I myself was thinking on buying a Canon SLR digital camera. After doing much research, I felt that the Canon T3i would be the best for me. I would be setting it automatic, so this camera is supposed to be an excellent camera for photos and really great for video. The Rebel T3 does not have movie capability. So I feel that you would be better with the T3i. Also the Canon T3 has a 2.7 screen while the T3i has a 3 inch screen.
If you are a beginner like me in digital photography, I would recommend that you go to B & H and take the course, which is free and he will suggest the different SLR camera and what to buy.
On the B & H website look under events space, and see when the next class is. I found it very interesting