Website review by Jenny Bristol, Common Sense Education | Updated April 2019
WeVideo
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WeVideo

Solid cloud-based editing site makes video creation simple and social

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Learning rating
Editorial review by Common Sense Education
Community rating
Based on 21 reviews
Privacy rating
Not yet rated Expert evaluation by Common Sense
Grades
K–12
Subjects & Skills
Arts, Communication & Collaboration, Creativity
Great for
Media Literacy, Creating Media, Social Media, Portfolios, Presentation
Price:  Free, Free to try, Paid
Platforms:  Website
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Take a look inside

11 images
The Timeline editing mode allows for many concurrent tracks and plenty of editing features.
Themes come with set features that carry through your video.
Add media from your own collection or from shared folders.
Colorful graphics can be added to each video.
Audio, from the built-in library or from your own files, can also be added.
The Storyboard editing mode has a simplified interface for those new to video editing and for younger students.
When you create a new file, you can start from scratch or use a pre-made template.
The WeVideo Academy has plenty of videos to help you get started or to inspire your projects.
Some lesson plans are also included in the teacher resources.
The teacher dashboard includes stats for each individual user.
The dashboard has controls for where users can share their work or obtain their media.

Pros: Intuitive editing and creation features such as themes, fonts, and green screen options will keep students experimenting with presentation style.

Cons: Privacy can get convoluted with all the possible sharing options, and the full program is somewhat costly.

Bottom Line: With two levels of editing tools and an easy-to-use interface, students of all ages should have no trouble creating and editing their video content to demonstrate learning.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Start with the WeVideo Academy to orient yourself on how the program works and to access inspiration, tutorials, and lesson ideas. There's also a Resource Hub that includes lesson plans and project examples across all school subjects, and an Educator's Guide that walks you through the interface and shows how to use it for a few types of projects. For students new to video editing, having them watch a few of the Academy videos would be a great way to orient them. Then have them begin a short project, such as adding narration to a video, or dive in with something larger, such as a personal narrative, photo essay, or digital story.

You can assign short WeVideo projects for students to create during class time, or have them form small groups to collaborate on larger projects completed over a longer time period. Since everything is stored in the cloud, students can pick up where they left off in class when they're doing homework at home. Aim project assignments at your students' level. If they've never created video projects before, start by challenging them to learn just a couple of features of WeVideo. Those with more experience can focus on making a more professional or involved product.

The teacher dashboard area allows you to add users (students, teachers, and admins), assign users to groups, and see reporting and analytics for individuals. Teachers can also turn on or off sharing options for each user role, and set where users can gather media from.

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Put this tool into practice:
Standards:

WeVideo is a video creation site (and Chrome and mobile app) that lets students create, edit, and share video content all in one place. It's cloud-based, which means that multiple people can collaborate on the same video from different locations, or students can work on it at school and finish it up for homework.

Depending on students' video editing skills, WeVideo has two editing modes: Storyboard and Timeline. Storyboard is best for beginners or younger students, but students can switch between modes if they change their mind later. Timeline allows students to add extra features like custom fonts and effects. They can upload images, video clips, and audio, and put them together with voice-over or text, or choose from the million licensed media options available within WeVideo. Additional features include green screen effects, screencasting, motion effects, exporting only audio to create a podcast, audio editing, and templates. Themes let students put a stylish filter over the entire video, while the Invite feature makes it possible to grant others access and editing capabilities. Students can edit transitions between pieces of media and put together a polished end product.

The WeVideo site uses JumpStart technology, which allows users to begin editing right away without waiting for their files to upload (which happens in the background). This helps keep things moving in the classroom, regardless of file size.

Students will learn video editing skills, from basic to advanced, with WeVideo. To create content, students express themselves through video, still images, audio, and their own personal style. Or, they can gather information, photos, and video and audio clips from online sources or the huge built-in library accessible from inside their account. Then during the editing phase, they'll learn how to turn these disparate raw materials into a finished product, ready for sharing. They'll learn to visualize information and organize their stories -- from personal tales to reports on historical events -- into impressive presentations, podcast episodes, or mini-movies.

WeVideo makes it easy to create professional-looking videos quickly. The themes are really fun to experiment with, the green screen option allows students to insert themselves into any scene or background, and students will enjoy changing their video's tone with the different filters. In addition to the built-in media library, kids have the option to upload media directly from other websites like Flickr or Dropbox, or from their own computer. Help is also easy to find, all accessible from a single button in the upper right corner of the editing screen. Overall, WeVideo is a solid editing program whose focus on collaboration sets it apart.

Overall Rating
Engagement

Once you get started, the video-making process is very engaging, and students will be drawn to fun extras like green screen options, filters, and fonts. The simple, intuitive design allows the video -- and the students -- to shine.

Pedagogy

By collecting and organizing media into a cohesive video project, students learn skills they can transfer to future school projects and beyond. While collaborating, students learn social skills and discover how to use individual strengths.

Support

Help is at students' fingertips, with the help button right on the editing screen. Teachers have access to extra resources, including tutorials, inspiration, and lesson plan ideas. Data can be kept private within the account or can be shared.

Common Sense reviewer
Jenny Bristol Other
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Key Standards Supported

Reading Informational Text

  • RI.3.7

    Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).

  • RI.4.7

    Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.

  • RI.5.7

    Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.

  • RI.6.7

    Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

  • RI.7.7

    Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each medium’s portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the delivery of a speech affects the impact of the words).

  • RI.8.7

    Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.

  • RI.9-10.7

    Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.

  • RI.11-12.7

    Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.

Writing

  • W.4.6

    With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.

  • W.5.6

    With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.

  • W.6.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting.

  • W.7.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to and citing sources.

  • W.8.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

  • W.9-10.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

  • W.11-12.6

    Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

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Community Rating

(See all 21 reviews) (21 reviews) Write a review
Featured review by
Tara H. , Classroom teacher
Classroom teacher
Gretna Middle School
Gretna, United States
A fun alternative to PowerPoint presentations.
One thing I really liked about WeVideo was that it allowed each student to work at his/her comfort level - or just beyond it. Some students had no experience with video editing, and they were able to use WeVideo to essentially make a narrated PowerPoint. Other students were more comfortable with the technology, and they imported videos and music into their presentations, which took their projects to the next level.
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