Create a Video with Video ToolBox

Project Description: "Create an instructional, promotional, commercial, or business video with Video Toolbox. You must have at least 2 video clips merge together and one of them has to be captured with your digital camera, digital video camera, or digital camcorder."

Overview: While I firmly believe that every software application covered in this class is valuable and useful, Video Toolbox was one of my least favorite applications. That is not to say that it is not worthwhile to learn or use, however. Because Video Toolbox is free, online software, it has inherent benefits. Because Video Toolbox is free, online software, it has limitations that make it one of the more challenging software applications covered in this class to work with.

As I have said in my introduction to this blog, one of the great lessons of this class, and one that I teach in my own computer class, is that software is not a magic instantaneous thing that you can spend 2 minutes clicking buttons on and walk away from with a finished product. Video Toolbox is one of those applications that really drives that principal home. Considering that it is free and online, it is hard to complain about, because, as with everything, you get what you pay for. My biggest problem with Video Toolbox was getting my videos to upload. I had to go through several attempts to get the video segments to upload and it was a bit time consuming and frustrating. In all honesty though, I admit that I worked in this project after trying to teach a bunch of ninth graders computers all day long, and by that point in the evening, if I never saw another computer again, it would be too soon. That is something that all technologically savvy users must deal with, however. Also, once I got my video segments uploaded, linking them together and adding affects was really very easy. I will say that Video Toolbox does come with a nice selection of editing and special effects to be free software.

In my project for this class, I used some video that I had taken for the class I teach of a project I give to my students and added an introduction to it. I will most likely use Video Toolbox to edit and merge existing video for my classes, but I do not think I will assign my students their own Video Toolbox assignments, unless it is for extra credit for the more proficient student.