Picasa, Flickr and Picnik

This is a collage of the same photo which I edited, the top one is the original and the bottom one has been edited in black and white. I have also added a boarder. All done using Picasa.

This is a photo of myself. I had fun using Picnik, as you can see I put a crown on and a tattoo on my arm. Very user friendly program, but very fun and addictive. Wasted so much time on this site....

This is a collage I have created using Picasa. I chose what photos I wanted, what kinds of collage format and then got Picasa to create it. I love this design, and I use these collages every week. I take photos of my after school care children doing an activity then I print a collage to put on the noticeboard to show parents what their children have been doing. I include these photos in their Powerpoint presentation they are given at the end of the year.

Picasa, Flickr and Picnik

Picasa, Flickr and Picnik are online programs that you can utilise to upload and store your photos to, you can edit, crop, adjust colour and contrast and you can purchase photos online as well, all from the comfort of your own home. Amazing really. I personally use the Big W Online Photoshop to print my photos and create gifts such as Albums and Keyrings. I also use Picasa for my editing program, only because I have always used it, it does what I need it to do, although the other programs on offer I'm sure are good programs also and have more features.

Programs such as these can be very effective in the classroom. If a child has show and tell, instead of bringing in expensive objects, they could photograph their show and tell and show the other children via Flickr or Picnik. In a classroom environment we could upload any excursion photos, performance, videos and so on for parent's to see and get copies of, as long as all parent's consented and we set the account up as private viewing and not public. Children can show us their family holiday snaps without risking bringing them in and getting them damaged. There are so many opportunities to use this technology.

I have a few photos I have edited to show you what the software is capable of:

This is one of my holiday snaps in Thailand. I have once again used Picasa as my editing program because this is where my private photos are stored.

This is the same photo. I edited using the Soft Focus filter in the Picasa program.

I have embedded a video of my friend who I travelled overseas with, I have her permission to use this video. I published this via Flickr:-



I hope I have demonstrated the uses of all these programs and their abilities to be able to be used effectively in a classroom setting. They can be used in many ways and can be used as wonderful tools within a classroom environment. The learner's can take photos and videos for projects. They can then insert these into their Blog, Wiki or a create a Powerpoint presentation. Everything is student orientated, student's can work together in small group, collaberating together.

References



Helen's Terror (n.d). Retrieved May, 8 2010, from
http://www.flickr.com/photo_embed.gne?id=4530463443