October 2024 – Carlos Martinez

For this weeks post and prompt I explored using Imovie for my first time ever to make a trailer kind of video from braiding process as I continue on my journey to improve my skills. (video in the post below!)

So for my first time using Imovie I used it on my Ipad which is about 5 years old now so it may be the old version of Imovie. Anyways, for a first time user I have to say it was very easy and user friendly in my opinion. All the controls and functions of the app were easy to find, easy to use and easy to use with each other as well which goes a long way to making a good user experience. Having the ability to use my Ipad to record, edit and format my video into a trailer style clip is a great convenience and I think that is a bonus for those looking to use this app. In Imovie you can use any video or image saved throughout your Icloud or apple devices to create different movies or clips.

I believe Imovie would be a good tool to use in classrooms where you are learning the video making process or trying to get your students to dip their toes in making their own videos because it is very user friendly. It could be used by students for many other subjects and projects once they are able to build their skills using the application. On top of that many young kids here in North America are already very familiar with the apple ecosystem and functions so for those people they might be able to pick it up that much quicker. While there are many awesome things about Imovie I think one drawback would be that it is exclusively an apple product. This means if you want to be able to use these in your classrooms with your students then you will need access to multiple Ipads or imac or macbooks which could be a significant hurdle for classrooms where resources are already thin. Unless you are in a classroom that already is using mostly apple products, which is unlikely, then mostly having PC’s means you are not able to use this software without an investment of resources.

—- Here is my video, had to upload it to youtube to be able to post it here

I think that Imovie would be able help students in all facets of the SAMR model depending on the grades you are teaching and how complex the use is. For example in the substitution section, a student could create a video essay in replacement of doing an oral presentation for their report, this way the change that is happening is we are replacing the live presentation with a video format. In the Modification section, you could have students create a specific type of film on their report, like a horror or documentary film. They would be asked to use Imovies many editing features to create their final product, so they are changing how they are completing their project.

Using Imovie to document my braiding this week was a cool change of pace and watching the videos back also helped me see some of the places I was going wrong. As we are a few weeks into our learning journeys, I am happy to notice some improvements in my braiding. Starting the process is now fairly easy for me but once I get to the middle I still tend to struggle with keeping the hair apart and keeping the strands pulled tight. Still confident though that by the end of this semester I will be miles ahead of where I started.

So during this week I found a website called “aiirprofessional.com” which has been a great resource to help with my braiding practice. The site has sections with instructions on how to braid your own hair, other peoples hair and different styles of braids. Along with videos, the site has a step by step approach to making a simple braid (three-strand braid) which is the one I am focusing on for my project. It is simple and a site I would recommend to others if they were looking to learn the same skill.

First thing I had to get used to doing was combing the hair out enough so all the hair was straight and not tangled up. I can admit that I was not doing that before this week so I think that is why I was struggling a lot more than i should have! I think now the process should be a little easier and a little less messy.

I spent a couple hours on Wednesday and Thursday practicing and I included the best of the best in this post below. Sadly this was the best of the bunch… for now anyways. But comparing it to my first attempts this semester I think there is already progress being made, first because I was able to finish my last braid in one go without stopping. Also the braid is tighter where as my first few attempts it even the better ones were looser all throughout the braid.

A few important tips the site gave for learning to braid for beginners were

Practice as much as you can
Always prep the hair (slightly damp hair/combed)
Create neat, even sections when making your three strands
Find a rhythm: find a pattern that works for you when weaving the braid and repeat it
Maintain a solid grip on each section, especially the center section

One thing I was thinking about was if eventually will it become like muscle memory if I become good enough at it? If I were to stop practicing once the semester ends would I quickly lose this new skill? Definitely learning about patience doing small, tedious tasks doing this assignment and working out my fingers as well, did not expect for my hands to get as sore as they have been!

For the coming weeks my next few goals is to be able to do multiple braids like this or better and to cut down on the time it will take me to do so. I also hope to be able to find more time to practice this next week as things have really been getting busy with school and work life ramping up. That is another thing that I find having to work on, my time management ability. I am also doing semester long assignments in two other classes that ask us to keep notes/take pictures building towards a final summary of your learning so it has been a task on itself trying to balance time for everything. But I also consider that it is only for a few months so it is not all that bad.

https://aiirprofessional.com/blogs/braids/how-to-braid