Episode #16 - Stop Motion Animator Chrome Extension

SHOW NOTES:

Stop Motion Animator Extension: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/stop-motion-animator/bjkfigedpppnggdamgeclieeekhbgjpc/related?hl=en 

Compact Mirror Hack PDF: http://bit.ly/3Ew6O2k 

Demo Video using Stop Motion Animator on a Chromebook WITH Compact Mirror Hack: https://youtu.be/MPWNFP9fQrk (no sound)

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TRANSCRIPT:  (full transcript link)

Hello and welcome to episode number sixteen of the one-five. I am your podcast hostess - Tricia Louis - the self-designated tech goddess and I will be coming to you weekly in this audio podcast format with great edtech tools, tips, and tricks.

In this week’s episode, I will be talking about the Stop Motion Animator chrome extension. I have been a fan of stop motion animation as it is a great activity for students to not only express themselves in the making of a video, but it is a fun way for them to share information and show what they know.

When doing stop motion animation on a chromebook (or laptop since this is a chrome extension) it can be kind of tricky, but I have a solve for that and I will go into it more later.

Let’s get started. Once you install the extension, I would recommend pinning it to your chrome toolbar for easy access. When you click on the extension a new tab will open up and the first thing you will want to do is allow access to your device’s camera (otherwise there will be no pictures to animate). Once that access is allowed, take a look at the different buttons:

• On/Off: Turn On, Off webcam camera
• Capture: Take pictures from the webcam camera
• Undo: Undo previous snapshot
• Play/Stop: Preview video
• Clear: Clear all video
• Clock: Displays the effect of the video's Frames Per Second rate
• Flip: flip the camera
• Record Audio: Record audio for the clip
• Clear Audio: Remove record audio
• Save: Save clip to computer

What I like about stop motion animator is that it’s super simple to use. The addition of the onion skinning (that’s where you see the previous image while preparing the next image), makes it easy for students to prepare their images. 

Remember earlier I mentioned that I have a solution for using the webcam on your chromebook or laptop for stop motion animation? Well here it is - a compact mirror. Simply go to your nearest retailer and grab a cheap compact mirror and then you can use a piece of tape (painters tape works best) to position the hinge of the compact mirror to reflect the camera down. Then you can put a little whiteboard over your keyboard and place the objects on it that you want to animate. If you want to see this hack, be sure to check out the show notes for a link to a PDF that shows how to set it up. Also in the show notes, is a link to a youtube video where I used the hack to make a video.

When you are finished taking all the pictures for your stop motion film, you can view it and then choose to save it in your google drive (as a webm file) when you are on your chromebook. If you are on a laptop (pc or mac) the webm file is downloaded and you can store it anywhere. 

I hope that you think about adding stop motion animation as a fun activity in your classroom. You will be surprised with the creativity of your students and what they can come up with!

Do you want to learn more? Check out my website - tricialouis.com. There you can explore my resources, subscribe to my weekly email newsletter, and contact me. And if you like this podcast, consider supporting it by going to buymeacoffee.com/talouis and pledging your contribution to the one-five.

Keep in mind the information shared on this podcast may take additional clearances from your tech department to work properly in your district, school, or classroom. I have vetted all of the information shared on this podcast and it is available and/or correct on the date the podcast is originally published. But, remember that services, sites, or products can change or become unavailable without a lot of notice. 

Thanks for listening and join me next week for another episode of the one five!

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