Wow! I could have played with the various image editors and creators all day. This assignment really was all about playing and creating!
Tuxpi
The first tool I experimented with was Tuxpi. I found that this was a very user friendly site and just about anyone could use this with success. One thing I really enjoyed and thought students would enjoy also was the Newscast and Wanted Poster editing tools. I would have my students select a person from history to use on the Wanted Poster by finding a Google Image (of course while teaching them about copyright) and add a short caption describing what makes this person "wanted". For example, after learning about the American Revolution, a student may choose to make a poster for Benedict Arnold wanted for treason. I could also see using this for book characters. On the Newscast editor, students are able to add their own captions, or news stories to their picture. What a fun and creative way to get students to write! In addition to those tools, I also played with many of the other editing effects. While playing, I decided to upload an image from my computer that I took right after I got engaged to my now husband. I used the Polaroid frame/boarder to edit my image. Take a look!
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| photo edited using Tuxpi Photo Editor (2015). http://www.tuxpi.com/photo-effects/photo-paper photo: Pace, J. (2013), Portland Rose Garden. |
FoldPlay
In my
classroom I frequently use foldables for various subjects. My students enjoy
making them just as much as I enjoy assigning them. I think foldables give them an opportunity to create a product and apply
their learning. I found the FoldPlay site to be something very similar to
creating a foldable. Students create their very own
book, called FoldBooks. I think the possibilities of using this with students are endless.
Immediately I thought students could take their own photos and upload them into
a book to use as a biography project, or to apply their learning in science, or in math by taking photos in nature.
Students could also search for images to use to create a book about a topic in
history. I would also have students create their own drawings that could be scanned
and uploaded to write their own original story. I think FoldPlay could be used at various grade levels and teachers could vary the requirements of the project. I would
suggest teachers model how to use and navigate the website for younger
students. I believe older students, or students who are more tech savvy, may
enjoy playing and problem solving their way through the site. I only mentioned the FoldBooks on FoldPlay, but there are many other creations students can make such as puzzles with images and various 3D figures. I can't wait to implement this in my own
class, and share with colleges.
Big Huge LabsSeriously...what can't you do on Big Huge Labs?! This site requires a membership to upload and save photos for future use, but not if you don't care to save your photos. I really enjoyed playing on this site. There are so many creative products students can make on this site such as jigsaw puzzles, magazine covers, and motivational posters. Two of my favorites were the trading card and the movie poster. I think both of these would be great or the beginning of the year. Teachers could make these to hang outside of their rooms, or students could make them to share information about themselves. Students could also interview each other and make a Movie Poster, or Trading Card about their friend. Students could make a trading card about a character in a book, or a famous American. Movies are constantly based off of books, so why not make a movie poster design as a post reading assignment?! There are so many inventive ideas for these tools.
These ideas are only a small fraction of what could be done with these image editing and creator websites. Students and educators have the ability to be more creative than ever before. How would you these sites?
Letting students express themselves with BigHugeLabs at the beginning of the school year would be a great way to create an inclusive and fun classroom environment! I think that if teachers are willing to show an interest in fun photo-editing tools, we also show students we understand their interests in Pinterest, memes, Grumpy Cat, etc. :)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with both of you! The idea to create trading cards sounds like so much fun for the beginning of the year! What a great way for kids and teachers to get to know each other. I'm going to need to file that somewhere in my memory.
ReplyDelete