language teachers and students can choose culturally-appropriate images and audio to produce short movies that can be used in language presentations. These can be looked at on the web or embedded in blogs to be shared with classmates. Some NOVASTARTALK products have included videos on Chinese food and Arabic scripts.