Download YouTube Videos

Ever find a YouTube video that you wanted to keep?  When bookmarking it isn't enough, try savetube.com.

SaveTube allows you to extract the video from YouTube, download it, and keep it for the long term.  This protects you from the video disappearing off of YouTube, allows you to load it into iTunes (for syncing to an iPod, iPhone, or iPad), and lets you put it on a flash drive to hand out.

To use it:

1. Find the YouTube video that you want.
2. Select and copy the video's URL (a.k.a. "web address")
3. Go to savetube.com
4. Paste the URL into SaveTube's blank line and click the "Video" button.
5. If the computer asks, let the Java program run.
6. Wait
7. Scroll down the page and download the video as your preferred file type.  MP4 gives the best flexibility, so use that if you don't have a preference.

Extra Tip:  There are a lot of services like SaveTube.  Feel free to search Google for "download youtube" to find others.  Maybe you'll find one that you like better.

iMovie Storage

Earlier today, I made a small but important change to iMovie.  If you use or intend to use iMovie, please be sure to read this.

Previously, iMovie would try to store to your account's space on the servers.  While that is great for Word or PowerPoint, it makes iMovie terribly slow.  And it fills your disk space, which breaks other things.  And it slows the server down, making the computers slow for everyone else.  Not good.

Now, iMovie will store recordings on the computer that you're sitting at.  This means a few things:

1. Its not slow.
2. Its not "killing" the computers for everyone else.
3. You will be leaving your work behind on that computer UNLESS you export it and copy the movie file to your Documents folder.  (See below)
4. Anyone else who sits at that computer can see, edit, and delete your work.  (See below)

These changes make iMovie work on hundreds of our computers.  Before today, it only worked on a handful.  So this was an overall good change.

If you or your students want to keep a video after you finish editing it in iMovie, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the "Share" menu and select "Export".
2. Next to the name of the file, click on the small blue square with the triangle in it.  This will expand the window and allow you to save to a new location.
3. Select "Macintosh HD" --> "Temporary Storage".
4. Select the file size that you want.  Use the guide to help you pick.
5. Name your file.
6. Click "Export".
7. You now have a video file in the "Temporary Storage" folder on the hard drive.  Copy this to your Documents folder so that you can keep it when you logout.
8. You should now be able to logout, login somewhere else, and keep your finished/exported video.

Lastly, please note the only real down side of this change.  Since its on the computer itself and not the server, that means that the students must sit at the exact same computer as the last time they worked on their project.  For example, if your class is editing video on Monday and Wednesday this week, have each student note the computer that they're using on Monday and return to it on Wednesday.  That will let them continue working without disruption.

Try to avoid very long video editing projects, too.  The longer the project, the greater the chance of a student deleting the work on Tuesday.  (This might happen due to malice or just confusion.)

Also, various computer problems may be fixed by replacing or erasing the computer.  So please be sure to mention any iMovie projects on that computer when reporting problems.