In my junior high tech classes, I have been exploring the option of using online apps for audio and video projects. Currently I use Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) for audio projects and Windows Movie Maker (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/) for video projects. Although I think Audacity is a great, robust, free program I can't say the same for Movie Maker.  Microsoft has let this software languish. I have witnessed it crash on students editing their projects and I have seen it render videos where the audio was out of sync with the video (I know this is often a problem related to the low processing speed of a computer).

What has been holding me back from jumping into the online app world are privacy issues with junior high students.  Many sites require students to register and provide personal info.  I'm not paranoid about this as I tell them to never give out personal info online (whether they listen to this advice is another thing).  Yet, policies and guidelines about using online sites with k-12 students are often non-existent or so far behind the times that they are no longer relevant. However, the power and usefulness of many of today's web apps almost makes it a necessity to look at these alternatives to traditional software that must be downloaded and installed on a computer.

Here is a list of online apps that I have been looking at:

Video:

• Animoto (http://animoto.com/) - A free online video (slideshow) creation program;
• Stupeflix (http://www.stupeflix.com/) - A free online video (slideshow) creation program similar to Animoto; 
• Jaycut (http://jaycut.com/) - an online video editor;
• Dvolver Moviemaker (http://dfilm.com/live/moviemaker.html) - A free online movie maker program.

Audio:

• Myna (http://aviary.com/tools/Myna) - This is a free, online, audio editing program that you can use to remix/create music tracks, audio clips, and sound effects. You can also record your voice or musical instruments (e.g. guitar);

Graphics/Photo:

• PhotoPeach (http://photopeach.com/) - a free online site where you can create slideshows using photos, music and captions;
  
• Phoenix (http://aviary.com/tools/phoenix) - A free online photo editing applications;
  
• Pixlr (http://www.pixlr.com/) - Another free graphics creation and editing program;
  
• Picnik (http://www.picnik.com/) - A free online image editor;
  
• Be Funky (http://www.befunky.com/) - Add effects to photos on this site (e.g. Turn your photo into a cartoon);
  
• Pixton (http://pixton.com/ca/) - Create comics online using this site;
• Super Action Comic Maker (http://www.artisancam.org.uk/flashapps/superactioncomicmaker/) - A free online resource for creating comics;
  
• Making Web Comics in Aviary (http://aviary.com/blog/posts/making-web-comics-in-aviary);
  
• Cartoonster (http://www.cartoonster.com/) - An online resource that teaches you how to create cartoons;
  
• Pho.to (http://pho.to/widget3d/) - a free online site where you can create 3D photo albums;
  
• SketchPad (http://mugtug.com/sketchpad/) - a free online sketchpad similar to a paint program;
• Mutapic (http://www.mutapic.com) - a free online picture generator for creating your own art.

Animations:

• Xtranormal (http://www.xtranormal.com/) - A free online site that allows you to create animations and narrate them;
  
• Memoov (http://memoov.com/) - A free online resource that allows you to create animated videos;
  
• Doink (http://www.doink.com/) - A free online site where you can create animations.

The caveat is that you should have a high speed Internet connection and a fairly good computer to access and work with these online apps. Working with multimedia can be demanding using programs on your local computer and doing so over the web could present some problems on older, slower, systems.

A big advantage to using these sites is that they can be used by my students in the computer lab at school and on their own computers at home. I like sites that offer tutorials with their apps and I have seen how some of the more creative apps can capture a student's imagination.  If you are familiar with any of these apps or give them a try then I would appreciate any feedback.