One Stop Digital Storytelling and So Much More

For nearly a year I have wanted to see what the web 2.0 app Creaza Education offers to users.  This free application, with additional benefits for paid subscriptions, is open to students.  For those under fifteen years of age it is requested that parents or guardians give them permission to do so.

Creaza has four components.  By clicking on each of the named component tabs at the bottom of the web site home page explanatory videos can be viewed for each.

Cartoonist offers 8 possible scenarios in which digital stories, cartoons, can be created. With this tool, you can also create title cards, speech balloons, thought balloons, or scream balloons. You can also combine all this with your own images.
Your cartoon will be organised into a strip with several frames, which can be presented both on the web and printed out on paper. 

I selected the Little Red Riding Hood scenario.  Background, characters, animals, props and cartoonist effects are elements that can be added to each frame of the cartoon.  Adjustments and enhancements can be made to each of those. 


 

 Mindomo is a tool for visually organizing your thoughts.  Text, media files and links can be added to the mind maps that you design. 

MovieEditor allows the user to generate a movie from files within the app or those that have been uploaded. Graphic, sound and music files can be combined with video files to create a professional presentation complete with title frames and transition choices.  The finished product can be exported to a high resolution MP4 or YouTube.

AudioEditor is as sophisticated as MovieEditor with many options available to generate a variety of audio files.  Recording, slicing and mixing can be done to make the perfect sound.  Recording can be done to place an additional track on top of the final edit.




When first selecting the Register button in the upper right hand corner, users are taken to the Terms of Use policy.  Upon acceptance the next screen asks for first name, last name, username, password, gender, email, year of birth and country.  When registration is completed the profile or homepage appears. 

At this homepage one can change the profile picture by uploading an image from your computer.  It is placed in your media file. At this point the homepage text can be edited but a Java plug-in is needed to accomplish that task.  Also the ability to activate YouTube export is located on this page.  On the left is a list of files that have been designed using one of the four tools.  Across the top those tools can be accessed as well as any files that have been uploaded such as images, sounds and videos.

When you register a unique URL is assigned to your account.  By using this URL your homepage and all your digital productions can be seen.  Comments can be left by viewers as well as a starred rating.

 Each of the individual files designed using the four tools also has a unique URL and HTML code which can be embedded as shown above.  In order to "release" those URL and HTML codes prior to opening the file move the mouse over the small blue button beneath the frame making sure it says unshared.

This is a wonderful free web 2.0 application , simple to use but sophisticated in the finished piece.