The Best Free Video Maker For High School Students

Getting through to high school students is a difficult task. By the time they get to you, they've sat through years of school, and the last thing they want is another dry recitation from a textbook. It's far better to have them learn by doing, and assigning video reports can allow them to be creative as they teach one another. Ezvid Wikimaker is a free online video editor that is easy to learn and has a wealth of features students can use to make entertaining video essays. We'll go over a few of the features of Wikimaker as well as how it can be incorporated into the classroom. Once you've read up on how to use Ezvid WIkimaker, give it a try and make your first wiki. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.

What Is Ezvid Wikimaker?

Ezvid Wikimaker is a free online video editor. Wikimaker uses voice synthesis to automatically create narration to go with a written essay, as well as adding music and fair use images and video clips. Students can add or delete images to create an informative video. And with Wikimaker Capture, they can add their own visual content to make their reports more entertaining. You can create an instructional video that shows your students how to complete their projects, then let them be as creative as they like in presenting topics to the class.

What Are Some Advantages Of Wikimaker?

  • Instant video creation
  • Edit entirely in-browser
  • Voice synthesis
  • Built-in fair use images and videos
  • Screen recording and image capture
  • Upload images and videos
  • Videos and essays hosted on Ezvid Wiki
  • Completely free to use

What Kind Of Projects Can Be Assigned With Wikimaker?

  1. Biography of a historical figure
  2. End-of-year video to display work done during the school year
  3. Chapter summary for a science or history unit
  4. Statistics projects that involve analyzing graphs
  5. Explanation of a current event
  6. Report on a country or city
  7. Essays on film and media
  8. Research project that shows where to find sources
  9. Any project that can benefit from exciting visuals

How Do I Make Recordings Of My Screen?

You'll notice that a lot of videos made with Wikimaker utilize screen recordings. These are made using Wikimaker Capture, which is available as a browser extension for Chrome or as a download for Windows and Mac. You can record your computer screen to demonstrate your research or show activity in your browser. For tips on how to get the most out of this free program, watch our tutorial on how to use Wikimaker Capture Desktop.

In Depth

Keeping high school students engaged in their studies is difficult. They're becoming more independent and thinking about the future. If you can't show them how what they'll be learning will be relevant in college or in their chosen career path, they're likely to tune you out. Incorporating technology will help prepare them for the real world while keeping them interested. But you're not teaching a programming or video production class, and you don't have the resources to give each student pricey editing software. Thankfully, there is now a free solution available online.

Ezvid Wikimaker is a free online video editor that promotes a broad set of skills. Through using it, students will become better researchers, writers, photo editors, web designers, and public speakers. Rather than having to present a report with a dry presentation of facts, it can open them up to new intellectual pursuits, and train them in creative problem solving. It's easy to incorporate Wikimaker into your curriculum by assigning video essay projects.

Consider a report in a social studies class, for instance. The teacher might know that Nat Turner's Rebellion is a fascinating subject. But students look at it and see only a conglomeration of names and dates. Even making a PowerPoint presentation isn't necessarily going to be engaging. But Ezvid Wikimaker will force them to look for images related to the subject and consider how to best tell the story visually. Because of this, they are likely to explore the subject in greater depth and take more pride in their work.

Consider a report in a social studies class, for instance.

The first step is to register for a Wikimaker account. From there, you can select your title and write your first section. You can compose your written essay first in a word processing program, or write as you go in Wikimaker. Paste your first paragraph in the box and hit "Enter." Wikimaker will generate a voice synthesis, which means you can hear the words you've just typed spoken aloud as narration for your video, which you can watch right away. It will also generate images and videos to match key words in your paragraph, which you can see on the left side of your screen when you scroll down.

Because not every term has an image attached, students will see that phrases like "history" and "United States," have visual identities already associated, but "Nat Turner's Rebellion" does not. In this case, they'll have to perform a Google image search for "Nat Turner," which will expose them to illustrations old and new, film depictions, and contemporaneous accounts.

They can also remove images that aren't relevant by clicking the 'X' in the lower left corner of the thumbnail. By combining their own research with the desire to make an entertaining video, they'll be learning how to communicate more clearly.

By combining their own research with the desire to make an entertaining video, they'll be learning how to communicate more clearly.

Ezvid Wikimaker's unique voice synthesis system can be more helpful to a student's writing than all the red pen in the world. Once a segment is created, they can watch it and listen back. Hearing the words out loud can help them identify problems in their writing.

Students will also have access to Wikimaker Capture, which is available as a browser extension for Chrome as well as a free download for Windows and Mac with expanded features. With both versions, you can capture any image found on the web to use in your video. You can also record activity on your screen, making it possible to display the steps of your research, or even include content from other programs, so there will be no excuses for students not showing their sources.

You can also upload files from your computer. This means students can incorporate video clips, or even include photos and videos of themselves to really explore their creativity and find innovative ways to present their information. They'll become experts at explaining their topic. Once they've completed and watched all their sections, they can submit the video, and it will be published on Ezvid Wiki, where they can watch it and share the URL with their instructors and classmates.

You can also upload files from your computer.

In the end, you'll have given students the creative freedom they crave while teaching them important concepts that will help them in the future, no matter what career path they take. They'll gain experience using technology, researching on the web, and telling a story visually, all while diving into their chosen topic. No longer will you have to stand there and recite facts to sleepy faces every day. With Wikimaker, they can teach each other through entertaining video essays and actually have fun learning.