Trying animoto

I have been looking this week at animoto. The program seems simple enough to use, but I am not sold on the functionality for the text based classes I teach. The videos on the site are a nice way of digital storytelling and could be used in introducing a concept or summarizing what was learned. But I do not see how it could be used in the learning process of a text based class, has anyone done this? The free version also seems very limited in the same way as a thirty second clip might be good for an introduction or motivational point, but seems limited in its ability to present a greater topic. It seems to me that this is a great tool for making slideshows come alive and turn pictures more into stories, but its application to the classroom seems limited. Students could use video to demonstrate mastery over a topic, see a Judaics example at https://sites.google.com/a/mhafyos.org/letters/home but this too is using student generated video as a project and not teacher generated video as part of instruction.

Trying Edmodo

I saw everyone in my EdTech class using Edmodo so I had to check it out. I am new to social networking, and I am not sure I like it either. I do not have a facebook, myspace, linkedIn, or any other social networking account, so this was new. (Ok, I set up a twitter account earlier this year.)
My early impression is that this is a good way to organize a class. I can post assignments, send notes to the class, even give and grade quizzes. The RSS feature allows me and my students to receive automatic updates and thus adds a level of convenience to class management.
What remains to be seen is how the communications and collaboration elements will work. As I use it in real classes I should get a better feel of how it will work. Anyone have any tips?

Purim and Yom Kippur

Rabbi Hutner (Pachad Yitzchak Purim 22) quotes from Vilna Gaon that Purim and Yom Kippur are not just linked, but are two halves of the same day. We paskin that Yom Tov is to be Chatzi Lashem and Chatzi Lachem, half for Hashem and half for you. Vilna Gaon suggests that Yom Kippur is the half of the Yom Tov which is Lashem while Purim is the half of the Yom Tov which is Lachem.
Rabbi Hutner explains that Yom Kippur is the day we were saved from Hashem’s decree to destroy the Jews after the sin of the Golden Calf (Devarim 9:14), while Purim is the day we were saved from Haman’s decree to destroy the Jews (Esther 3:13). Both decrees are described with the Hebrew root SHeMaD, and thus they are linked. The difference is that the decree we were saved from on Yom Kippur was heavenly while the decree we were saved from on Purim was earthly. Therefore the expression of Kedusha on those days represents the respective decrees from which we were saved on them, with Yom Kippur being a day of Kedusha which is Lashem (heavenly) and Purim being a day of Kedusha which is Lachem (earthly).
Rabbi Hutner explains that this manifests itself in the interpersonal aspects of the Holidays as well. On both Yom Kippur and Purim we have obligations to other Jews. On Yom Kippur the interpersonal aspects are spiritual, we have to appease others for wrongs we have done them. It is a connection of the spirit because the day is Lashem. On Purim we send others manos, food. It is a gift of the physical, because the day is Lachem.
Purim and Yom Kippur, two halves of the same Holiday.