I love to find ways for students to enrich their learning with art and images.  Animoto is a fun and easy way for students to create a video to display their findings.  Animoto is very simple to use; it’s really 3 steps:  pick from one of the pre-made templates, upload your images, and add some text.  Then, Animoto performs a little magic behind the scenes to produce the final video.  In order to use Animoto, the students will need to set up a free account.  Teachers are eligible to receive a free upgraded account and, using the code provided by Animoto, they can pass along this benefit to their students.  Due to the streamlined interface and limited number of options, I have found that my students do not need any guidance to use this tool effectively.  They catch on really quickly!  I’ve had my students use Animoto to summarize a historical or biographical reading or even to demonstrate their understanding of a text.  The workflow for the students begins with doing the reading, then I ask them to hone in on the essential ideas, points, or elements of their reading.  Next, they search for one or two images that represent each of the main ideas of the reading and lastly they compile the video using Animoto.  For me, the activity spans one homework assignment and approximately twenty minutes of class time.  Students are proud of the results and enjoy watching their classmates’ finished videos.    To get started, go to www.animoto.comand sign up for a free account.