New Video Editing Solutions

The 2011-2012 school year will see an entirely new paradigm in video services at District 219. This is a brief guide to the services we’ll offer, the hardware and software we’ll be using, and where you can go for training materials.

PCs running Windows 7 and Adobe Premiere Elements 9 will be available for students to work on video projects. Approximately 15 such PCs will be in the IRC (they’re already there), in at least one full computer lab per building, in the PDCs, and in the expanded AAL student helpdesk (more on that later). Of course, all Windows computers will still have Windows Movie Maker and PhotoStory on them.

Students may also choose to explore “cloud-based” options for video editing, including JayCut and others, which are platform-independent (they don’t care what kind of computer you’re using). These online video editors allow users to log in and edit their videos on a web page rather than using software on their own computer, in much the same way Google Docs allows users to access office-type documents on the web.

For student video recording needs, we will have a supply of small DV cameras (students will no longer need to purchase MiniDV tapes to use our cameras - everything is stored directly in the camera’s memory and then copied onto the computer). We have 30 Flip cameras per building and are evaluating other models for future purchase. The cameras will be checked out through the AAL Student Help Desk. More details on the checkout procedure will follow.

Since 2011-12 will add a new round of incoming students having netbook computers, the AAL Student Help Desks will need more room to accommodate the added load of students seeking netbook support. At Niles West, the AAL Student Help Desk will be moving to room 2150. This move will offer more space to the Student Help Desk and will also be home to a few more PCs with Windows 7 and Adobe Premiere Elements. At Niles North, the AAL Student Help Desk will move to room 1500 and have the same resources.

The next school year will mark a new beginning in how multimedia services are provided at District 219. We will do our best to help you make the most of these services.