A while back I wrote an article Flipping out for Fliggo that was posted by Technology & Learning. I can’t tell you how many people stopped me or wrote to tell me how much they enjoyed the product. Well, as many of you already know….Fliggo was replaced with another product that I do not recommend for educational use. I have vigilantly been seeking a substitute for Fliggo for a while now.

Today I found Drag On Tape, a resource I feel comfortable recommending as a reasonable (not perfect) replacement to Fliggo. Drag On Tape is a mashup that makes it easy to post and combine different YouTube into one video that can be clipped and watched without a link back to YouTube. When posting and developing video clips choose the Tape is Locked/Tape is Public options prior to saving your clip(s) so that students cannot change or add videos. By the way, the YouTube video is present and visible on all the videos you import, but when users try to click on the logo to go to YouTube, they are taken back to the Drag On Tape timeline of videos. Registration for this Beta tool is free with email verification.

Check out this site on your classroom computer prior to using it for a lesson, particularly if YouTube is blocked by your school filter. Review Drag On Tape with your Technology Coordinator…it could serve as a valuable “work-around” for teachers and students who want to share valid, curricular YouTubes in class or as an assignment. Click on the link below to view the sample stop frame videos I posted to share with students who will be using my Claymation Animation WebQuest later this Fall.

Click here to view several Stop Frame Videos I put together with Drag On Tape.

I recently discovered Vidque, a site where you can build a customized library of videos for personal use or as a vehicle to share with students and friends. I love this site when I use it from home as it makes it very simple to access my personal collection of videos that I have discovered across the web. Sadly (but not surprisingly), any of the YouTube videos I included in Vidque were blocked when I tried opening them in an educational environment that blocks YouTube. It’s a bit disheartening when YouTube is blocked in schools because I can not share some of the marvelous short videos that are very appropriate for lessons and school use with my teachers and students. Still, I do understand the concern administrators and schools in general have regarding YouTube and some of the other video sites…there is a lot of bad mixed with the good. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I sure do miss Fliggo.

While Vidque does not serve as a replacement to Fliggo, it is a powerful tool to include in your bag of techno-organizational tricks. Creating a video library that is accessible using the tags you assign is very powerful and sharing the great videos you collect and add to your collection is simple and useful. Send links to students, friends, and colleagues or simply twitter the video link (based on your Vidque address) to your followers. You can save up to 20 videos a day once you have registered for a free account and set up your profile. Saving a video from any site is as simple as clicking on a button (once you have installed the Vidque bookmarklet in your browser) or you can add videos to your account manually using the Add Video Page. Currently the bookmarklet works in the following browsers: Chrome, Foxfire, Safari, and Opera.

I am gradually building a new library of videos using Vidque.

There are a number of video tutorial links that can be used to help learn an aspect of a computer program or how-to…well, you name it. Today I am sharing a few of the links that I thought stood out as I researched this topic.

Woopid – a relative newcomer to the how-to video scene, this site features numerous free technology training videos. The site claims to feature 1000’s of videos, though it did not appear that many videos when I researched the library listings. Regardless of the number, the featured videos were clear and easy to understand.

Video-tutes.com – “The free tutorial videos on this site cover a wide range of industry standard software such as Photoshop cs2 & 3, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash 8 and Flash 8 video, Adobe Premiere pro and more, 22 titles in fact! All are presented in a free video tutorial format. Our tutorial video collection is designed to help beginners and those wishing to learn new software to become productive faster & those wanting to advance their skill set.”

GetNetWise – this site claims that it “contains the largest online repository of instructional how-to video tutorials that show parents and users how to keep their family’s online experiences safe and secure. Instructional videos range from setting your search engine to filter pornography in its search results to activating your computer’s security settings.” I can’t guarantee that their claim is accurate, but the site does feature a number of excellent safety-focused resources that you may want to share with members of your staff and parents. Please note: most videos do not feature narration, but the visual representation is excellent.

Get My Idea – browse a large collection of free video tutorials. The site features daily updates, so don’t forget to bookmark us and check back often.

HowCast.com – “From How to Write a Resume to How to Jump-Start Car, Howcast provides the answer to any how-to question. Howcast engages consumers to watch and share free, useful how-to videos and guides produced in-house at Howcast Studios, as well as by innovative media partners, trusted brands, and individual contributors.”