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Thursday, March 10, 2011

Week 3 Thing 5: Using Photos/Images Web 2.0 style...Mixbook and Smilebox

As you move through the course you will notice correlations between all the Web 2.0 tools you are introduced to.  Many of them “talk”, which eliminates extra steps in the creative process.  This also means more elements can be added to your creations.
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The next tools you will be introduced to can be used to share photos, videos and sounds in a creative and memorable way.    Let’s start our tech-tivities…I  mean PLAY TIME!!!
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Mixbook is a fun tool which allows you to create photo books, cards, calendars and more for FREE on the web- you can even share them (embed) or purchase them as a book (that is so Web 1.0 people…but still awesome)!  Just think, a scrapbook where the supplies are FREE!!  That’s right you no longer have to dedicate a room or a budget to your love of this art.
Week 3 Thing 5 Tech-tivity
To get credit for this “thing” you have two choices: (Pick one or you can do both…)*
*Remember, the more you play the more you learn!
  1. Explore and register for Mixbook and create a 2 page book (can be more) on your own and embed it on your BLOG with a post Labeled Week 3 Thing 5.  You can comment on the tool, your creative journey or think of some classroom applications (1-2 sents).   Watch the tutorial here.
OR
  1. Go to the Mixbook Gallery and browse the projects made by students and teachers.  Pick an impressive one and embed the book on your BLOG with a post labeled, Week 3 Thing 5. Comment on how you can use this in your classroom or include any other reflections (1-2 sent.).
Here is my favorite:

| View Sample Photo Books | Create your own Photo Book

Similar to Mixbook, Smilebox is another photo, video and sound sharing Web 2.0 tool. Click here to watch a 30sec introduction.  “Your classroom creations can be emailed, posted to a school blog or website, burned to DVD or photo frame, or printed for bulletin boards or backpacks. Parents will experience these learning moments as if they were sitting right alongside their child in class. Your kids will love to see themselves and friends featured in creative multimedia designs set to the music of your choice. You’ll be amazed at how easy Smilebox is to use and how quickly you can share classroom memories” (Retrieved from, http://media.smilebox.com/teachers/welcome).
Teachers can sign up or a free account where they can access a Premimun Subscription worth $39.99.  All you need to do is APPLY.  In the meantime, you can still play around with features of this great photo tool  by just registering at Smilebox.
Here is an example of an elementary school Smilebox project:

Okay, let’s wrap up “Thing 5” with a quick post here on the Junkie blog.  Post a classroom application for Mixbook or Smilebox, as a comment.  Feel free to post more than one or to comment on someone’s idea.  I will start by posting one...

[Did you notice Mixbook "talks" with Picasa and other Web 2.0 tools?  Learn more about photosharing by clicking on my Delicious links in the sidebar.  Tags: digitalstorytelling, photos]

20 comments:

Mrs. Stewart said...

Use Smilebox's custom greetings to send a note of praise home. Picture it-child on the lap of the adult as they open the greeting together or the working parent at the office opening a file of SMILES... PRICELESS!

Mrs. Stewart said...

Forgot to metion, if you were to use mixbook for your class you would need to create a username and sign on for your class that is easy to remember. Registration does require an email address. If you make a "web tool" email that is only used for this type of thing, you can provide access to the students without worrying about student emails. It also keeps all the projects together.

Beatlefan1966 said...

Mixbook is definitely fun, but I'm not ready to give up my scrapbook room. :-)

It would be cool for students to do an interactive science notebook using Mixbook!

Sharon V said...

Mixbook offers a variety of templates to use to create books. Students could easily create a book about a specific topic or create a scrapbook for a virtual trip they take. You can use your own pictures or you could use some from the internet. Now there are no excuses for not being creative.

Cyndi said...

I thought that both scrapbooks were easy to learn and use. I like elements of both and don't know which I would choose for the students to use. Curently the students create portfolios for each preschool client; I am thinking of a "class" mixbook for the month's theme that complements the individual scrapbook.

Meredith Gilbert said...

I would Mixbook to "show off" student work on my classroom blog. It would be a great way for parents to see projects our class has created!

Anonymous said...

The applications of this tool are two-fold: teacher and student use.

Teachers who are in schools without yearbooks could use this program to make a yearbook for their classroom, or even as another form of lesson presentation.

Students could use this program for projects as an alternative to power points. This program offers formats that some students would probably prefer over power point. My students also create books in writing and across content areas such as, "How Big is It? A Math Measurement Book" and "My Life in Native American Tribes".

Mrs. Ripperger said...

Mixbook and Smilebox are great image tools to showcase in the classroom. I can see myself using it on a regular basis with my students. I have access to creating so many neat and creative things. I like the idea of inputing pictures of projects we have done in the classroom for students to see

J. Whittley said...

Mixbook could be a wonderful tool for showcasing the exciting things that are happening in your classroom. I believe parents would love the opportunity to feel a part of the events that they can't attend due to conflicting work schedules and such. I enjoyed playing on the sight and intend to complete my book and order it!

Unknown said...

I almost forgot! Used in conjunction with videos from class, Smilebox would be a great way to share videos with administrators and parents.

andrews3 said...

Smilebox & Mixbook were a lot of fun to play with. I would love to use Smilebox as a way for students to present research projects, such as a trip to St. Augustine. Our students could take pictures on their field trip, then work together in small groups to put together a scrapbook of their experience and research.

stageforlearning said...

I like the idea of providing my students with a choice on how to share their knowledge with others. Students can share with classmates, family, and friends what they have learned. The possibilities are endless. Can't wait to have my summer school students try some of these out!

Late Comer said...

Mixbook - how much fun is this? I have never been a scrap booker, but this site is so easy.
Smile Box is great. It is very similar to Photo Story but is even better in that the download is so small that it takes up very little room, and it's free. This is a great site for students to create project-based assignments and share via a class blog, video, or link to the site. Both would greatly complement students’ science projects and social studies projects. Not only are the researching and synthesizing information, they will be integrating technology to present their findings to others. I am compiling a list of sites to share with our teachers, and this is an easy one to learn!

Love 4 You 2 Read said...

Mixbook and Smilebox are great tools for students to use to create exciting, interesting content specific projects! Since they're free, students can all access the technology, especially if we allow class time to have students "play" and create!

Cool Beans said...

I'm so happy that I finally discovered where I was supposed to make my posting! I love the idea of videotaping student's work and posting it somewhere secure for parents to view. I'm just worried about how much time this is going to cause me to figure all this out!

I've been a scrapbook fanatic every since my boys were born. My Creative Memories Consultant was very sad when I was first introduced to shutterfly! I really like the mixbook for creating scrapbooks even better because it is easier to upload pictures from multiple sources.

My classroom scrapbook will be even easier to create because parents can easily send pictures straight to my mixbook from their own computer at home. I was even considering having students take pictures to demostrate the different concepts and create their own class mixbook. For instance if we were learning about erosion, students could use their cell phones to take pictures of real life examples like the beach. Then they could upload to our classbook to share with their classmates. I think this will really excite my students to become more active learners.

Wright's Rippers said...

I used Smilebox last year with my son's Pop Warner team. I was so easy and all of the parents loved the fact they could pull the pictures right off the site. I played with the Mixbook and really liked the ease and look of the online scrapbook. It looked really nice on my blog. I hope to use both. I love the ABC book example and will make that a 1st project this upcoming year. The kids can add their art work and show off their knowledge with their captions.

Katy said...

I'd love to see the students be allowed to use a program like Mixbook or Smilebox for their Social Studies Fair projects.

Christina L. said...

I love these sites! I can't wait to use them in my class. I do a multi-genre lit project with my students, this would be AWESOME!

Michelle Deibler said...

I love the idea of a class smilebox for open house presentations, and I am going to be using mixbook for a collaborative book on a topic each student will research and create one or two pages for the book! How fun!

Anonymous said...

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