Sunday, May 29, 2016

Images in the Classroom

Using pictures in lessons instantly engages students.  Images can evoke an array of emotions, encourage deep and reflective thought, and rouse opinions that must be expressed.  Below are a few ideas for using image editing software in the classroom.

This website includes a number of fun ways to use images.  Students can use the motivational poster generator to highlight their favorite quotes in a current book they are reading.  Assess students’ understanding of relevant themes in a story by having them collect a variety of images related to the theme and displaying them with the mosaic maker.  Create a magazine cover with political cartoons in a government class.  With the numerous possibilities at bighugelabs, its user-friendly templates, and the creativity of students, your lessons are sure to rise on the engagement scale.

Dfrg.msc (24 Sept. 2006).  A picture of corks [Wikimedia Commons].  Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corks019.jpg CC-BY-SA-3.0

I am so pleased to have been introduced to this site!  There are a variety of activities that involve paper folding and cutting.  Math and art teachers will love it too!  The site has clear instructions for creating kaleidocycles (and if you don’t know what that is, you really need to check it out!), fold books, and paper models.  The kaleidocycles are great for a functional art class and students can use images that reflect their personality.  Students can create a fold book to chronicle a series of events in history, a story, or their own lives.  I am particularly fond of the poly puzzles.  They would be a fun addition to a geometry class when teaching changes in perimeter and area. 

This site involves a lot of special effects and modifications that can be applied to photos.  However, my favorites are the newscast and wanted poster.  Have students create a newscast image that reflects a particularly shocking moment in history.  Use the wanted poster to highlight different characters from literature or different historical figures.  Beware, hours can fly by while playing with the many options tuxpi offers.


Please leave a comment if you have some additional ideas for using images in the classroom!

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