Exploring photo-a-day apps

One of my favourite things to do is to look at apps and find ways they can be used in the classroom which could possibly go beyond what they were originally designed for.

There are many apps which allow you to take a photo a day and have it display as a calendar.  The apps often provide the ability to add details to the image. These apps can have many uses in the classroom.

·        Document change: students can make observations of change by taking a photo each day of the month to compare with other days such as clouds in the sky, plants growing, construction of a garden or building, etc.

·        Personal reflection: Students can take selfies and do personal reflections each day, this will also document of they change during the year.

·        Reading log: Students can take a photo of the cover of the book they are reading and type the page numbers read and include comments.

·        Record student work: Students can take an image of work they have done each day and type in reflections.

·        Document a process: if students are working on a unit of work, students can document events through the duration.

·        Learning goals: students can set learning goals and take images to reflect and track their goals.

·        Art record: This is a great way to encourage art students to draw each day to improve their drawing skills.

·        Spelling words: Students can display their spelling words and take an image of a different word each day, they can then type in the definition of the word.

·        Themes and concepts: Students could take photos of using a particular theme or concept each month, eg. Shapes, colours, angles, etc.

·        Camp diary: students can take images during a camp.

·        Travel diary: images can be taken of different destinations. Could incorporate maps or apps such as Photo Mapo - Add a map to your photo.

·        Gratitude journal: Students can reflect each day of what they are grateful for.

·        Daily challenge: Each day students can be given a word or theme for a photo each day.

 

Some apps to choose from:

Collect - Photo Journal

Photo 365 - Everyday Photo Calendar for Your Life

Everyday

 Heyday - The Automatic Photo Journal: Transform Your CameraRoll into a Collection of Memories

Timebox - Photo stories, books, ebooks and posters

Day One (Journal / Notes / Diary)

Android:

Daily Photo - photo diary

My365-photo calendar/diary app

 

5 tools to create virtual posters

A Virtual poster is a digital page where you can often display text, audio, video, images, and hyperlinks. It is a great platform for students to present their work in a creative way. Collage makers can also be used to create virtual posters.

The posters created using the app options can also be shared by adding to an eBook using Book creator app.

 

1. Pic Collage  or Pic Collage for Kids

Pic Collage available for iPad, Android and Kindle Fire.
Pic Collage for Kids available for iPad.

These are great free tools to create interesting posters and collages using your photos, stickers, frames, and text. There is the option of using collage templates or free form design. Pic collage allows you to search for images on the internet and add straight to the page. Pic Collage fo Kids- the best and safest visual and photo editor for home and schools! has removed social features making it safer to use with younger students.

 

2. Moldiv

Available iPad and android

This is a great tool for create collages by combining and editing multiple photos. It also provides templates.  

 

3. Canva

Available for iPad and web.

Require a registering for an account. Provide a range of templates and upload your own images and have a choice of free content or content to purchase.

 

4. Glogster edu

Website where the teacher registers and can create student accounts. You can add images, videos, links and text. It also provides a library of images.

5. PhotoScape

Is a free software which is available for Windows and Mac. The software provides a page layout option where you can add your own images, graphics and speech bubbles.

 

Story prompts with colour image search

I am always looking for useful image search tools. TinEye Labs provides a colour search function which searches Flickr images. You can select up to 5 colours and alter the percentage of colour by dragging the coloumns. You can also add keywords as tags to refine the search. When you click on an individual image it gives you information about the image.

 

 

There are many ways to use this website:

 

• generate story prompts
• brainstorm ideas for themes
• look at colour theory eg. complimentary colours, warm and cool colours
• colour symbolism
• fractions and percentages
• useful for design purposes when working within a colour scheme.

 

The site also offers a tool to help you identify the colours from an image.

4 easy to use image overlay tools to create illusions

The technique of layering images, masking and erasing, makes it possible to manipulate images to create illusions. This can often be done using two images - a background image and a foreground image. Parts of the foreground image are erased to reveal the background image.

There are many ways this technique can be used with students:

Such as:

·        Virtual trip: change the background image to anywhere in the world, create a travel journal or travel postcards.

·        Mythical creature: merge animal parts to create a new creature with powers.

·        Superpowers: create the illusion of super human strength, invisibility or the ability to fly.

·        Surrealism: create a surrealistic image by placing objects out of context.

·        Out of proportion: Create the illusion that something has grown or shrunk by placing it next to objects which are out of proportion.

·        Space exploration: use images of space and planets for the background.

·        Travel through time: use images from the past as a background and add a black and white or sepia filter, students could also dress in relevant costume.

·        Jump into a story: use images reflect from a story.

·        Be the star of a comic: add images to a comic creator

·        Clone yourself: ever wished you could be in two places at once, take multiple photos of yourself in different poses and add them to the same background image.

·        Mirror image: create the illusion of a mirror image.

·        Evil twin: take on two personas in the same image.

There are many software options which allow you to do this technique, however, there are now many easy to use options.

1. Superimpose

Available for iPad and Android

Provides the ability to layer and mask your own images.

2. Clone camera

Android version: Clone camera 2.0

iPad version: Clone Camera Pro for iPad

This app provides the ability to merge images and overlay.

3. KnockOut- Professional Grade Photo Cutout & Easy StickerMaker & Best Superimpose Blender

iPad version

This app provides a range of free images for the background. You can buy the upgrade which will provide more images. You can use your own image for the foreground image. Very easy to use, simply erase the background of the foreground image. The free version does have ads.

4. Microsoft PowerPoint

Thought it was worth mentioning the remove background function in PowerPoint which is very effective and easy to use.

In the picture tools, select the option Remove background. Tools will then appear to indicating mark areas to keep and mark areas to remove. A purple mask will appear over the image, the purple areas will be removed. Layer images by right clicking and selecting Bring to front or send to back.

Create eBooks on iPads

Creating eBooks is now easier than ever using iPads and the Book Creator for iPad app. Students can create the content to add to their ebook using a variety of apps. These can then be added to Book creator for a range of purposes. Book creator will allow you to add images, videos, audio and record audio. The ebooks can be exported to iBooks, iTunes and exported as an epub file.

Ways to use ebooks 

• Instructional manual: take photographs of a process or experiment, video demonstration 

• Reference book: Maths equations and tutorials 

• Recipe book

• ‘About me’ book
• Learning another language
• Learning the alphabet
• Picture book
• Glossary to develop vocabulary
• Spelling List book
• Present class artwork
• Photo book
• Art portfolio
• Create a year book for the class
• Reflect on a field trip or school camp – apps to edit photos, create comics and collages
• Present a research task
• Use as a digital portfolio adding images, collages, comics, videos, audio and text
• Create a comic book
• Write a story
• Diary or journal
• Demonstrate understanding of a topic by explaining diagrams or images
• Present Poetry
• A music book, add recorded videos or audio of students creating music
• Use for planning a project and recording end results

Apps to create videos and images to add to your eBook: 

Concept maps:

Inspiration Maps Lite 

iBrainstorm

Popplet lite 

Video apps:

30hands: Create & Show What You Know

Puppet Pals HD

Puppet Pals 2: Free

Tellagami

Explain everything

Draw and Tell HD 

Superhero Comic Book Maker HD - by Duck Duck Moose 

Doodlecam

Sock Puppets

PickPlayPost

Avatar Creator - Send Animated BuddyPoke Emoji and Pictures to friends

Image editing apps:

PicCollage

iDough! HD

Phoster

Phonto - Text on Image

Photo Shaper - Collage Maker

Doodle Buddy - Paint, Draw, Scribble, Sketch - It's Addictive! 

Comic Maker HD

Creative Pad

Rosie Comics Maker

Word Art: 

WordFoto 

Wordsalad - Your salads, redefined 

Typedrawing

Word Collage 

Path on - Swipe

Visual Poetry - Word Collage

Word Cloud - Create Custom Text Collages 

Phoetic - The amazing photo word cloud generator 

Cloudart 

Photo Word Art

Word Art 

4 Apps to Create Designs with Words

Creating designs with words can be a great way to reinforce spelling , learning of new words and describing a theme or topics.  Students can create their own designs and use them to decorate the classroom. here are 4 great apps which allow you to design using words in different ways.

Word Collage

Create a collage of words and customise text, colour and layout.

Path on - Swipe to Type

This app allows you to draw a line or choose a created line and the add text to the line.

Typedrawing

Type the text you wish to use and customise font, size and colour and then draw on the device and the words appear.

WordFoto

With this app you can take a photo or use one from the gallery, type in a set of words and the app will apply the words to the image. There are a few styles to choose from and colour schemes.  The effects look great.

Learning Game Coding

Learning the basics of computer programming can be a useful skill. There are many apps and software designed to be user friendly for students of varying ages, to learn how to code using visual interpretation with drag and drop functionality. There are also games which involve giving instructions and using commands. These processes can help develop skills in sequencing, literacy and numeracy, problem-solving, creativity, and communication.

 

Apps:

Cargo-bot - a fun game where students learn about sequencing and instructions, also good for developing memory skills.

Hopscotch - provides a visual drag and drop platform with colour coding.

Daisy the dinosaur -  This free app offers an easy drag and drop platform to move Daisy the Dinosaur.

Kodable - a game to learn programming concepts and problem solving.

Move the Turtle. Programming for kids - a fun way for younger students to learn the basics computer programming and using commands.

Bee-Bot  - provides a tool for younger students to learn directional language and programming through sequences.

Bee-Bot Pyramid - provides challenges for students to solve.


Software:
Scratch

Stencyl

App Inventor

Alice

Kodu

Game Salad

 

Web Based:

 

Gamestar Mechanic - a game which allows students to learn about game design and make their own games.