If you use digital images in your teaching, you will love this free web-based photo editing and design software. BigHugeLabs.com goes above and beyond basic photo editing. It provides a ton of fun photo gadgets allowing you to create customizable photos in an array of different layouts. Examples include magazine covers, jigsaw puzzles, inspirational posters, trading cards, pop-art posters (Warhol), badge makers, and much more. OK, so you are probably thinking...big deal...another free photo editing site...right? This one is a little different as they keep adding more and more "cool tools" to use, it's free, and you can create an educators account allowing you to sign-up your students ahead of time so they do not need to log-in with an email address.I could see this site being used for a variety of creative learning activities for your students. Keep in mind that any of the "enhanced images" can either be printed or saved. Take it a step further and incorporate these image masterpieces into programs such as Prezi, Movie Maker, PhotoStory, or PowerPoint.
Here are a few ideas of projects you could use with your students. Enjoy!
1. JIGSAW PUZZLES: Teachers could create "Famous People in Time" jigsaw puzzles printed on card stock. After putting the puzzles together, students would have to name the people, and provide at least one thing each person did in history that made them memorable (make it more challenging by allowing them to only use their notes and text book....no Internet!!).
2. MAGAZINE COVERS: Have students create a magazine cover that reflects a certain period in time, science topic, important people in history, current events, famous artists, or characters from a recent book they have read.
3. TRADING CARDS: Assign students a topic (Example: diseases, famous artists, etc.). Set a limit for the content of the cards for students to summarize the most important facts.
4. INSPIRATIONAL POSTERS: Add some motivational artwork in your classroom.
Here is an example magazine cover I created within minutes.
