Swivl and Handbrake

What is Swivl and Handbrake? 

Swivl is a robotic mount for an iPad, camera, or phone.  Swivl is designed to track the video of a moving person, as long as they are holding the marker, as they walk around during a presentation.  Swivl also has an app that saves your video to your account immediately.  Handbrake is a free video software that can convert videos to any format.  Handbrake can also compress video files, change the quality and formats, and add subtitles.   Handbrake is available for Windows and Mac computers.

How to use Swivl and Handbrake 
To use Swivl make sure the free app is downloaded onto the device you will be using.  Before you can begin recording you must log into your Swivl account.  After you log in it will take you to the recording area. To change the settings before you record you can press the X in the top left corner to go to your video library.  From there you can access your settings on the right side of the screen.  The settings menu is where you can turn on the option to be able to flip your camera.  This is an important feature because you will not want your students to be able to see the video and get distracted.  To begin recording a video click the record button.  Make sure the maker is clipped to your shirt, so the Swivl will follow you and pick up good sound.  After you are done recording you have the option to change the file name and trim the video before you save it to your library.  Once you click done in the top right corner you will be taken back to your library where you can upload the video to your Swivl website, that you can access on the computer.  To do this click the three dots and click upload.

To download Handbrake visit the official Handbrake website and click download. Once Handbrake
has been downloaded open the Finder icon on your Mac computer.  On the download menu you should see the Handbrake icon and then to open the app just double click the icon.  Once you open Handbrake it should automatically ask you what video you want to work with.  Once you have chosen your video all you need to do is change the preset on the left side of the menu to lowest fast option.  Then click start at the top of the page and your video will be compressed and saved to your desktop.

Advantages 
The advantages for using Swivl and Handbrake are that both of the apps are free and simple to use.  Using a Swivl makes recording presentations easy because it tracts the movement of the presenter. The recording will also have good sound quality if the marker is clipped onto the shirt.

Disadvantages 
The actual Swivl robotic mount is very expensive, around $1000 dollars.  The chances of a school being able to afford many of these devices is low. Another disadvantage is that the sound quality will not be good in the recording if you hold the marker because you will be covering up the microphone. Also, if you have a newer iPad you will need to have an adaptor to connect to the Swivl.

Personal Experience 
Unfortunately, I have not had any experience using a Swivl.  Since I did not do this blog before Spring Break I was not able to check out a Swivl to play around with. In my math class with Dr. Dissler, she gave us a quick tutorial of a Swivl, so I have seen one being used. I have however used Handbrake before to compress a video file.  I recorded myself teaching a small group language arts lesson that was around twenty minuets.  To submit the video to Blackboard I had to compress the file first.  So, I am familiar with compressing video files.

References
Store - Swivl - Video observations that strengthen and inform teachers. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.swivl.com/store/

HPU edTPA Video Tips - Tips for Video Recording. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/view/hpuedtparesourcesite/tips-for-video-recording

Epic!

What is Epic?
Epic is children's book app that provides its users access to over 40,000 high quality books for children ages 12 and under.  The books range from picture books to chapter books of every genre and topic.  Epic can be used on computers, mobile devices, and tablets.  Epic is free for teachers and librarians.  However, parents do have to purchase a monthly subscription of $7.99 if they want their kids to have access to it at home.  Epic was created from a single question: How do we make books more accessible to students. The cofounders had noticed that their kids had instant access to games and videos online, but the same could not been said for books, with that Epic was born.

How to use Epic
To begin using Epic you must first create an account.  You can either go to Epic's webpage or download the free app.  Click here to sign up for your Epic account. Setting up your account will be different depending whether or not you are a parent or a teacher.  If you are a parent you can get a free month trial before you start having to pay the monthly fee.  Teachers get Epic free.  To set up a teacher account you will click sign up as an educator.  You will then be asked for your school name, school zip code, name, email, and password. After this your account is created and you can customize your class library. You can customize your page by adding filters such as, the grade level you teach, student interest, and genres you would like to appear on your page.  You can add your students to your account by clicking my students at the top right of the page, and then clicking roaster, and then add students.  Once you have your students added to your page you can see how many books they have finished, and how long they have read for.   The search bar allows you to be able to search for any book and the explore tab allows you to scroll through multiple genres or authors.  To read a book, you simply just click on the one you want and then you can just swipe right with your finger to turn the page.  Epic even offers a read to me section of books, and a section of videos for students to watch.  Epic even offers badges kids can work towards to meet their year long reading goal.

Advantages 
The biggest advantage to using Epic is the thousands of books students gain access too. There are books on every subject in every genre. Epic is an engaging technology tool for students to read with. Epic is also available for Apple and Android users.  Another advantage is that paper is saved because the books are online.  Some children have really busy parents who may have to work a lot.  With the Epic app children can still have books read to them before they go to bed.

Disadvantages
The biggest disadvantage of Epic is that it is not free for parents.  Many families would not be able to afford this tool for their kids outside of school.  Having a computer or tablet for students may not be in the budget.  To use Epic you have to have access to technology devices and Wifi.

Personal Experience
I personally have never used Epic because it was not around when I was in elementary school.  I would have loved this tool though.  As a student, I read many, many books and often did not have room to store them all.  Since Epic is all ebooks I would have always had access to lots of books to read.  I have heard teachers in my placement classes talking about using Epic and they all seemed to have positive things to say about it.

References
An Epic! Reading App. (2015, May 31). Retrieved from http://thinkonline.smarttutor.com/epic-reading-app/

Creations Inc. (n.d.). Instantly access 40,000 high-quality books for kids. Retrieved from
https://www.getepic.com/

Google Expeditions

What is Google Expeditions? 

Google Expeditions is a virtual reality app made for education.  This app allows teachers to take their class on amazing and far away virtual filed trips.  Without the use of this virtual app students otherwise would not get to visit these places around the world, such as, diving into the ocean to look at coral reef. Each expedition consist of several 360 degree images accompanied by descriptions and discussion questions.  This app can be downloaded for free on both Android and Apple software.

How Google Expeditions Works
The Google Expeditions app itself is very easy to use.  To begin you simply just need to download the app onto the technology device you are wanting to use.  For the experience to work best it is recommended that each student have a device to view the expedition on.  The virtual field trips are not meant for students to do alone and randomly wonder around an area.  Instead, teachers are supposed to lead whole class field trips.  To do this, the teacher will use their iPad to begin the expedition.  Students in the class can join the teachers expedition as long as they are on the same wifi network.  Teachers should launch the expedition and wait for their students to join.  Once the teacher sees the correct number of participants they can click start to being the field trip.  On the teachers screen there is talking points, discussion questions, and areas of interest to point out during the expedition. Teachers can choose from over 200 expeditions, so it is likely there will be something to relate to every unit.  If you need additional help setting up for your first expedition click here to watch a short video.

Advantages
There are many advantages for integrating Google Expeditions into your classroom lessons.  First, virtual reality is only going to become more commonly used in the classroom as technology continues to grow.  Second, this app allows students to see and learn about places they may otherwise never get to see in real life.  This type of hands on learning is far more beneficial than just reading a chapter in a text book.  At home, students use technology all the time on their iPads and video games.  Integrating that same technology in the classroom will help keep students more engaged during class.

Disadvantages 

The biggest disadvantage to using Google Expeditions is the cost.  To use the app as intended each student in the class needs a smart device.  Also for an enhanced expereince each student needs a VR headset.  The actual Google Expeditions kit cost anywhere from $4000 dollars and up.  Instead you could get Google Cardboard Googles for around $5 dollars per student that could work as well, but this is still costly when teachers and schools have tight budgets.

Personal Experience 
I personally have never used Google Expeditions before.  I have also never seen it used in any of the schools I have been placed in.  This is most likely because the cost is so high.  However, I have heard it mentioned by professors in the education department and other peers in my classes.  I would love to witness firsthand students getting to use this app and the excitement that crosses their faces when they are able to make connections with what they are learning and the real world.

References 
Bring your lessons to life with Expeditions | Google for Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://edu.google.com/products/vr-ar/expeditions/?modal_active=none

4 Easy Steps to Start Google Expeditions in the Classroom. (2019, January 22). Retrieved from https://www.edtechteam.com/blog/2016/07/4-easy-steps-to-start-google/

/home/runcloud/webapps/encounteredu-Production/modules/encounteredu. (n.d.). How to use Google Expeditions. Retrieved from https://encounteredu.com/cpd/subject-updates/how-to-use-google-expeditions