Category Archives: Uncategorized

Adding images to your e-portfolio

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There are a number of ways of adding images to your e-portfolio.     

Cat flap control and thermostat

You can add each image separately. To do this choose ‘Add Media’ above. Choose to upload from wherever the images are (on your computer, online,etc). Choose the alignment and size in the choices on the right. You can add a caption here too.

 

 

 

 

You can make a photo collage using a mobile device or laptop such as PicCollage. This is a free app available on all devices including your student laptop.

When adding it to your eportfolio add it as a single image as above.

 

 

 

 

 

You can add the photos altogether as a group with captions. To do this go to ‘Add Media’, choose ‘Create Gallery’ from the choices on the left and then tick the images you want to add. You can choose how they will be displayed by looking at the choices on the right.

 

You can present a series of photos as a slide show that you embed in the blog. To do this make the slide sequence on Google Slides. Publish the slides to the web. Choose ‘Embed’ and set the slide choices then copy the embed code. Choose ‘Add Media’ and then choose ‘Insert Embed Code’ in the list on the leftand paste it into the box.

Keezy

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Keezy is an IOS app that allows you to record sound or music onto eight colour tiles, use the tiles to play the sounds and record your compositions. 

Tap on the microphone on a coloured tile to begin recording and then tap again to stop. Once eight sounds (one on each colour) are recorded you can then play them, experimenting with their sequence and overlapping them. 

Hold the black dot to reach the choices screen. Press the orange recording symbol at the bottom to begin recording – this will return you to the eight colour screen so you can play your composition. After you’ve finished recording your composition you can give it a title and it is recorded in the app. You can also export it and share it to other listeners through other digital tools. 

Of course this app is useful for recording sound from playing instruments but it could also be used to record sounds made by voices and environmental sounds. It can be used to record speech – a word or sentence onto each coloured tile, for example. It could record parts of a story to listen to and sequence; a series of instructions, pronunciation of words or sets of vocabulary to use in talk or writing.

Here’s an idea about recording sounds outdoors.

 

 

Fragment

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Fragment

an IOS / Android app

cost £1.49

There is brief film that gives an overview of what can be done with the app at this link Fragment Prismatic Photo effects

How to use it:

the opening screen

the opening screen

When the app opens you can choose to use the last photo you were editing, a photo from your photo album, or ‘inspiration’ eg one of the preloaded images.

 

 

 

choosing the photo and size

choosing the photo and size

 

 

If you choose one of your own photos you can then choose a size and proportion. You can back to photos using the arrow to the left and forward to the app using the arrow on the right.

 

manipulating the image

manipulating the image

 

 

On the next screen you can choose to manipulate the photo using the effects randomly (arrows on right) or touch each shape in the line below to choose specific ones. Move the image around on the screen to change the size and orientation within the chosen shape.

 

changing colours

changing colours

You can touch the small inverted triangle at the bottom to move to the next screen. On this next screen you can change colour and within that the brightness and contrast as well as blurring, inverting and desaturating.

 

a refragmented image

a refragmented image

 

 

 

Touching the arrow at the top right allows you to save the image, refragment it and share it. It can be useful to save it at different stages as you work because it is sometimes impossible to back and recreate the same image again.

 

Ideas:

  • manipulating photos
  • make some art, photograph it, fragment it, make more art from it
  • use to make backgrounds for presentations
  • print out and use as collage, draw onto

Other associated apps – Tangent

If you have tried out the Fragment app please add your examples and ideas in the comments below.

 

 

 

Padlet

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Link –  Padlet

Padlet allows you to set up a space or ‘wall’ that you and others can add text, pictures and links to immediately. You can see these pop up on the screen and you can share or download the contents of the Padlet wall.

Website – free to use

Help – padlet help

Account – set up using your email address, with Facebook or with your google account

padlet lableHow to create a wall

Click the ‘create new padlet’ label or the + on padlet instthe right hand list.

This will create your new padlet wall.

You can then give your wall a title and description using the daisy wheel symbol at the bottom of the list on the right.

When you click on this symbol you have other options too.

You can add an image and a background (wallpaper) to the wall and choose whether the layout will be free form, a stream or a grid.

padlet instrYou can copy the wall if you want to use the same wall with different groups of people.

You can make the wall private, password protected or public depending on your requirements.

share                                           When you click on the arrow symbol this gives you various options to share the padlet wall so that others can add to it.

As you can see you can email the link or share it using social media.

 

 

 

Why use a Padlet wall?

You can use this tool to ask pupils or students in a class or people in an audience to contribute comments, ideas, recommendations in the form of text, pictures and links. It can be useful to collect views after an event or experience. When the wall is complete you can download it as a PDF.

At this link you can see a Padlet wall used as a record of an event – TMNorthants 2014

At this link you can see how teachers have added questions ans challenges to a maths starter:

Minion Alphabet Maths

At this link you can see at Padlet wall created in the Literacy Shed with children’s book recommendations:

Picture Book recommendations

and here is a Padlet that the FDLT Y2 MK group contributed to in a session:

FDLT Y2 MK

Your ideas:

If you use Padlet walls please share links and ideas in the comments section.

 

 

 

 

Bitly

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Cost – free

Bitly allows you to create a short link and assign a name to it. You can use it online here. It is also available as an app on the iphone and ipad.

bitly

 

 

Account – sign up wiht your email address or sign in using your Facebook or twitter accounts

Using bitly.

When you come across a very long link copy it and open bitly. Paste the long link into the ‘shorten’ box at the top of the bitly page.

shorten

 

A short link is created that is much easier to use and share.

An example is that this long link https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2014 can be shortened to this short link http://bit.ly/1uc46RY

In addition a long link can be both shortened and renamed when you are logged into to your bitly account.

An example is this long link https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/improving-behaviour-and-attendance-in-schools can be shortened and renamed to this http://bit.ly/behandatt

Using a bitly account

sign in

You can sign into bitly using existing accounts such as Facebook or Twitter or you can create a separate bitly account. When you are signed in you can customise the names of your shortlinks as above.

You can also collect and group your shortlinks into bitly bundles – these are some of mine:

bundles

Here is a link to one of my bundles – Education blogs

This tool makes the collection, organisation and sharing of groups of links easy. it is especially useful in the module PDT 3003 Debates to prevent long links widening the discussion board screen.

If you have made an interesting bitly bundle please share it as a comment below.

 

 

Moldiv

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Moldiv

cost – free

2014-05-26 16.55.35Moldiv is an app that allows you to:

1. present photos in different groupings ‘collage’ 

2. cut bits from images and put them onto other images ‘stitch’

Collage

To group and show photos in various formats and layouts browse through to see which layout you want – there are eighty free frames to choose from.

2014-05-26 17.04.14Touch the one you want to use. It will open larger and allow you to tap to choose photos from your gallery or take photos. The box where your photo will go is indicated by an orange fill. This might be important if your photos or images need to be a specific position or order.

When all your boxes are filled touch the tick on the right.

 

 

 

This allows you to see your photos and use:

2014-05-26 17.14.261. frame adjust – this allows you to adjust the size and part of the photos and move the frame lines around, as well as adjust the width of the frame lines and borders and round the corners.

2014-05-26 17.14.082. background – this allows you adjust the colour of the frame using block colours, patterns and grid paper.

In addition to this the T allows you to add text, the star allows you to add stamps and the scissors take you to the ‘stitch’ part of the app – more about this later.

Collage is useful for teachers and TAs when grouping together linked photos such as the record of a visit, event or outcomes of a lesson in one block. It can also be used to show the development of one learner’s work in one image or the outcomes of many students’ work in one image.

Learners can choose and group their own photos or images they have collected to represent a word, a feeling, an experience or some learning.

Stitch

2014-05-26 17.32.04To use the ‘stitch’ part of the app touch ‘stitch’ on the opening screen. This allows you to choose a photo from your camera roll by touching it – this will be your background,  you can cut from other photos and place them onto it.

2014-05-26 17.33.18Touch the tick on the right to begin to stitch. Touch the star to open and then touch the scissors – this will open your camera roll again so you can choose a photos from which to cut. Precut shapes can be chosen and resized.

 

 

2014-05-26 17.33.59Touch the tick to cut and then move and resize what you have cut on your background image. Alternatively touch the scissors to cut a shape of your own. Touch the plus button to copy another of the highlighted cut out.

This part of the app can be useful for constructing collections of images for learners to use. It can also be used for making collage art on the screen and choosing and cutting parts from an image and enlarging them to work on further.  It can be useful to think about the background and the elements that you will want to place onto it before beginning.Once saved any images can be further manipulated by using in other apps, such as by opening in Brushes and drawing onto or opening in distressedfx or SnapSeed to add effects.

At any point the photo frame can be downloaded to the camera roll, opened in other apps, shared through Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Flickr.

Skitch

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Skitch

Cost – free

Skitch is an iphone / ipad / Android app that allows you to annotate photos or images with text, arrows and highlights. It is also available to use on a computer (Windows or Mac).

There is some useful guidance about how to use the features available at this link – Skitch guidance

and a video tutorial here – Skitch video tutorial

2014-05-25 22.48.37Skitch can be used as a way of adding words, captions and sentences to images found or taken by the learner.

English

Write descriptive sentences about can be seen in the image.

Annotate an image with questions.

Annotate an image with descriptive words to later use in writing about setting, character etc (a way of developing a word bank).

Label a diagram or photo using boxes or arrows.

2014-05-25 22.59.02Other subjects

Use labelling to teach, learn, extend subject specific vocabulary.

Use as a visual word bank.

Use as a way of noting thoughts or description on a visit – immediate reaction.

 

 

 

 

Visual Poet

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Visual Poet

Cost – free

Visual Poet is an app that allows you to take or choose a series of three photos and label each of them with some text as a caption.

Opening screen

2014-05-26 15.56.31Create – touch ‘create’ to get to the screen where you can add or take three photos.

Do this by touching the photo where it says ‘tap to edit’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This opens a page where you can choose a photo from your photo library, from Tumblr, from Flickr or from Google. 2014-05-25 23.40.38

When you have chosen a photo you use the red box to place the image and choose the photo by double tapping. On this screen you can also add a title, credits for the images and comments or notes. To add text tap in the top box and this opens a text box for you to type into.

2014-05-25 23.40.38-12014-05-25 23.40.40To go back to the main page scroll across like turning the page of a book.

Polish – touch ‘polish’ to to edit the title, credits and comments.

Publish – touch ‘publish’ to email the poem to yourself or someone else.

Scrap – touch scrap to start again.

Browse – allows you see all your Visual Poems.

Settings – allows you to log into Tumblr.

Daisy-1 This app can be used in variety of learning activities allowing learners to use both images and text to record their thoughts, responses, descriptions or questions.

English:

Give learners three words and ask them to find three images to match, and put each word into a sentence relating to the image.

Use three images and three sentences to tell a short story.

Use three images and three descriptive sentences to describe a story character.

Ask learners to use narrative, poetic, reporting, instructive, explanatory or conversational language in their text. (lots of other language possibilities)

Ask learners to choose three photos they have taken on a visit or at an event and annotate them with what they have learned.

Give learners lines of poetry, similes or metaphors and ask them to find images to illustrate them.

Ask learners to choose a key part of a story from the beginning, the middle and the end for their sequence.

Ask learners to suggest three different endings for a story in their sequence.

 

 

Light Trails

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Light Trails Camera Pro

Cost – free

Preview – If you have the preview screen showing you can see the light trials build up. If you are writing or trying to capture something planned this is essential. Tap the word ‘preview’ to get it or remove it.

2014-03-25 08.29.512014-03-25 08.29.21

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Camera settings (icon on left)

2014-03-25 08.39.03Capture mode – set to light trails

Shutter speed – the larger the number the longer the shutter stays open (eg 15 seconds). If the shutter speed is set to B the shutter is controlled manually so you can decide when it shuts. This useful if you are photographing a preplanned light trail (eg writing your name).

 

 

 

Camera settings (icon on right)

2014-03-25 08.42.06

Self timer – 0 (unless you want to use this – if trying this out alone it can be useful)

Screen shutter – button to left

Auto save – on or off

 

 

 

 

Other useful tips:

The record button is the circle in the centre and it goes red when photographing.

When the photograph has been taken if you touch the arrow to the right you are given the option of saving the photo to camera roll.

Freeze – half way between off and on.

Contrast – button half way along.

jean