Demo Girl

I don't remember how I came across this site, but I'm glad I did! Demo Girl is all about Web 2.0 tools. Not only does Molly McDonald, editor in chief, provide a short description of a tool, but she also provides a short screencast demonstrating its use. In Molly's own words:

Would you rather sign up for a new service, verify your email, and then try to figure it out by reading some FAQ’s or would you rather watch a 2 or 3 minute screencast demo and see for yourself if it’s even worth your time?

And she even provides the code to include the screencast demo on your blog or website. All of her screencasts are located at Viddler. If you want to get the code you have to signup. (I'll have to see if dg has a screencast on Viddler, since I'm not familiar with Viddler. It appears to be similar to YouTube, but better. It allows one to record directly to the website, tag and comment in the moment.)

I would definitely recommend adding dg to your RSS feed. You can then pick and choose the tools that might interest you.

Today's School Libraries

"Today's Library: A fun look at the schools library and how it has changed over the years."
The Henrico County (Va.) Public Schools recently produced this informative look at what school library media centers and media specialists can do to teach 21st-century literacy skills. Remixing a 1940s-era librarian vocational film with interviews with middle-school and high-school information specialists, teachers, and students, Today’s Library is an entertaining showcase of the importance of professional librarians in the educational process....
Henrico County (Va.) Public Schools Video Vault

JayCut

As you may know I have been exploring applications from The Collaborative Web pageflake. Here's the final application I have left to examine.


With JayCut you can upload media (videos and photos) from your camera, webcam, or mobile phone. JayCut's mixer allows you to edit unwanted portions, add captions, add sounds or music to your video clips and photos and create a materpiece or "mix." Once you have created your mix you can then share, export, or embed into your website or blog.

Watch this Jaycut mix, Creating a Mix 101, for a brief explanation of the editing process. (I've tried to embed the actual JayCut video, but it's not working. I think perhaps Blogger doesn't support a flash video.)

Here's a great review of JayCut by Josh Catone of ReadWriteWeb with more technical information. I haven't actually tried to create a mix yet, so I thought you should hear from someone who has.

Well, it's awhile later and I've tried to create a mix. Since I haven't done video editing before, it took me some time to sort of understand why there are two video tracks and how to transition and add effects. I wouldn't say that I have created a masterpiece. See for yourself, here.