Before trying this lesson, start with Photoshop for Fifth Graders: The First Step is Word, Autofixes,  cloning, and cropping. Don’t worry. It’s not hard–just the basics.

Ready? Let’s start with what Adobe Photoshop is–a grown-up KidPix, and the default photo-editing program for anyone serious about graphics. This series of projects (available in 55 Technology Projects for the Digital Classroom Volume I) introduces students to a traditionally-challenging program in an easy to understand way, each scaffolding to the next, thus avoiding the frustration and confusion inherent in most Photoshop training.

Adobe Photoshop has an impressive collection of tools to add pizazz to pics. You might have students open their school picture for this project. They love working with their own image.

• #1: Artistic Renderings—artistic overlays that add flair to pictures. Go to Filter—artistic and it brings up dozens of choices. Try some (it gives a preview of the result) and select a favorite.

• #2: blur and smudge tools on left tool bar to soften the background, and sharpen a focal point.

• #3: Use Filter-render-clouds to create a cloudy background (the colors of your foreground and background tool)

Troubleshooting Tips

• I can’t get the right colors for the clouds (check your foreground and background tools. That’s where Photoshop takes the colors)

• I’m trying to drag the picture but I get an error message (Check your layers. Do the have the correct layer highlighted?)

• I don’t have Photoshop. (Try GIMP–it’s free)

Do you have questions? Please add a comment and I’ll answer. Thanks.

Here’s the sign-up link if the image above doesn’t work:

https://forms.aweber.com/form/07/1910174607.htm

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Copyright ©2024 worddreams.wordpress.com – All rights reserved.

“The content presented in this blog is the result of my creative imagination and not intended for use, reproduction, or incorporation into any artificial intelligence training or machine learning systems without prior written consent from the author.”

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

Keyboarding for Youngers

A while ago, I participated in an online discussion about keyboarding for kids. The host thought it would be a yawner, but any tech teacher knows keyboarding is a controversial subject. In my classroom, it’s the most-asked question from parents, concerns like:

• When do students start?
• What are some of the developmental considerations about keyboarding?
• Why learn keyboarding?
• How do I know what questions parents are interested in about keyboarding?
• Why is it a ‘hot topic’ with parents?
• How do I teach keyboarding?
• Will keyboarding replace cursive?

The list goes on. On my blog, Ask a Tech Teacher, posts about keyboarding are read about thrice as often as any other topic.

So I enthusiastically answered every question the producer had with my thoughts from thirty years of teaching. One of the other guests was a children’s education expert who believed technology (and I guess, by transference, keyboarding) was the root of much of the increase in ADHD among children and this was her big opportunity to make her case. The last participant was the mom of a first grader there to share her keyboarding experiences (turns out, she was also the director of the early learning initiative at the New America Foundation, an author, and a prominent blogger). Surprisingly–or not–we agreed on many points and ended up having a good discussion where everyone learned.

Here’s a synopsis of the questions discussed: (more…)

A backchannel refers to a secondary, often informal, communication channel that runs parallel to the main communication channel. In the classroom, it provides students with an outlet to:

• ask questions when the teacher is talking–isn’t at a lesson point where she can pause
• engage in conversation with other students without disturbing the class
• add comments to a conversation even after the class has moved on in the lesson plan.

This video is from a series I taught for school districts. It is now available for free, here on Ask a Tech Teacher:

What is a backchannel in your classroom? Why? What are some options you might use? Here’s a sixteen minute video I use with my online classes to address these topics: (more…)

How to Automate an MLA Heading in Word

Word problems are popular and fun methods of teaching math and English in many schools. Why? See which of these you agree with:

1. Real-world relevance: They present scenarios that make concepts more tangible and help students see the practical applications of what they are learning.
2. Critical thinking: They require students analyze information, identify relevant concepts.
3. Multifaceted learning: Word problems often involve multiple steps that integrate a variety of concepts and skills.
4. Language skills: Word problems involve reading and understanding written instructions, requiring students interpret written information, extract relevant details, and communicate solutions.

Here are popular online resources to teach about Word Problems (click for updates on this list):

1. Expii Solve–math word problems and puzzles, lots of them
2. IXL Word Problems–by grade
3. Math and Logic Problems
4. Math Pickle–puzzles, games, and mini competitions
5. Prodigy Math Word Problems–about 120
6. Thinking Blocks–free (app)
7. Word problems–type them in, Wolfram/Alpha provides the answer and the how-to. Amazing.
8. Word Problems from Math Playground
9. Would You Rather–more like a justification for decisions using math

–image credit Deposit Photos

(more…)

I’ve had a lot of trouble with my email the last few months. My newsletter is falling apart. My home email is changing servers–who knows what that will require on my part. My spam folder has had a mental breakdown and never (ever) works correctly. And, my internet services are suffering more than their usual annoying level of quirks and breaks.

I’m looking for a change. There’s one big option I’ve been watching for a few years: Starlink. It doesn’t use fiber or cable–it runs off satellites. I haven’t pulled the trigger (it requires geeky setup and a substantial startup fee), but every year, after every internet and email problem, it gets more interesting. Starlink probably won’t fix my email problems, but it might put a dent in my internet issues. Several friends and efriends use it and are thrilled with it. Liesbet over at Roaming About, a self-proclaimed nomad, happily roaming about South America, switched to Starlink and loves it.

One of the reasons I don’t make the switch is it’s not easy (and I like easy). It costs something like $600 in equipment and the monthly fee is somewhere around $150-$200, but to get away from the Earth-based internet problems that can be hacked, cracked, and virused is appealing. (more…)

Many people in the United States, particularly students, parents and teachers, join forces on Read Across America Day, annually held on March 2nd to coincide with the birthday of Dr. Seuss. Let’s celebrate with this take-off of his writing style, but about technology, reprinted with permission of Gene Zigler at Cornell University:

If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,
then the socket packet pocket has an error to report.

If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash,
and the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash,
and your data is corrupted 'cause the index doesn't hash,
then your situation's hopeless and your system's gonna crash!

If the label on the cable on the table at your house,
says the network is connected to the button on your mouse,
but your packets want to tunnel on another protocol,
that's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall,
and you screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss,
so your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse,
then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang,
'cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang!

When the copy of your floppy's getting sloppy on the disk,
and the microcode instructions cause unnecessary risk,
then you have to flash your memory, and you'll want to RAM your ROM.
Quickly turn off the computer and be sure to tell your mom.

Copyright © Gene Ziegler

Email: [email protected]

--reprinted with permission © 6-28-09

Here are thirteen great reading websites for students K-5: (more…)

Education has come a long way since the focus on “reading, writing, ‘rithmetic”. In Ask a Tech Teacher posts, we’ve covered many teaching strategies:

• Behavior Learning Theory
• Depth of Knowledge (DoK)
• Flipped Classroom
• Frayer Model
• Growth Mindset
• Habits of Mind
• Mindfulness
• Orton-Gillingham
• Project-based Learning (PBL)
• Socratic Method
• Standards-based Grading
• Understanding By Design
• Unschool
• VARK model
• Visible Learning
• Whole Brain Teaching

Any of these might be perfect for your classroom. Today, we offer one more: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (more…)

People love using finger swipes on iPads and iPhones. What seemed clunky at first are now quick, fluid, and almost intuitive. And many are consistent across platforms. A pinch in one program does the same in many, as does a swipe and a flick.

The most popular iPad-iPhone swipes typically involve gestures that facilitate navigation, multitasking, and interacting with apps. Here are some commonly used (note: some work on either iPhone or iPad but not both): (more…)

The metrics behind rankings are good to check, but might not accurately reflect what students are looking for. The Ask a Tech Teacher team as suggestions on how to dig deeper, be sure to choose the right college for your needs and future.

Choosing the Right College: Factors to Consider Beyond Rankings

Picking the right college is a huge choice that will affect your life for a long time. It’s easy to let college scores be your only source of information, but they don’t always tell the whole story. In fact, there are many important things besides scores that can have a big impact on your college experience and life afterward. Let’s look into these things, talk about why they’re important, and show you how to use them to help you make a choice.

Understanding the Limitations of Rankings

It’s important to understand why scores shouldn’t be your only concern before we get into the other factors. A lot of the time, college rankings are based on big numbers like graduation rates, teacher credentials, and financial resources. These are important, but they don’t show the little things about each person’s experiences or the important parts of schooling that can make a big difference in your personal and professional growth. (more…)