Pocket Video Cameras


            

 

2008 saw the emergence of pocket video cameras no larger than most mobile phones. They are inexpensive, shoot relatively good-looking video and are almost as easy to operate as an iPod - no confusing controls, just a single record button. These pocket camcorders attach to your computer via a USB port and record video in a straight-to-web format perfect for YouTube and other video sharing websites.

 

There are a proliferation of options out there now. Personally, I purchased a DXG pocket video camera at Walmart for just $89. It came with software (which I don't use as the video imports directly to iPhoto on my Mac), a tiny tripod, a AA battery charger and 4 rechargeable AA batteries, a soft case and a 2 GB SD memory card. What a deal! I chose the DXG over some of the others, not only for the price but because of the external memory card capability. Most other models have a limit to the amount of video you can shoot--OK for most folks as long as you download video to your computer regularly.

 

BREAKING NEWS--via Tony Vincent's Learning in Hand blog: Kodak is releasing a pocket video camera the  Zi8 Pocket Video Camera in Sept. 2009. The big advantage is an external mic jack...audio is critical to creating a good video!

 

Pocket video cameras are GREAT devices for students to use and have a myriad of applications both in and out of the classroom. For some ideas check out the following links:

 

Forty Interesting Ways* to use your Pocket Video Camera in the Classroom by Tom Barrett - http://tbarrett.edublogs.org/

 

Using Flip Cameras in Your Classroom by Jolene Anzalone, the ECS (Educational Computing Strategist) at Escobedo Middle School in Las Vegas, NV.