Thursday, August 13, 2009

Image Manipulation...


Hi all,

Incorporating images into classroom work is an important skill to master. However, being able to edit, create and manipulate those images is just as important.
A useful website to manipulate you images is Picnik. So why do you need to manipulate your images I hear you ask!


Well for many reasons, some are:
· To resize and crop (reduce the size for quick uploads/downloads for emails)
· Enhancing images with manual and automatic tools
· Adding special effects to images to make your pictures eye catching


I personally had a lot of fun uploading my photos and experimenting with all the easy to use creative tools. Picnik is not a storage website for your photos, however you are able to email and print them; transfer them to other sites such as Flickr, facebook and to your own computer. If you find a shared image on a website you would like to manipulate, it’s as simple as entering the URL and Picnik will upload it for you. Picnik is also linkable to your webcam for instant photo capture and edit.


Possible student project are:
· Students would be able to edit and create their own (and other shared images) needed for class assignments.
· Constructing a joint image storyboard using only one photo from each student to tell a story (students are challenged to be creative with limited resources). “Creative people take risks and frequently push the boundaries of their perceived limits” (Costa & Kallick, 2000-2001, p.1).

In pushing students’ boundaries, you are challenging them to take risks. Sometimes failure is associated with risk (from failure you learn to accept setbacks). However benefits such as excitement, confidence and the gain of knowledge outweigh the risk of failure (Marzano & Pickering, 2006).

If I enjoyed it, I know most student would. This tool is engaging and would help with motivating students with class projects. However, to achieve optimal active learning from this tool I believe it would need to be incorporated with another web based learning tool (e.g.,WebQuest, SlideShare, VoiceThread, etc....).

Thanks


Jim Price

Costa, A. & Kallick, B. (2000-2001). Describing 16 habits of mind. Retrieved August 13, 2009 from http://www.habits-of-mind.net/


Marzano, R, J., & Pickering, D, J. (2006). Dimensions of learning: Teacher’s manual. Heatherton, Vic, Australia: Hawker Brownlow Education.






2 comments:

  1. Hi Jin,
    I like you idea about creating a 'joint image storyboard'. Not only will students be challenged with limited resources but it also promotes communication and collaboration between all the members of the class to come up with a cohesive story.
    Great idea!

    Regards,
    Bethanie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Bethanie,
    I noticed one of our next task in Student-centred technology involves working with storytelling. Will be interesting to see how we can incorporated this technology with storytelling.
    Thanks
    Jim

    ReplyDelete