I am a big Blabberize.com fan. I love it’s possibilities that allow users to make stagnant pictures “talk.” I love the fact that it is the student’s own voice that goes along with the project. I love idea of making inanimate objects “talk” and review content. All that being said, it is just not a reliable resource with our district’s network. I honestly don’t think it is totally our network’s fault. I think Blabberize.com itself is simply intermittent at best. In education, an intermittent resource is definitely not something you want to roll out to your students knowing there is a good chance it will fail by no fault of your own.
In steps a fun work around. I ran across this last May, but I didn’t pursue the project fully. I’m not sure who figured out all the details, but now that I am turning my back on Blabberize, I am fully endorsing this great idea!
Using Pixie, Photo Booth, and Keynote, students can become whatever person or object they want. Here are the quick basics:
1. Import a picture into Pixie.
2. Using the eraser tool, erase the mouth of the person or a place for a mouth with an object.
3. Export the picture as a .png file.
4. Using Photo Booth, students record themselves reading a script or interview keeping their face as still as possible during the recording.
5. Drag the movie and saved image (with erased mouth) onto a blank Keynote slide.
6. Line up the picture with erased mouth on top of the movie so that the student’s mouth shows through the open mouth.
7. Play slideshow, and BAM, your student is now a person from the past
This is a little more annoying than using Blabberize, but after playing with the program and doing the lesson with 1st graders yesterday, I am convinced they have more fun with this process rather than Blabberize. Here are two examples. This first is a fun example interview with Christopher Columbus I did with Alfonso Favale, a fellow ITRT, and the second is an example from a student in Mrs. Spence’s first grade class at Three Chopt Elementary. Enjoy!
