Derailed by Animoto...or was I?

I think I'm getting a little too comfortable with technology.  I'm starting to play with it before I read the instructions.  Is that confidence or stupidity?  In this case, it was stupidity!  As long as I learn from my own mistakes...I guess!
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My first experience with Animoto was disappointing.  I wanted to use Animoto to create a video slideshow of my husband's grandfather who is turning 100 on November 22nd, 2011.  It's a pretty big deal!  

We asked family members to send us photos of the birthday boy.  I had to scan in most of them  because they were taken way before digital cameras were around.  After scanning 60 - 70 pictures, I was ready to use Animoto to create a video slideshow.  It was as this point that I realized I was only able to create a 30 second video slideshow with the free version of Animoto.  And, I wasn't ready to upgrade.  I had never even tried the product! 

For the sake of trying it out, I uploaded 12 of our photos into Animoto (as recommended for a 30-second presentation).  However, after 9 photos, the presentation quit.  This is probably because I added text.  The transitions between pictures were quick - too quick - although I have now figured out how to slow them down.  It was sadly comical the way I tried to capture 100 years into a 30-second video slideshow - impossible!  Take a look...

After my disappointing start with Animoto, my husband and I quickly brainstormed alternative software I could use to produce this video slideshow.  Within minutes, we had a better slideshow started using iPhoto.  iPhoto was new to me to, so I didn't realize that you can't upload videos into iPhoto.  With that in mind, we opened iMovie.  Again, I've never played around with iMovie.  In my opinion, iMovie is a bit trickier than iPhoto.  I think the video slideshow presentation is going to take a lot longer than I had originally anticipated.  But, it'll also be more customized than if I had used Animoto.

It wasn't until I was ready to post my reflections and disappointments with using Animoto that I went back to the source that originally inspired me to use Animoto.  This is when I realized that I should have consulted the source first!  In her instructions for getting started, Lisa Perez helpfully directs the educator to the Animoto for Education website.  Using this site, educators get unlimited video slideshow presentations!  Being able to create longer video slideshow presentations with Animoto for Education is a huge incentive to use this software.  It's easy to use; you can upload pictures, video, and music; and, Animoto takes care of the rest!  Students and teachers will love it!

My advice: do your research and read the fine print.  On Animoto's homepage, it's easy to see why I missed the option for educators.  Below is a screencast of their fine print at the bottom of their webpage:

Now that I've used Animoto for my own purposes, I would like to make Animoto available for teachers and students to use.  I will see if I can get a link to Animoto on the library's homepage.  As well, I will be thinking about the ways in which I can use Animoto to promote the school library.  Perhaps, I can make a book trailer, as Lisa Perez suggested in her article.  To find Lisa's article, use the bibliographic information below.

Perez, L. (2010). Animate your students with animoto! School Librarian's Workshop, 31(2), 12. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.