Boinx just released iStopMotion 3 for the Mac. It’s an absolute must for your classroom. Here’s our review:
It’s no secret I’m a fan of Boinx software. I’ve reviewed it, and loved it, again and again. Boinx is a company that clearly understands what teachers and students need. They continually produce exciting software, and refining existing applications, that engage learning and implement wonderful easy-to-navigate user interfaces.
iStopMotion from Boinx has been one of my favorite applications for both the iPad and my MacBook, and now it just got even more amazing.
Boinx’s award-winning stop motion and time lapse standard has just been redesigned with several incredible new features.
First of all, Boinx detonated a nuclear bomb with their new pricing of this product. iStopMotion 2 originally sold for $499.00, but this new updated release has dropped the price to just $49.99 for iStopMotion 3. (It was even on sale this Labor Day Weekend at $29.99.) Despite the lower price point, iStopMotion 3 has all the features of its predecessor and several new ones too. The pricing is perfect for educators. You can purchase it on the Mac App store.
Second, the app has an updated new look and has received support for retina displays. Boinx has even added simple integration with Apple’s Final Cut Pro X and iMovie, and the new stop motion animation standard is fully compatible with OS X Mountain Lion.
Third, iStopMotion 3 now enables remote iOS cameras. If you have ever used iStopMotion on your iPad, and you should, you really, really should, then you have probably enjoyed how you can use an iPhone or iPod Touch as a remote camera. Well, now that same feature is possible on your laptop and iMac in this update. Remote cameras are perfect for class projects.
Last, whether you have used iStopMotion in the past or a new user, you will appreciate the full screen mode, and many other improvements and refinements that make this application a pleasure to run.
My students use iStopMotion in my middle school English classroom for digital story telling projects. My students write scripts and storyboards and bring their ideas to life with this impressive software. They have made engaging introductions and closings to iMovie projects, shot time-lapse shorts for science class, and have created impressive projects that have truly never existed before. When they hit an obstacle, they enjoy readjusting their controls and figuring out how to make it work. It is fun and has really improved the quality of their work. I love seeing them use critical thinking skills to plan ahead using this software.
Wired Educator Grade: A+
Comments: This is an incredible application at an incredible price. Wired Educator gives it our highest recommendation. We want this installed on every MacBook so students can create digital stories and projects that Wow! their audiences. Never before has animation and stop motion animation been so simple yet so powerful, and so affordable. The possibilities for what this great software can do is limited only to the imagination of those using it.
Here’s an example of a possibility in the classroom:
