Here’s something to get your learners’ week off to an engaging start. Stimulate their creativity! Encourage your students to do some brainstorming and graphic design in one fell swoop. Mutapic is a free, intriguing online digital image generator that’s great for rapid design.
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Many commercial software packages contain all kinds of clip art. Over time, learners become dependent on the ready-made store of images. Instead of promoting such behavior, introduce your classroom to the Open Clip Art Library and other similar sites. Encourage young scholars to use pieces of clip art and images that are free of copyright restraints. This is especially if important if students are participating in events such as science fairs where their media-rich products may end up being broadcast or released to audiences beyond the confines of your classroom and school.
The best way to avoid copyright issues is to have students capture and/or create their own images. If they do not or cannot capture and/or create their own pictures, they can search for copyright-free images from the following sites:
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Site |
Terms and usage |
| http://edupic.net/ | Free for use by educational professionals and the students they serve without permission |
| http://gallery.usgs.gov/
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Most USGS-authored or produced data and information are considered to be in the U.S. public domain. Some non USGS photographs, images, and/or graphics that appear on USGS Web sites are used by the USGS with permission from the copyright holder. These materials are generally marked as being copyrighted. |
| http://libraryphoto.cr.usgs.gov/ | All photographs within this collection are public domain; therefore, signed releases, permissions, and payment for use or reproduction are not required. For any use made of a photograph, credit should be given to the individual photographer and the U.S. Geological Survey. |
| http://phil.cdc.gov/phil/home.asp
Public Health Image Library (PHIL) |
Most of the images in the collection are in the public domain and are thus free of any copyright restrictions. If you look directly beneath the image you will see a fair use statement that tells you if the image is public domain or copyright protected. |
| http://photo.itc.nps.gov/storage/images/index.html
National Parks |
All images posted on this site are free, and may be used without a copyright release from the National Park Service. |
| http://tinyurl.com/usdaimageshttp://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/ | All of the photographic images are USDA property and, consequently, are in the public domain. For questions about copyright issues, please contact Alice Welch at 202-720-0901 or alice.welch@usda.gov |
| http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/bpd.html | Many of the images in this web site are considered public domain and may be used without further authorization from the BLM if photographic credit to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in the following manner:
Bureau of Land Management, or |
| http://www.fws.gov/digitalmedia | A wide assortment of selected images, publications, video and audio clips that are in the public domain. You are free to use them as you wish – no permission is necessary. Site does ask that you give credit to the photographer or creator and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. |
| http://www.fws.gov/digitalmedia | Not all the information on this site is in the public domain. Some images/graphics are licensed for use under the copyright law. Such content is identified as material used from sources outside the Service. |
| http://www.morguefile.com/archive/ | Varies: ranges from freedom to adapt the work, use the work for commercial purposes, and use without attributing the original author |
| http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/for_images/imagegall.htm | The images in the collection are in the public domain and are thus free of any copyright restrictions. |
| http://www.pdclipart.org/ | Images have been collected from sources which either place their images in the public domain, abandon their copyright, or have expired copyright and are considered to be freely available for any use by the public. |
| http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/mvey/index.htmlhttp://www.photolib.noaa.gov/collections.html | Most NOAA photos and slides are in the public domain. Educational use is encouraged. The few photos in the NOAA Photo Library that are known to have copyright restrictions are so noted in the caption information associated with those images. Credit MUST be given to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce. Where a photographer is noted, credit the photographer and his/her affiliated organization as well. |
| http://www.pics4learning.com/ | May be used by teachers and students in print, multimedia, and video productions |
| http://www.public-domain-photos.com/ | All photos on this web site are public domain. You may use these images for any purpose, including commercial. |
| http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/ | All pictures are free for commercial and personal use |
| http://www.reusableart.com/ | All of the images appearing on this site are copyright free and in the public domain in the United States, in countries that are part of the Berne Convention and any country that grants copyrights to artists up to 70 years after their death. As these images are out of copyright and now in the public domain, they can be used for anything you wish with no restrictions. |
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My daughter, a collector of cryptids, maven of mythology, and avid aficionada of all manner of animals, recently shared a wonderful book with me. We were away from home at the time, visiting relatives in another city. Making the most of her journey, my little scholar paid a visit to the Washington Memorial Library, a branch of the Macon/Bibb County Public Library system. Having long ago traversed the mythology sections in libraries near our home and exhausting their tomes of mythological lore, she spent a happy Friday afternoon and Saturday morning searching Washington Memorial’s collection for books for new literature about fanciful animals. Her earnest bookshelf browsing uncovered an excellent find.
“Look at what I found,” she said, excitedly handing me a volume by writer and illustrator Keith DuQuette, “I really like this book!” After taking in the striking cover of a phantasmagorical cross between a cow and a rooster (a cooster) and reading the first few pages, I could see why she was so elated. Cock-a-Doodle-Mooo! is a treat to devour! Setting the tone for young readers, the author reminds his audience that the blending of beasts is a time-honored tradition. He also wisely adds that anyone can create a variety of varmints.
But that’s only the beginning. DuQuette launches into a most fanciful demonstration by introducing the world to a conglomeration of contemporary chimeras. In addition to the comical descriptions of his new bevvy of beasts in witty rhymes, the author also serves up a heaping helping of intriguing illustrations. It’s a pleasure to see the books as much as it is to read it aloud.
For example, readers will discover the meandering Mouscodile who, we are told, is…
Not your average timid mouse,
he’s moving freely through the house.
Sassy, bold and getting fat,
he skipped the cheese and ate the cat!
Other blended beasts like Squoodles and Firefligeons engender a welcome dose of humor and wonder. With charming and alarming creatures, students of all ages will want to grab Cock-a-Doodle-Mooo! and find a comfortable spot for reading. The delightful denizens of DuQuette’s imagination are great catalysts for creativity. Introduce the book to your pupils and ask, “What if?”
What if…
Books like Cock-a-Doodle-Mooo! are a great springboard for creativity. They inspire new ideas and suffuse young minds with the power of possibility. When combined with a little technology, fanciful works of literature also tend to engage students. For example, after reading DuQuette’s book, learners will be thrilled to visit SwitchZoo. It’s a site where students have an entertaining opportunity to mix and match animals.
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Teachers who work with pre-k and kindergarten students and want to introduce their pupils to an interactive whiteboard or digital slate, should plan a vibrant visit to thecolor.com. This chromatic conucopia of point-and-click coloring pages is an excellent means of acclimating little learners to the conventions of tools like those available from GTCO, Promethean, and SMARTBoard. Fast, fun, and free, thecolor.com. can also be used as a means of providing elementary pupils with readilly accessible images. they even have coloring pages for cryptids and superheroes.
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Drawing is a powerful tool for learning. Humans have harnessed the potential of graphic representations for millennia to communicate ideas. With the advent of interactive whiteboards and digital slates like those available from GTCO, Promethean, and SMARTBoard, teachers and pupils still have the option of creating illustrations as a means of presenting, exploring, and refining ideas. Effective 21st century educators consistently model and facilitate the use of digital illustration to
Employing the built-in features of the software that powers interactive whiteboards and digital slates is worthwhile. After all, each package allows users to create geometric figures with both ease and accuracy. That said, don’t allow the features of the program to confine illustrations to one computer in one classroom. Learners should be able to share drawings with audiences outside a classroom, school, and district. Think beyond the classroom computer to a web-based tool for drawing.
Check out Odosketch. It’s a Flash-powered drawing resource that’s been around since 2006, thanks to Odopod, a digital agency that works with a number of major brands. This bare-bones artist tablet and colors doesn’t create accurate geometric shapes. However, users don’t need an account to use Odosketch (although, registering for one makes it possible for artists to save their work). Visitors who want to draw need only mouse over the toolbar at the bottom of the canvas. Colors, brush strokes, and other options will appear. It’s a simple means of sketching quick or detailed pictures.
By allowing pupils to use an interactive whiteboard or digital slate in conjunction with Odosketch, educators facilitate the kind of powerful communication skills explored in Dan Roam’s primer for creating problem-solving pictures, The Back of the Napkin.
dd a little razzle-dazzle to your presentations while integrating technology. How? Use beautiful illuminated letters available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License and graciously hosted at Wikimedia Commons.
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Here’s a nifty way to practice using interactive whiteboards such as GTCO, Promethean, and SMARTBoard : use the board’s drawing tools to construct a labyrinth. Doing so gives innovative educators and eager students an engaging means of exploring art, mathematics (see Tony Phillips amazing–pun intended–Mazes and Mathematics, for example), and History. Take the plunge. Use your interactive whiteboard to follow a few simple directions and see if you can draw a labyrinth.
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Playing with sound is fun. Don’t believe me? Check out ToneMatrix over at aM Laboratory and you’ll immediately understand what I’m talking about. In fact, there a number of intriguing items worthy of inspection in Andre Michelle’s repository of cognitive coolness.
Aside from just being wonderfully fun to play with and listen to, ToneMatrix is an excellent example of what learning ought to be like. The people I’ve talked to tell me that it’s practically addictive. Why isn’t learning about Mathematics, Science, History, Literature, and other academic pursuits like this? What does it take to make exploring a concept, process, or viewpoint habit-forming? Any thoughts?
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Today, I shared one of my favorite sites with a few new friends. The teachers I was speaking to asked me to share an interesting way to communicate an idea. I smiled and said, “Write it on a wall.” My friends laughed. Afterward, I showed them how Graffiti Creator can make a written idea a little more noticable and fun.
To make the image below, I used Graffiti Creator to create the graffiti. Next, I used a free screen capture program (Jing or ScreenHunter Free, take your pick) to snap a picture of my creation. Finally, I fired up GIMP, opened up an image of a brick wall, and dropped my custom-made graffiti in a layer on top of it.
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If your students post work on the web and crave recognition but aren’t allowed to post photographs of themselves for security reasons, help them generate avatars using a site called UNIQUE. Since many administrators and teachers are reluctant to haveg photos of pupils displayed online, learners can easily create a digital stand-in with UNIQUE as the site offers a variety of features (skin color, eyebrows, eyes, mouths, hairstyles, et cetera) that quickly assemble iconic characters that can be used in lieu of authentic images of youngsters. Consider integrating avatars when studying Literature. Students can generate representative images for characters described in the books, stories, or passages they are reading. The use of eye-catching characters will also spice up word problems in Mathematics and presentations in discussions about Social Studies.
Students aren’t the only individuals who might want to use UNIQUE. Administrators, media specialists, and teachers can also employ the site to add a little style to a webpage containing rules, assignments, and related information. Pupils will appreciate the addition of such colorful graphics and are likely to be impressed with the effort.
While exploring UNIQUE, take some time to check out the talent behind this great resource. Rasterboy and the Egg Republic, sites associated with UNIQUE, are a treat to see and should inspire artistic educators with new ideas about design and the possibility of incorporating 3D features within instructional content.
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