Integrating Images

For centuries the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” has held true. Digital Images gives us additional possibilities. When I first began this presentation, I asked myself two questions –

Why do we need to integrate digital images
and
What can we do with digital images?

These questions are very closely related and the answer to both is communication.

I gave myself 5 minutes to come up with as many examples of what we can do with images, then went back and listed a few ways I might use them.

Class photos – adding to I am poems
Virtual Tours – sharing your classroom with others in cultural experiences
Science Journals – each student takes a picture relating to the class topic and then reflects how their image relates to their learning
Math Journal – take pictures of work with manipulatives or found math
Concept Pictures – taking pictures to explain concepts
Geometric Art – using simple drawing programs to build objects with geometric shapes
Field Trip Reviews – Not every student sees experiences from the same point of view.
Create Movies – students become engaged in creation
Create Books – writing stories that integrate text and images helps writers
Create Portfolios – archiving events, activities and reflections on them
Share experiences – email photos to family or other classesReflect on events – could be personal events or world events
Create Slideshows – parents night – assembly
Teach math in nature – Capture shapes, curves etc
Learn Photography – how to make good images
Learn Graphic Design – creating images to tell stories
Create Copyright free images – If you make it, you can use it how you want
Integrate into podcasts – enhanced podcasts tell more than just the voice.
Highlight change over time (timelapse) – Amaryllis bulb growth
Investigate looking at things from different perspective
Use Digital Microscope – exploring our world in a different way – understanding colour, shapes, size
Create Tableau from class activities-
Create Stop Motion Videos – tell stories by creating them one step at a time
Enhance written projects – tell part of the story visually
Fun

I read the list to my wife and we came up with the following additional ideas.

Sports or Dance – self-evaluation
Science Experiments
Visual Awards with pictures
To show something to the class or school that you can’t physically touch or observe
Share experiences, Share Learning
Digital Storytelling

So I have convinced you that integrating images is valuable, but now you need to access digital images to be able to integrate.
Getting Images
In my opinion, the best way of getting images is to make them.
Make a photograph with
Digital Camera
Phone Camera
Web Camera
Use a drawing program
Use a photo editing software

I chose the wording carefully to ‘make’ a photograph. Making implies intentionality. The images are made to tell a story.

Downloading Existing Images

You an use Flickr to search for Creative Commons images
Google also has an option in the advanced search page to only search for appropriate usage rights

Most often, you can right mouse click (ctrl click on a Mac) and select an option for downloading.
Once the image is on your computer, then you need to import it into your editing or management tool.

Realizing that we are to follow Copyright wherever possible, there is a wealth of resources that have been orphaned. Nobody knows who made them. Technically we are not to use them but it is also impossible to contact the author.