Free online collage makers - Part 2

Big Heart of Art - By Qthomasbower

Now that the collages have been viewed and liked, it's time to reveal the tools that created them.
I won't rank them according to the number of votes because the results are obviously partial and to judge the tools by 'likes' will be unfair.
It should be mentioned that I have not included those collage makers that work only on mobile devices.

Collage nr.1 was made by Pixlr which is a cool and versatile tool. It does a lot of things with images and it is free, so it's worthwhile to explore it. Collages are created by Pixlr Express - lots of formatting options.

Collage nr.2 was created by Picture2Life collage maker which not only creates collages and edits images but also animates them. But I have no explanation why this collage got the largest number of votes! :)

Collage nr.3 was created by Ribbet photo editor. It is a great tool for manipulating your images in various ways.

Collage nr.4 was made by Collage Maker which is a nice online tool for the single purpose of making collages. This is the 'youngest' of all collage makers. Give it a try!

Collage nr.5 was created by Photovisi which is a tool for creating collages online. A large variety of templates to choose from and lots of editing options.

Collage nr.6 was made by PosterMyWall which is a poster maker but finely suitable for poster-size collages as well.

Collage nr.7 was created by AutoCollage which is the only tool among the ones I mentioned that has to be downloaded as part of Learning Suite by Microsoft. I have written about it here. It is one of my favourite tools and it is fascinating to watch the collage creating process which is happening in front of your eyes.

How could teachers and students use collages?

1. In teaching for focusing students' attention on the topic or particular vocabulary.
2. In storytelling. You can put the whole story in one collage! Upload your collage to Thinglink website and put your story inside the collage!
3. In discussions as a visual stimulus.
4. For capturing and sharing memorable moments of school life.
5. For creating artistic wall decorations in the classroom or school.

More ideas?
   

Comparing free online collage makers

Photo collages are a powerful and expressive visual means of conveying a certain message, not put into words, and I would like to compare some of the popular collage generators.

I have made seven collages with seven different free online collage makers and I would like you to vote for the best collage, according to your opinion. Of course, your preferences will be intuitive, based on your like/dislike impulse.

The poll is at the bottom of the post and it is anonymous.
I am going to reveal the name of each collage maker, give some feedback and draw conclusions when there are enough votes cast.

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5

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7

Thank you for responding to my request!

Using mind maps with students

It seems that new mind mapping tools and software are created daily. There are so many tools that are similar in their design and performance that one may question the rationale for making more and more new applications but for the customers it means a wider choice, a possibility of finding a tool that suits your needs best.
A mind map is an indispensable learning tool for visual learners.

You can explore the vast range of mind mapping applications on my scoopit page. There you will find not only links to most mind mapping tools and software but also articles that deal with the theory behind mind mapping, tips for creating mind maps, examples and suggestions for the use of mind maps in learning.


I would like to share some of the ways how I use mind maps with my students.

One of the simplest ways how to use a mind map is gathering and sorting new vocabulary. The example shows city vocabulary organized in 3 groups. Students find it much easier to memorize the words which they see placed in a certain spot, connected to a certain topic. Works well with students of all ages.

This mind map was created with bubbl.us.

Another way of using a mind map is giving students a task where they have to display a summary of some topic, for example, My favourite pastimes. Each bubble may contain more than one word or even a phrase. This mind map can be used by the student in the classroom for making a short speech or a comment about his free time. If a mind map is created by the teacher and shown at the lesson, it can be used as a basis for classroom discussion or a writing task.

This mind map was created with ExamTime which is my new favorite.

Older students may use a mind map for outlining their report or an essay.
This mind map was created with Popplet which is a versatile application and may be used not only for mind mapping. Bubbles can be filled with text or images, arranged in various ways and even used for visual storytelling.

Useful websites for learning more about mind mapping:

1. http://www.mindmapping.com/
2. http://blog.iqmatrix.com/how-to-mind-map
3. http://www.thethinkingbusiness.com/mind-mapping/mind-mapping
4. http://blog.thinkbuzan.com/education/beginner%E2%80%99s-guide-to-the-use-of-mind-maps-in-elementary-schools
5. http://www.novamind.com/blog/2011/articles/classroom-presentations/  

The old year is going

The end of the year is close and it pertains to sum up the days gone by.
I do not pine for the year that is coming to an end and I do not write new year resolutions.

Everything I feel has been said about a hundred years ago by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

Made with http://www.postermywall.com/

Happy New Year to all!
 

Computers - friends or foes?

Recently I attended an award ceremony for the best teacher blogs 2012 organized in Latvia.
Yes, my blog was chosen as one of the best (so far, I'd like to add, because I am sure a new wave of talented and insightful bloggers will appear in no time).
While the recognition of my work was gratifying and inspiring, the discussions which followed the event made me think about the fragile reputation of technologies and computers, in particular.

It seems there are still lots of teachers who would gladly ban computers from students' lives blaming the machines solely for the kids' deteriorating physical bodies.

I get irrationally defensive when I hear vehement assertions that computers are to be blamed for the generation of weak, unfit children and their inability to perform well in sport or other physical activities. It reminds me of another popular culprit - PowerPoint, which is held responsible for all unsuccessful, unprofessional, boring presentations.

While I admit that computers can have a negative effect on two things - handwriting and eyesight, I can not get rid of the feeling that we would like to make computers account for physical laziness, inert lifestyle, too much eating, too few walks, parental neglect, lack of interests.

We forget to acknowledge that the use of computers develops young people's brain, their ability to cope with unexpected situations, their decision making skills, their reaction rate, their dexterity after all.

I don't even dare to hope that the time will come when schools here will approve of the flipped classroom method in teaching. That would be one straw too many...

I'd really like to hear your opinion. You can write in Latvian as well.

Snowflakes, real and digital

Today I was a kid playing with online tools and creating snowflakes.
Because it is winter. Because Christmas is coming. Because it is snowing...

Flitting spots of white
Lighting on dead flower stalks:
Winter’s butterflies.                             / "Snowflakes" by Susan Gundlach /

There are lots of tools, I tested just some of them. It was a pleasant and creative process and the only problem with some tools was the lack of the saving or downloading feature. If you really want to save your snowflake, make a screenshot.
This would be a great activity for younger students. A teacher can make a competition for the most beautiful snowflake and ask them to vote online for the best or put them on the class blog. Students can make and send a virtual postcard with their snowflake.

Make-a-Flake 
Cut and enjoy! This website lets you download your flake.

Snowflake Designer
The website is designed for kids, so it's safe and friendly.
 









Snowdays Snowflake generator
Easy to control your creative process because you can see a real-time preview of the flake you are cutting.

Snowflake Workshop
A beautifully designed site.

Create a snowflake
When the flake is ready, you can make it rotate in 2D or 3D and just admire its beauty.

Mural.ly for creating Prezi-like presentations

Mural.ly is an amazing tool which lets you create interactive visual presentations in Prezi style but without the hyper zoom-ins and zoom-outs. Though it may not be as sophisticated as Prezi, it is definitely more user-friendly for students.

Once you get the knack of inserting (done by the drag-and-drop method) and formatting your images, text boxes and sticky notes on the canvas, the rest is just smartening up your presentation by adding decorations and frames that will turn your canvas into an interactive show. This took me the longest because the frames had to be adjusted to bring out the best of each element.
The sources of content are various, including Google, YouTube, Vimeo, Pinterest, Dropbox and more. Start from the left side menu, the building of your canvas is almost intuitive.

Mural.ly is great for student collaborative projects as it allows many users work on one canvas, even in real time. Mural.ly can be used for brainstorming ideas, collecting materials or creating group presentations.

Watch the video tutorial to learn how to assemble your online mural.





This is what you see on your mural.ly canvas while you are working on it.

Below is the final product after you have applied the show frames.
I am by no means an adept user of mural.ly, nevertheless I was glad I succeeded in creating my first digital mural.
Recently there have been problems with embedding the show, so I am just giving you the link to my mural.  Enjoy!
 

Web tools for creating posters

Only five days left till the magic night of Halloween.

No, I am not planning on a spirited and hilarious party. I have just tried out an amazing web tool Poster My Wall that lets you create posters or photo collages without registration or fee.

The process of creating a poster is so easy that it is ideal for school students and rookies.

Go to the site, click on Create your poster now, choose background and start creating.
You may use a solid background but you can also pick Color fade which lets you merge two colours of your choice. You may choose a background image from a large variety of images or upload your own photo. The rest is simple - add your text and download your poster.

If you want a "real" poster that can be put on the wall, you have to pay a few dollars but if you only need an image for a webpage or printing, the free version of size A4 is perfect.

Check out more poster creation tools.
https://www.artskills.com/
http://www.posterini.com/
http://bighugelabs.com/
http://muzy.com/app/thoughts?source=apps_page
http://picfont.com/

Create a webpage with Tackk

Tackk is a great new service that lets you instantly create a webpage.
The site editor enables you to change the colour, fonts and background of your page and add some other features like contacts, maps and comments.
The basic idea is to post a photo (drag-and-drop it straight to the page) and add some information about it. The customization of the page is elementary, that is why it is perfectly suitable for inexperienced web users.

I see this tool as a fantastic possibility for students to create short term projects and share them online. It can be a study project, a description of a trip or school event, a drawing made by the student or even a presentation. The best thing is you don't have to register to create your webpage but in that case your page will expire in one month. If you want to keep it longer, you have to register.

Here is the page I made to see how the tool works http://tackk.com/jl018w

Thinglink and 15 crossword puzzle makers

Have you heard of Thinglink?  ✓ / ✗
If not, you WILL now because I am going to tell you how easy and marvellous it is.


Thinglink is a tool that lets you put information inside your image. And it can be done effortlessly, contrary to what you may assume.

The procedure is simple. You upload, import or drag-and-drop a picture to your Thinglink page (yes, you will have to create an account) and start filling it with information. How? Click on the image to insert an active tag and write the intended information. You may also add a link to another webpage. Then save and use the interactive image wherever you want.

This is an interactive image I created by putting links to crossword making generators.
I may have put all the links in a list and it may have spared you the time of clicking the tags, one by one. But then it would have been so boring. Think about using it with your students - can you see why they might love the tool?
Some of the crossword creators have taken the test of time and proven useful, whereas a couple of other services are quite new and promising.

If you experience some problems viewing the active tags on this image, go to my Thinglink page.