Kizoa – A Tool for Creating Movies and Collages

Freemium!

Kizoa is designed for users to create movies and collages with their own images. To begin, users must launch the website and then register. Next, their dashboard view loads, and users can click the “My Images” tab to upload their own images to the website. Next, users must decide if they wish to create a movie or collage by selecting the corresponding tab at the top of their dashboard view, and then choosing if they want to use a template or create their product from scratch.

If users chose to make a movie, they will need to drag their images into the slots at the bottom of the screen. After they dragged the first one, Kizoa will present them with cropping options for that image and additional ones they will add. Users are to select the cropping setting of their choice and then continue to drag images into the slots.

Once the images have been added, users can select additional options that include transitions, effects, text, animations, music, and settings. The “Transitions” option allows users to insert special effects between images in the movie. The “Effects” option lets users add graphics to the actual images in the movie. The “Text” option allows users to overlay their images with words. The “Animation” option lets users insert a cartoon over their images, and the “Music” option allows users to select background music that will be played during their movie.

When adding any of these options, users will need to drag the option they wish to add to their movie from the dashboard into the movie timeline on the bottom of the screen. Depending on the option, Kizoa may load an additional menu that lets users further manipulate the image. (Users can also access this menu by clicking the image from their timeline at the bottom of the screen.) This menu allows users to adjust the length of time the image will be shown in their movie along with adding text, animations, effects, and music. To exit this menu, users will need to click the “X” on the top right of the screen. To preview their movie, users can click the “Play” button on the right of the screen.

When finished, users can click the “Save” button, and Kizoa will convert their movie into a MP4 file that will be emailed to them and stored in the program’s cloud. (With a free subscription, users’ movies can only be 30 seconds in length.) If users wish to make a collage, they will need to select the “Collage Maker” option from the top of the screen and then choose the images they wish to include by dragging them from the “My Photos” section of the website into their workspace. Users can then arrange the photos in their collage by dragging them, click the “Add Text” option to insert words into their collage, and further format the collage by clicking an image and choosing the additional options. When finished, users can click the “Download” button on the right of the screen to save their work.

Please Note: Kizoa offers additional options and features that users can access with a paid subscription.

Instructional Ideas for Kizoa

1. After reading a text, teachers can have students create a movie using this website that summarizes the text, highlights its main points, and/or offers a counter argument. When finished, students can save their movie and then upload it to a class website, so their classmates can view and comment on their movie.
2. Teachers can assign students a significant individual from history and have them create a movie or collage about the person. Students can be required to represent that person’s background, education, work, life, and legacy in the movie or collage. When finished, students can save their work and then present it to the class in small groups or via a whole-class presentation. When finished, students can upload their work to a class website, and teachers can require their classmates to respond to the post by stating what they learned and what they would still like to know about the person.
3. For a creative assignment, teachers can let students pick a product or book and create a 30-second commercial for it using this website. The purpose of the commercial can be to build interest in the product or book that will result in students either wanting to purchase the product or read the book. When finished creating their commercial, students can share it with their classmates by posting it to a class website and then their classmates can respond to it by stating if they are or are not interested in the product or book based on the commercial.
4. After reading a book, teachers can have students create a collage that represents the book with the goal of having their classmates want to read it. When finished creating the collage, students can download it and then send it as an email attachment to their teacher, who can then print it out and hang it on the classroom wall.
5. When studying a topic that has multiple individuals, events, or topics, teachers can have students create a collage that serves as a graphic organizer that explains the different elements included in the collage. Students can add text to further explain the relationship between the elements. Students can then upload their collage to a class website so their classmates can view their work.

Screenshots of Kizoa