WordFoto

Adding audio to a single image using FotoBabble

Published by Nick

In my previous post I talked about an app called WordFoto which allows students to generate a word list and apply those words to a photo. The photo is then made up entirely of words (none of the original image remains). If you would like to view this post click here.

In this post I would like to show you how to take this photo created in WordFoto and add some audio to it using a second app called FotoBabble. After creating an image and applying a set of words to it in WordFoto this image is saved to the camera roll on the iPad. Open FotoBabble and import that image. Once the image is in FotoBabble students can add audio to explain the image and the concepts they have learnt.

The example below has been created by me but is a task my 7/8 Health class will be undertaking this term. The task will be to select an image representing smoking and create a word list in WordFoto and apply those words to the photo. Students will then save this image into the camera roll and import it into FotoBabble. In FotoBabble they will have to record an explanation of 3 words from their list that appear in the photo and why they have used them. My example is quite short for the purpose of this post, students work will be more detailed.

As well as adding audio there are a number of basic formating options within the app including: the ability to enhance the photo, add effects, add frame (free download in app), add stickers (very basic – in app purchase required to get more), rotate the image and add themed wall paper as a background.

Note: Once the audio is completed the image/audio needs to be uploaded to the Fotobabble website. For this to occur a class account needs to be created under the teachers name. Students then use the user name and password to log in on their iPad and upload their work. This works through our school wireless system and is fairly quick and painless.

Combine language and photos – WordFoto

Published by Nick

Use the iPad app WordFoto to create an image made up of key words describing that image or the concept represented. The app is fairly simple to use requiring the student to take a photo in the app or import an image from the camera roll on the iPad. Once the image is in WordFoto you can apply a word set to the photo. The photo is then made up entirely of those words. Words are in different sizes, shades and colour to ensure the image is still recognisable.

The app allows the student to manipulate the following:

  • Put in your own word list (up to 10 words).
  • Crop the image.
  • Select from one of the 8 preset styles.
  • Select custom styles and modify background, foreground, shadows, highlights, brightness, contrast, saturation and fonts.

In health my Year 7/8 class are doing a topic on tobacco and alcohol. Two tasks I will be asking students to do are to look at what chemicals are in cigarettes and what are the impacts of smoking. To extend the research work students will do in these two areas they will be asked to take a photo of a smoking image (I have printed about 15 high quality colour images from the Internet) and apply a selection of words about the negative impacts of smoking and the contents of cigarettes, i.e. Death, Cancer, Rat Poison, Expensive etc. This is a quick and easy task to do that will help to reinforce some key words relating to smoking tobacco. The final product is professional looking and will be emailed to me so that it can be printed and put up in the classroom.

Below are two images that I created. The first picture is using one of the smoking images I have printed for students while the second is from a magazine for the purpose of creating an example for this post.

 

Educational Apps Part 3 – Photography

Published by Nick

Being creative is one of the great strengths of the iPad. Taking the time to understand how the iPad can be used in creative and more open ended ways is important. All of the apps featured in this post can be used to encourage Blooms higher order thinking; analysing, evaluating and creating. The other thing that creative apps are often good at is sharing. Students can create work within the app and share it via uploading to the web or emailing the product. This opens up great potential to connect student learning with parents.

Fotobabble

 

 

 

 

 

Fotobabble is an easy to use app great for any age group from Reception to Yr 12. The basic premise is to take a photo, add some audio describing what the photo is about (analysing/evaluating). There are some other basic editing tools including enhancing the photo, applying some basic effects, some basic stickers, photo orientation, cropping, brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, free hand drawing onto photo, Add text to photo, redeye, whiten and remove blemishes.

By creating an online account using your school email a username and a password you can share photos from the app directly to the account. This is almost instant. The photos can be uploaded as public or private and when you go to the account online you can get a link that you could share with others.

Ideas for Fotobabble include:

  • create a class online account to store student photos.
  • Share your students work with their parents. Email a link to parents so they can view their childs work.
  • Students take an image of an experiment in science and record audio over the top explaining the experiment and results. Text could be added to the photo i.e. the name of the experiment. Students could produce more than one photo which together showed a process with audio explanation.
  • Students could take a nature photo i.e. the mangroves or the beach. Students could explain the habitat and the types of animals that lived in that habitat.
  • Students could take a photo of a piece of art work and use audio to explain the process they had to go through to create the piece and what new skills they learnt along the way.
  • Students could take photos of a historical landmarks (locally or on an excursion). Using the audio function students could record information they have learnt about the place they visited.
  • JP students could take a photo of a math concept using counters or blocks i.e. patterning. They could then add audio explaining the concept in the photo.

WordFoto

 

 

 

 

 

 

This app allows you to take a photo then recreate the photo using a word set. Type up to 10 words in a word set and apply it to the photo. The photo is then recreated using just those words. The words are used in different shades and sizes to generate the picture. Students could take a photo of an object or person and generate a word list that describes that object. The type of words used will differ depending on what you might ask a student to do. For example simple descriptive words to describe the positive aspects of a person to more abstract terms that may link to a political image. Again this app could be used from Reception to Year 12. The photos can be emailed directly from the app or saved to the photo library on the iPad. When the iPad is plugged into a PC the photo can be copied from the photo library to the PC.

 

TiltShiftGen

 

 

 

 

 

Apply depth of field to your photos. Give a professional look to your iPhone/iPad photos by selecting what stays in focus and what doesn’t. This is is called depth of field and can normally only be achieved with an expensive SLR camera. Teaching students how to compose photos could be one application for this app or just to improve the quality of photos that we use for our newsletters and school magazine.