Picasa es su casa!

It's been quite a while since I used Picasa for my picture uploading and editing. When I bought my first MacBook in 2006 Picasa was my favorite app and it kept my pics in great organizational shape. But later on I bought a Nikon D90 and started a photography business so I grew out of Picasa and learned more about Photoshop. My editing needs changed, but that does not diminish the fun that can be had with Picasa.
Below you can see that I did a few things with some photos that I had already edited in Photoshop, Picasa can be great tool when it comes to getting your photos ready to post on blogs or Facebook. Photos will upload and look completely different than your Photoshopped photos simply because they will be compressed, smooshed and viewed in multiple browsers and computer types. So, in steps Picasa to get your photos ready for the web in a simple way. But make sure your Photoshopped images are separate - those you want to stay the same for your clients who want to print those photos, because that's a tricky thing as well - when you edit in Picasa the original image is changed, so copy and rename the few you will place on the web and then edit with Picasa.
Ok, after that long-winded explanation, let me tell you what I did.
Brightening and sharpening a photo:

The top photo came right from photoshop and the bottom is my Picasa edited version. I copied and pasted my original to another folder and renamed it. I then hopped into Picasa and bumped up the shadows to my own personal taste. I also warmed the photo up a bit color temperature slider. Once that was done I placed the sharpen filter on the photo and brought that up to about 50%. Once the photos was to my liking I saved it. You can see that the photo on the bottom is sharper and a little warmer - the blog loves it!
Next let's talk about black and white:

I usually give my clients their photos in color and black and white, but in this case let's pretend I don't. Once again I copied and pasted my original in a folder and renamed it for editing. In Picasa I found the Filtered B&W filter. I then brought the shadows down and added a vignette to taste. I'm not a huge vignette fan, but if it's subtle enough it can grow on me. As long as the black and white has enough, but not too much, contrast I'm lovin' it!

Now comes my favorite part of Picasa, collages! I have to say that the reason I downloaded Picasa all those years ago was the collage features! It's fun to see all of your images in a fun groupy! Ok, the best advise I have for collages is to play around and let your personality shine through! I like them simple, but you may like a ton of photos all piled on top of each other - that's good, you do you!

To create this collage I clicked the 'Create Photo Collage' link, this opens a new window within Picasa that you can use to create your collage. Choose the 'Picture Pile' option and your photos will look like this:

You can then select images by clicking on them and removing them with the button above your photos. Once you select the photos you are keeping on your collage you can rotate and move them to your specifications. I chose to put mine in a row like this:

Once you have your collage the way you like it you can hit the 'Create College' button on the bottom left hand side of your Picasa screen. Picasa automatically saves your collage and you are ready to post or edit it.

To add words to the bottom you will need to double click on your collage in the Picasa folder view and add text. The text box will open when you click on the icon that has an 'ABC' in front of a mountain. Type in your text, edit the font and size the way you want it and voila!

As we saw in one of the tutorials for this assignment you can use this as a header for your blog or print it out and frame it, hang it on your wall and admire it! 

Picasa has so many fun features - the best way to get to know it is to upload your photos and get going!

Have fun!

Erin

Podcasts and Education

            The use of podcasts in education is relatively new, but can be effective when use of those podcasts help students prepare for lectures or lessons. Popova, Kirschner and Joiner state that podcasts listened to by students before lectures can help the learning process. 'Student-generated podcasts have a special place in research; as they engage students in their learning, promote deep learning and reflection' (Popova et al., 2013). These researchers also believe that a podcast can aid the students by helping produce prior knowledge to be used during class time. When students come in to class with that prior knowledge learned when listening to the podcast they will be more prepared to delve into the subject.

During the ITLS Foundations course taught at Utah State University, Dr. Brian Belland puts vodcasts (video podcasts) to good use, asking his students to watch one each week before the class meets. Belland ensured that the material being learned through course readings and lectures were summed up in these vodcasts giving the students a chance to brush up on the lesson before it was taught. Students were able to get a preview of what would be discussed in class, this encouraged the students to come to class better prepared and ready to learn.

            Podcasts can be used in many ways in relation to enhancing education. The idea that a course lecture can be introduced before the planned course time offers an interesting way to introduce new material and give students a chance to contemplate their conclusions about readings and/or assignments. Podcasts can also be conversational. Some of the best I have heard offer many perspectives, which can enhance the learning experience.  For my podcast I decided to team up with a classmate and provide instruction on what we think is a fun topic. In any kind of education the topic should be interesting, if not it should be taught or talked about in a way that is engaging. Erin Buttars and I downloaded Audacity and each recorded our own podcast while including the other for a new perspective and good conversation.

            Audacity was easy to download, and hitting the record button was simple enough, but editing the podcast had its challenges. I wanted to add music to mine but could not initially figure out how to do that, so I found a tutorial on YouTube that assisted me with this feature. So, with music loaded and conversation recorded we needed to get those .wav files converted to .mp3, that took a more time, but eventually we figured it out.

            Overall I like the fact that podcasts can add to the learning experience and create a sense of community even though the speaker and listener are not in the same place. Questions can always be submitted and address in he next episode of the podcast. There are a few limitations to this technology such as the lack of face-to-face interaction; the editing, publishing and playing could be difficult for those who do not have the necessary experience, but that can be quickly remedied.

In agreement with Popova et al., podcasts can add something extra to the learning experience. Whether you add a podcast to your after-class activities or encourage your students to listen before coming to class, they will bring an instructors curriculum to a fun, new level.

Works Cited

Popova, Anguelina, Paul A. Kirschner, and Richard Joiner. "Effects of Primer Podcasts on Stimulating Learning from Lectures: How Do Students Engage?" British Journal of Educational Technology 45.2 (2014): 330-39. 27 Feb. 2013. Web. 24 May 2014.