What a nice Picnik!

I have just discovered Picnik, a free site for image manipulation which enables you to upload a photo and change it in any number of ways and then save it, either on your Flickr account or directly onto your computer, for use however you wish. Whilst it is not an ICT that I would necessarily use in the classroom, it is certainly one I could use for the classroom. It is an important 'tool' to have in a teacher's 'toolbox' as it allows us to take the images we wish to use and make them applicable and appropriate for use in a classroom situation. For example, making an image smaller or changing its shape may mean that it is a better fit within the Wiki, blog or web page that you are creating. The cropping feature may mean that you can make pictures more appropriate or relevant by cutting off parts of the photo. The colour and exposure can also be altered or you can simply use, and this is my favorite, 'auto-fix', a quick and easy automatic option to improve the image quality. Check out my travel pic below, before and after Picnik:

Here I have taken out the 'irrelevant' subjects in the picture (i.e. me and my husband!).

A similar cropping strategy could be used to zoom in on a picture to make it more relevant to a topic being taught, in this example, the first photo could be used in reference to the Egyptian ruins, and the second in reference to the traditional dress of Egyptians.

Including images in resources and when teaching ensures that visual learners (Felder, 1991) are catered for in the classroom. Education Queensland's The Learning Place suggests that "if you are using strategies which cater for children's learning styles, you are promoting effective teaching and learning approaches in your classroom" (The Learning Place, n.d.). They also suggest making "handouts (that are) visually appealing." The Learning Pyramid also suggests that audio-visual learning leads to a higher retention rate than simply lecturing or reading alone. Thus, using visual resources when teaching not not only promotes better learning but also adds interest and variation. Picnik in this way is a very important tool in making images more usable in the classroom.

References

Felder, R. (1991). The Index of Learning Styles.
Retrieved 12 March 2010 from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSpage.html

The Learning Place. (n.d.) Learning Styles. Retrieved 17.04.10 from http://www.learningplace.com.au/deliver/content.asp?pid=45767

Responsible Kids Network. (n.d.). The Learning Pyramid.
Retrieved 8 March 2010 from http://www.responsible-kids.net/learningpyramid.html