Posted to YouTube in May of this year, I wonder how many teachers and students know about this? The video explains it all.
(video link here)
We’re on holiday for our mid-semester break and I decided to stay put to get some art done. Well the break is halfway over and I finally managed to squeeze some time in. I thought I’d do a self-portrait with acrylic gouache as I teach this next semester and I am a little rusty. Four and a half hours later I managed to pump this out in A3 size. I also photographed the process to create the video below. Not my best work but it feels good to do some artwork again! (That’s the problem when you teach art, you don’t have time to do your own.)
(YouTube video link here)
FreeTechForTeachers created this short guide to 15 tools and strategies for helping your students (and your colleagues) improve their Internet search results. Have a look.
Beyond Google – 15 Tools and Strategies for Improving Your Web Search Results –
Kind of a boring post but at school, we had some problems with our printers. Actually, the printers were fine. Teachers and students were simply printing large photo files which blocked up the printer queue. We use wireless Pharos printing, and the photo files that were usually inserted into a text document were rather large.
Photos should be resized and then inserted into a document. This may be easily done within iPhoto itself. Using Jing, our tech director created a video tutorial demonstrating how to do this. You may view this quick PD session here.
In related news, check out Go2Convert.
Go2Convert is a set of free web based tools that allow you to convert and resize a picture without having to install any software on your computer. It supports over 100 major image formats. Once you convert or resize an image, you can choose to copy the image’s URL or download it directly to your computer. (via SmashingApps)
Scroll half way down the page here to view other resources for Photo Imaging.
I found the video below through Free Technology For Teachers. It reminded me of a humorous previous post I made regarding the same topic, which is above. A perfect introduction.
I am really loving this little application and not just because it is free (download and install required). I’ve had it a while now but haven’t gotten around to using it. My loss. NameChanger is designed for the sole purpose of renaming a list of JPG files effortlessly. I love it to keep my photo library organised via titles, which makes it easier to do searches. Sure, iPhoto has a batch change option, but when I drag the photo to my desktop or send it as an attachment, it annoyingly reverts back to IMG3354.JPG. With NameChanger, I no longer have this problem. I was going to make my own tutorial but macintoshtipz has done a pretty good job. See it in action below.
As mentioned in his tutorial, it is better to change the name before importing into iPhoto. However, your camera may be set to import directly into iPhoto automatically. If so, create a folder on your desktop. Drag your photos from iPhoto into this folder, then delete the photos from iPhoto, NameChange them and re-import.
*Don’t forget to empty your trash from iPhoto. A lot of people don’t realise to do this!
I stumbled across the Painting & Drawing Channel, a TV show that offers tutorial videos related to well…painting and drawing. The site itself offers videos from that week but they also post their videos on YouTube. Their channel is here. I have included one video below to give you a taste.
(video link here)
I have been playing around with WallWisher. It’s like an online notice board to keep notes, to-do-lists and announcements. I am wondering how to use it creatively in the classroom. Collaborative brainstorming, evaluations or shared note-taking may work. What I like about it is you can also post videos, photos and may rearrange the notes too. You can view and add to my example below or by clicking here.
Here’s a tutorial if interested:
Here’s a simple intro tutorial on basic drawing using ‘crates’ (or measuring), that I made with my Grade 9 Art Foundation students. We’re focusing on observational drawing (drawing from sight).
Not everyone is a fan of tutorials. However, it is simply created as a back-up reference for students to use at home as it is embedded on our class website. This is also beneficial for parents to get an insight into what we do in class. It helps both further understand the rubric once assessment rolls around.
It saves me a lot of time in class when students do not remember the steps (or need a refresher). They simply know to go and find it on the net (as we 7 desktops in the classroom), allowing me more time to focus on their strengths or struggles. Some students also prefer to learn independently this way during their own time.
Hopefully in the future, the students can fully take over the creation of these videos (but time is always an issue). To be honest, I always get a little nervous when I post these videos online. What if the quality is poor? What if the information is not accurate? Yes, you are putting yourself out there, but it is worth it. It is indirect studying. I have received more feedback from anyonymous viewers on YouTube than anywhere else. I may also then take these videos with me if I ever transfer schools. Actually, 80% of my resources are now somewhere in “the cloud.” Why take binders or boxes full of paper? Why not share it with a wider audience?
Give it a try, and yeah, try some observational drawing too.
(video link here)
