Pic Collage - so many options for picture work

Pic Collage Fun

http://edutech4teachers.edublogs.org/2012/07/07/pic-collage/

"Edutech 4 Teachers" featured this great iPad app earlier in the year. Very easy to use, students pull in pictures from their camera roll or the web in order to create attractive photo collages. They can add text, stamps and borders to their pics. Items can be easily resized and moved for best effect. The finished work can be emailed or sent back to the camera roll to be used by another app. One feature I really like is the ability to snap a pic, then "clip" around an object to make my own digital sticker. (see below for a pic with a "stapler" sticker) Once trimmed the object can be copied and repasted to create some interesting presentations.

========================

Create infographics & online charts

Data is fun again!

http://infogr.am/#tour

Infogr.am is an easy to use online service that lets you create, share, discover infographics and online charts.

==========

Paper for the Web - Padlet

Wallwisher gets a rebranding

http://padlet.com/

http://blog.padlet.com/

Wallwisher is a great web 2.0 app that lets you post images, text, videos - all kinds of things - in a collaborative environment. In a recent development, WW is now "padlet", but still offers all the great features you've come to love. (Note: all wallwisher.com URLs will redirect to padlet.com. All existing walls and embedded walls will redirect properly, so you don't need to do anything other than getting comfortable with the new URLs :)

"We give you a blank page (a wall). You put anything you want on it, anywhere. Simple, yet powerful!"

=======

"Safer" Images for projects

That's not appropriate!

Did a random image search in the lab surprise your students with an "unusual" pic? Finding the right picture for an assignment can be problematic. Even with safe search on, you can still get a "range" of images that may not be appropriate for kids. Images are hard to filter because they are not necessarily accurately tagged and can show up even in the most kid friendly search results! Here are a few suggestions:

Infotopia Images

http://www.infotopia.info/images.html

Infotopia is a custom google search that should search for "safer" images, but it also offers a number of images sites you can search directly as well - take a look at the ones Infotopia suggests. (the buttons below the search window.)

Pics4Learning

http://pics.tech4learning.com/

Advertised as a "safe, free image library for education". You'll find copyright-friendly photos and images for classrooms, multimedia projects, web sites, videos, portfolios, or any other project in an educational setting.

KidRex

http://www.kidrex.org/

"KidRex is a fun and safe search for kids, by kids! KidRex searches emphasize kid-related webpages from across the entire web and are powered by Google Custom Search™ and use Google SafeSearch™ technology."

Remember: no image search is foolproof. Talk to your students about how to handle an inappropriate image or site.

========

Host a Website on Google Drive

Need a host in a hurry?

http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/host-a-website-on-google-drive/46737?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en

Everyday, I learn about another great thing I can do with the Google suite of apps. Read this post to find out how you can easily host html pages to share with others. (Note: pointing people to your page is a snap with goo.gl )

===============

Word Collage app for iPhone/iPad

Stunning word collages on your iOS device
http://mobile.alextataurov.com/wordcollage/

Are you a fan of Wordle? This iOS app lets you create word collages easily, without having to move to a desktop machine.

"Create stunning word collages on your iPhone and iPad! Set up a collage with your text(or website URL), different layouts, fonts, and color themes. Simply start by clicking on the "Text" button. Add some text or input a website url. Select color theme and font in Settings. Select Landscape or Portrait orientation. Word Collage even lets you pan and zoom the picture."

==========

Fast QR code creator

There are many ways to use QR codes in the classroom, especially now that many schools are buying iPads, iPods and the minis. With these camera enabled devices, students can easily scan a QR code that will point them to a worksheet solution, a "how-to" video, a booktrailer for the latest class novel, an online bibliography for a poster project or just about anything you can imagine.

Creating a series of codes, while ordinarily time-consuming, can be done almost instantly using one of Tammy Worcester's google doc templates. Simply add the template to your Google docs/drive files, paste the desired URLs into the first column,  and "voilà", the QR codes appear in the third column ready to be pasted on a document or printed on labels.

The Newspaper Clipping Image Generator

Create your own content specific newspaper article 
http://www.fodey.com/generators/newspaper/snippet.asp

This web-app could be used to create "authentic" newspaper articles that link to a novel students are studying. Imagine how events in a story might be reported from an external point of view. Students could also use this in a Social Studies context. (Write about historical events you have researched.)

================

Liberate your hidden mashup artist.

Mix videos, GIFs & sounds!
http://weavly.com/

Weavly enables you to create video mashups and remixes with material you find on YouTube, SoundCloud and Loopcam. It's free to use and according to the Weavly blog, "you don't have to worry about uploads, downloads or copyright issues". 

Browse samples on the site or create your own. "Weavlies" are public and viewable by anyone with the URL. You can upload your own original dialog or music tracks using SoundCloud and combine it with found video on Youtube or your own uploaded clips.

=========

Draw on the Net

If you teach using a projector and a laptop, but you don't have a Smartboard, sometimes you wish you were able to draw on a webpage just to highlight a section or point out a noteworthy feature. While you might have software installed on your computer that will allow you to do this, occasionally, all you want is a quick-launching option to make a note or two and then move on. I've blogged previously about Markup.io which lets you place arrows, circles and squares on webpages, but "Drawonthenet" allows you to scribble away to your heart's content. You can even "save" your creation as a separate webpage, and direct your students to the annotated version. To use, simply drag the "star" to your links bar on your browser, navigate to the page you want to notate, and activate the bookmarklet.

============

"Book Creator" for the iPad

Billed as "The simple way to create beautiful books on your iPad", this simple to use app offers kids a great outlet for their creative talents. Students can create their own artwork, pair it with their own storyline and quickly produce "iBooks-ready" creations to share. Students even have the option of embedding audio file right on the page. The option of sending the file to Dropbox means that it can be easily viewed by a large audience.

Book Creator can be downloaded from the App Store here and costs $4.99 - well worth the cost!

What kind of books can kids make? Use your imagination: Children’s picture books, Photo books, Art books, Cook books, Manuals, Textbooks and more. If you want to get fancy,  check out Liz Castro’s excellent mini-guide Audio and Video in EPUB.)

Photoediting - Pixlr

Lately, I've had to do some editing of images to produce icon buttons for databases we subscribe to. I wanted something quick. Rather than fire up Photoshop, I've been using Pixlr.

This easy to use, web-based app loads up quickly into your browser. While the Advanced version (one of the choices) gives you layers and Photoshop-like features, "Pixlr Express" is quick, did most of what I wanted to do, (text, borders, stamps, cropping, etc.) and didn't overwhelm me with options. The Pixlr-o-matic (also available in an iOs and Android app) is very simple - allowing some borders, overlays and filters for a quick effects wash. Give it a try.

Posting work for QR without a login?

Here's the problem I was recently given: "How can a teacher easily share student work, without requiring a login or account creation?"  The teacher in question wanted to attach student poetry to QR codes and put the codes up around the school, and have kids discover them in a kind of literary scavenger hunt. (I think the poems contained clues to the next spot.) There are a few solutions out there (try googling "disposable pages"), but the most elegant seems to be Tidypub. This simple, elegant service lets you post a page of text, and gives you a URL to share. While you can't go back and edit after the fact, this is an easy solution for a quick paste of student created work. Take the resulting URL and past it into goo.gl to get a QR code (look under the details tab).

Check out the sample I created by scanning the code in this post!

====================

Stunning Slideshows with Haiku Deck

Haiku Deck

If you were looking for an antidote to text-heavy, dreary Powerpoint slideshows, the Haiku Deck, (an iPad app) is a breath of fresh air. HD lets you to create striking slide presentations using simple templates (with premium designs you can purchase, of course.)  Because the app limits how much text a user can put on each slide, the focus is on the amazing image or idea - not on lines and lines of cramped text.

Haiku Deck prompts the user to search Creative Commons images for each slide. Type in a few words, and Haiku Deck searches for pics large enough to fill the slide. (Users can also upload images from their iPad or import images from a number of sites: Flickr, Picasa, Instagram or Facebook.) Sign in with Twitter, Facebook or create your own account.

Click Here to Visit iTunes App Store

View 3D Augmented Reality via your iPad

Augmented reality is a new way of seeing the world and exploring 3D models. There are three apps that help you do just that with your students. Easy to use, and lots of "wow" factor, along with some great learning - explore ancient ruins, view modern structures, get close-ups of insects and animals.


View 3D Spiders, Cars, Windmills, etc. using AR-Media Player
http://www.inglobetechnologies.com/en/new_products/arplayer_ios/info.php

AR (augmented reality) apps allow you to "see" floating 3D models on the table in front of you! Using the AR Player you can see, rotate and enlarge an image from a growing library of 3D models. Print the marker, aim your ipad camera at it, and select the model you wish to view. 

Download and Print the marker here.

"Augment" 3D viewer for iPad
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/augment/id506463171?mt=8

Augment is the best way to test paintings on your walls, and to discover buildings, objects or even characters in stunning 3D.

Download and Print the marker here.

Aurasma for iOS - insert 3D animations onto real world items
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aurasma-lite/id432526396?mt=8

Aurasma allows your smart phone or tablet to recognise images and objects. It then augments your view of the real-world with videos, music and 3D animations called “Auras”. You can even use the simple tools in the app to create and share your own Auras – for example, attach a video to a birthday card or create a 3D dinosaur right outside your own front door. 

A TED talk on developments in AR - Aurasma
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/lang/en//id/1515