iMovie vs. ABCya Animate LIS568

Mobile video creation apps, such as iMovie and ABCya Animate, offer much benefit to the classroom.  Such apps offer a great tool for students to use in the fabrication of material that can be used for assessments and overall creation purposes.  Not only does student work turn out great with the use of video creation apps, but students absolutely love creating material on such apps.  Integrating the use of iMovie, ABCya Animate, or any other video creation app can be as simple as just allowing students to use such an app in their next summative assessment.  I tend to be on the more guided inquiry and project basedlearning side of pedagogical approaches these days, thus utilizing such apps is very easy as students do a lot of presenting their findings.  Not only are video creation apps a good summative assessment, but they are also great formative assessments throughout the inquiry as well!  In the following I will discuss iMovie and ABCya Animate by providing and comparing general information and possible classroom uses of both.

iMovie was launched in October of 1999 and offers its users many functions, such as editing pre-made videos, using special effects, supported on multiple platforms, green screen capabilities, multiple track editing, and its user is able to export completed videos.  ABCya Animate, launched in August of 2013, lets students’ creativity run wild with up to 100 stop motion slides that be customize by drawing or using the embedded media.  The app also is supported on multiple platforms, uses in app media only, and its user is able to export finished videos as well.  iMovie allows iOS users on desktop, iPhone, and iPad platforms to produce high quality videos.  By importing media from external sources or using the automatically synced camera roll media, users are able to create highly customizable videos. iMovie can be confusing to users initially if they have had no training.  On the other hand, ABCya Animate is a very easy to use stop motion animation creator that is available to iPad users as well as Web users.  Users have the option to import background images, however users must use the available media embedded within the tool.  Users will not need prior knowledge on the tool’s function, as ABCya Animate presents a very simplistic approach.

In terms of classroom use iMovie allows students to create engaging presentations, as it also offers built in functions such as a movie trailer template.  The app provides allows students to be digital storytellers, and provides an out-of-school experience with imported media and/or green  features.  ABCya Animate allows students to retell and create stories, as well as demonstrate diverse understandings through stop motion creations.  The app can be accessed via the web and is free, as it also allows students to receive an out-of-school experience with importing background images.  Whereas iMovie is geared more towards upper elementary to upper secondary education, ABCya Animate is geared towards the primary grades.  Although, I can see older students benefiting and enjoying ABCya Animate as well.  Although iMovie poses a slightly greater challenge than ABCya Animate, the quality of iMovie’s final product and overall customizable functions makes it a valuable tool to use with students.