Image+Generators+and+web+award+winners

Image Generators and Web Award Winners: What fabulous sites have you discovered and how can they be used by teachers and librarians.  =Please add your idea and sign with your first name and last initial and the month/year  = Use "Library Thing" with students for them to create a library of their favorite books from when they were small. Then, they can compare and contrast lists. It gives them an opportunity to search and reflect back upon how books have played a role in their lives. Linda M. August 2009

Use "Big Huge Labs" for fun with students. There are so many image templates available that they can create a message about books, reading, searching, internet safety, etc. and have to get their message across in only a couple of words! Linda M. August 2009

On my blog, I am planning on doing a "188 Days in the Trailside Library" photo slide show. At least, I think it will be a slide show, it may end up just being a gallery. Each day, I will take a photo of something that is going on in our library. This will be a great way to keep my community aware of our "hubness." DeAnne R. July 2008

Visit http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/ and have students create a magazine cover using a picture of a family member. Students could then write articles about this person at different ages in their life. The magazine cover could be used to bind their writings into a magazine style product. The magazines could be displayed in the library for others to read. Deborah M. June 2008

Go to http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/ and make badges for the Battle of the Books students. These badges can have a picture of the student (or their team), practice days, time and place. Once the badges are made, they can be laminated, and/or saved for repeated use. Sharon H. July 2008

Go to http://www.comicstripgenerator.com/ to make single cell comics. There are many children's book characters (Calvin and Hobbes, cat in the hat, Garfield, Harry Potter) as well as Disney, Peanuts, Scooby Doo, Sponge Bob, and Warner Brothers characters. These could be used to send home overdue notes, maybe a comic would make it home when the official notices don't. Sharon H. July 2008

LibraryThing | Catalog your books online You can catalog all your classroom library (complete with tags) and keep track of who has borrowed them. Kids could keep a running blog of books they've read and others could see what their recommendations are for their next read. Elaine D. July 08

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/deck.php Trading Cards and mashups: I love the trading cards. I've already decided to let my library helpers make their own trading cards and use them as passes. They will get a real kick out of this. Kids could also do book reviews on trading cards and keep them for parent conferences. Elaine D July 08

Students make trading cards of each book they read (higher elementary) to collect. This would promote reading and give the kids some ownership of reading that book from the library. Could do recommend on the card and trade with others if they wanted. Judy C. July 2008

Idea #2: Use comic strip generator to make cartoon direction: I plan on using this tool with my students to review simple directions. I teach 5th grade and one of the biggest areas of improvement we need to work on (this is based on my team members and myself) is following directions. Our students miss simple problems because they do not read the directions. They are always in a rush and want to be the first ones to finish an assignment that they miss something doing addition instead of subtraction or circle the wrong answer in multiple choice. My creating a cartoon with them as a class on following directions they might remember to do that important first step every time of reading the directions. Kristen A July 2008

Image Generators: Teachers can use these image generators to create interesting graphics that can be added to assignments and handouts just for fun. Robert M. July 2008

Students can use the magazine cover generator found at http://www.bighugelabs.com/flickr to do a mini book report or a book talk. A movie poster (also found at Big Huge Labs) would also be fun to do about a book but I could not imagine printing it out. They would have to be viewed on a computer or projected. –Lydia H. July 2008

another Flickr- http://www.bighugelabs.com/flickr and check out Alan Levine (a Web 2.0 pioneer)- Cog Dog Blog on [|Moo Cards]: This will introduce Levine's blog and another cool trick from flickr... moo business cards. And another post from Levine on using a wiki to run a program like [|pushups.].. Robin T. August 2008

I made a ToonDoo at [|http://www.toondoo.com]. This site lets one generate cartoons, cartoon books, or widgets to add to a blog or website. I made an cartoon to put on the library web site that encourages patrons to look at the "best of" book lists and our digital booktalks. Raandi M. April 2009

====[|Google Maps] My primary students are intrigued by maps. They regularly pour over the big atlases and always want to check out "the map books". At the same time many of them are not aware of the environs past there own street. Google maps provides such a great opportunity to start at the most local, and spread out from there. I could imagine a non-fiction writing assignment using GM which would involve direction, sequence, landmarks etc. Could tie in perfectly to the 2nd grade curriculum where they have to write with words like, first, then, next, as well as learn about local government. Nicky E June 2009====

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Have 5 th grade students create trading cards as one of the visuals for their Explorer Project. Print 5 facts in specific categories on the card which could then correspond to paragraphs in written paper. Task would help students be succinct. Collaborative decision on what were 5 essential facts about explorer. Color coded by geographic region? Symbols to signify reason for exploration? Lots of fun. Nicky E 2009=====

BigHugeLabs poster making ability interfaced with Flickr could be used with a variety of promotional activities in a school; students could create bookcovers for the Ugly Book Contest, advertise their team, or make a poster for a student council campaign. It's a great tool! Laurie August 2009 I keep forgetting to sign in to post...but the ability to post without signing in is awesome too!