WeVideo Impresses

Two years ago when first dabbling with WeVideo, a browser based, online video editor, I walked away from the experience thoroughly unimpressed. WeVideo was slow, clunky, and frustrating. During the last few weeks, I had the chance to work with or observe students, some from grade 6 and some from grade 12, as they edited video projects using WeVideo. What a difference a two years makes! WeVideo is a fairly responsive video editor that left me pleasantly surprised.

Make no mistake, WeVideo will not currently replace Premiere, Sony Vegas, Final Cut, or consumer grade video editors like iMovie. But it does fill a niche with fairly powerful tools, and a responsive interface. I particularly like the way WeVideo removes "Tech" from the video making process and integrates with tons of social media resources.  It seems that whatever media format gets thrown its way, WeVideo assimilates it, and works with it. Students can start a project at school, and pick up right where they left off on a machine at home, library, or friend's house. Happily, the "save and backup your work" song doesn't need to be sung during the last ten minutes of every class.

If you lack access to dedicated workstations with locally installed video editors,-Chromebooks come to mind-  and if you are looking for a free tool to empower students in digital storytelling activities, consider WeVideo. It may impress you, too.