Building
Learners
Project

The problems in Firefox with bringing in remote images got us investigating. We haven’t been able to replicate the problem but have a few additional suggestions that might help.

When you get the results of an advanced search for Creative Commons images in Flickr, you’re shown a page (or pages) with large thumbnails of pictures on the left. If you right-click over one of the thumbnails and go to “properties,” there are two web addresses given, one for the link that the picture contains and one for the image itself, and it is easy to mix them up. Best to  follow Candace’s direction. Click on the thumbnail, and it will take you to a larger version of the picture on a new page.  It’s really valuable to get the bigger picture with its higher quality rather than the largish thumbnail anyway, so go for big! Be sure to copy the entire address. You may have to make the “Properties” box a little bigger to easily copy it all.

When you click on “Properties” for the large version of the picture, only one web address is given, and that’s named “Location.”  That’s what you want to copy and paste.

If you are moving through this whole process in Safari on a Mac, right-clicking (control-clicking)  over a picture brings up a menu that doesn’t contain “Properties.” Click on “Open image in new window.” If you isolate the picture so that it is the only thing in the window, the web address you need to copy is in the address bar for that window. Copy and paste that, and the image will open remotely in the workBench screen.

An important additional note, if you are as much of a fan of the Eyedropper in the Color Chooser as I am. After you bring a remote image into a project, you can’t use the Eyedropper again in that project. It’s not a bug. Flash has built-in, complicated security features that are triggered in the presence of remotely loaded content. Those features block the Eyedropper code. We haven’t found a way to work around that security block, so that the Eyedropper can continue to function with remote images.

However, there is a good alternative to the Eyedropper in these cases. We just revised the Color Chooser palettes, which are collections of five colors that are fed into the Color Chooser from the colourlovers.com website. You can now even pick a color that you like and find matching pallets that artists and graphic designers have created. We have a new post up about the palettes, where you can experiment with these new features:

http://blog.trintuition.com/?p=146

Of course you can experiment as well with the Color Chooser when you open your own workBench.

Just a quick note on additional accessible and usable images. In addition to shapes, repeating patterns, shadows, several buttons, picture frames, and one falling-leaf animation, the workBench Library has between 50 - 60 images that you can use in any project. They’re grouped into three categories: Nature, People and Places, and Abstract. Double-click on the icon for any image to preview it.

If you haven’t made your way to the workBench Library yet, take a quick look at this tutorial page:

http://www.trintuition.com/tutorial/wkbchlib

I was so excited to try out Candace’s Visual Poem template. I signed up at Flicker and found all the photos I wanted. Then feeling all excited I uploaded them and not a single one was visible. Frustrated, I kept trying and sudden I had a brain flash. Once before I wasn’t able to do something on my site and it turned out it was because I was using Firefox. As soon as I uploaded the pictures using Internet Explorer it worked fine.

Hope I can save someone else’s frustration

Enjoy, Sue

I have just shared more templates with the entire group so you can do “Quick Projects.” Not only are these adaptable across the curriculum, they also teach basic skills within the workBench as you use them, so the next project can be even more adventurous. The templates I shared are:

stepbystep template (a multi-screen template with one step on each screen). The hyperlinks  between screens are already done for you using the forward and back arrows. Ideas for how you might use it are below.

simplecycletemplate (a two screen template, one with the cycle diagram using text boxes and telling you to drag in images, the second with a Credits screen so students will give proper credit for the source of their images).

watercycle (an example of the simplecycletemplate being put to use. I gave it to you in case you teach this content and want to use it with adaptations for your curriculum)

Both templates use the following basic workBench skills:

1. Teacher skill in “Make me a copy” and sharing the template with your class (See Managing Resources video or my TIP below)
2. SAVE AS!!!- do this when you start so each student or group has their own copy of the template before changing it
3. Typing into a text box
4. Dragging and resizing images and text boxes as needed
5. Deleting items, such as the instruction boxes telling how to use the template (a MUST-have skill, but be careful… there is no “undo”!)
6. Changing the order of elements to they overlap the way you want them to (”Shift layer”)
7. Changing color of the background (optional)
8. Rotating the arrow image (simple template)
9. Copy/pasting the arrow (simple template)
10. Using keyboard commands for copy (CTRL+C)/paste (CTRL+V, think of  V for VELCRO to “Stick it there”)
11. Moving between screens by clicking them in the Site Map and knowing which screen you are working on (especially when using the multi-screen  stepbystep template)
12. Rotating images (optional)
13. saving and (if you wish) sharing via URL

You could actually start with the simplecycletemplate for a first project then move to the longer one if you are concerned that your students will have trouble mastering the skills. But, honestly, we adults are the ones who need the practice. The kids “get it” much faster. The NEXT skill you will want them to learn is hyperlinking, but first things first.

Some examples of the simplecycle template in use are here:

http://tf.trintuition.com/cshively/watercyclesimple  A very basic water cycle using the images I SHARED with all of you ( remote images from Flickr–see this explanation to learn how I found them in five minutes).

http://tf.trintuition.com/cshively/watercycle a slightly more elaborate version of a water cycle diagram, using the same set of images, but more of them. Note that YOU may use these and adapt at will.  Simple image credits (links) for all the water cycle images are there for you.  Simply delete the ones you aren’t using. This is a simple way for you to share images with your class but still offer them the choices about what they use.

TIP: I actually went to Flickr and “harvested” all the image URLS onto the Credits screen, THEN added then to the workBench using copy paste from that screen. Sharing them with the BLP group was easy. Click Manage Resources and DRAG the images on top of the group you want to share with!

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How could you use these?

In language arts/speech class, use the stepbystep as a visual aid for how-to speeches, for making sequenced plot summaries or discussing o the development of the conflict in a piece of literature. Or simply use stepbystep for digital story-telling of any kind, including autobiographies or biographies from research projects.

In social studies, use the step by step for student groups to explain the lead-up to a war or other historic event.

In science,  have students explain photosynthesis, animal or insect life cycles, or chemical reactions. If you permit them to use Flickr images, you will find that they can be very imaginative in “showing” as well as “telling.”  Or use digital pictures you and the class take to document a step by step, such as how your class garden progressed or the physics lab your students conducted. Use step by step as a visual “lab report” done in small groups.

In math, explain the steps to a certain type of problem solving or the Order of Operations.

In health, explain the steps of human development.

And so on…any cycle or sequence will fit these.

Adapt the templates with as many prompts or hints as you need to make ESL/ELL or learning support students successful. It is easy to SAVE AS multiple versions to share (and differentiate) for different students or groups.  You can even add a word bank so they have the required terms handy.

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How is this different from just making a PowerPoint?

1. Can be shared on the web– with changes showing LIVE as they are made
2. Can be created by students in multiple locations at multiple times
3. Can have embedded (but remote) images from elsewhere on the web
4. Teacher can manage group collaboration
5. Not automatically “linear” in navigation…though these templates happen to be
6. No software required (except Flash– free!)
7. Students can show people at home without special software

Now…go try them! Please comment or ask questions here!

I have just shared a sample Quick Project and project template for a Visual Poem Quick Project. You can find it one of two ways:

1.  I have shared them with all the project members within the workBench (go to Manage My Resources  to see them under Shared With Me and click to Make me a Copy).  Feel free to change the versions I made to better suit your needs with YOUR students (ex. change the requirements, etc.)
2. You can view the sample project itself  from this URL: http://tf.trintuition.com/cshively/visualpoem.  Feel free to share it with students (or not).

Here is the background  and some context for this  Quick Project idea:

• Students can write their own poems and add visual images to go with them, either in groups or individually. If you have studied an important historical event, why not ask your elementary student to create a visual poem about it.
• As your class studies poetry and literary devices (imagery, motifs, etc.), have them create a visual poem with annotations to show their understanding of the poem’s imagery. If you use poems from the public domain, you can include the ENTIRE poem in the project. If  the poems you use are newer and still under copyright, have students select portions of the poem under “Fair Use” of copyrighted material to combine with images in their visual poems. This would be a terrific activity for students to explore the visual imagery and themes within song lyrics as poetry, as well.
• Younger students can use classic poems with more concrete imagery to visually illustrate the metaphors and similes they read.
• With elementary classes, do a whole-class visual poem as a message to send (by emailing the URL) to another class in another part of the world (another Building Learners class?) or to your class parents, summarizing what you have learned about animals, Thanksgiving, family, community, or any curriculum concept. This is a wonderful way of culminating a unit and sharing it proudly.
• Gifted students would respond well to the open-ended challenge of visual poetry at ANY age

Have other ideas? Share them here as comments!

I have just finished a quick tutorial ( using the workBench, of course) on using images from the Flickr photosharing site in your workBench projects. You can see it two ways.

1.  I have shared it with all the project members within the workBench( go to Manage My Resources  to see it under Shared With Me and click to Make me a Copy).  Feel free to change the version I made to better suit your needs with YOUR students ( ex. change the requirements or permissions for WHO is allowed to search on Flickr- see below).
2. You can view it from this URL: http://tf.trintuition.com/cshively/UsingFlickronWB . I will also add it on the sidebar of this blog for quick access by you and your students when you forget how to use it!

Some thoughts about using Flickr images:

• You can teach much more than technical how-to when you use images from Flickr. You can also talk about giving credit to those whose work is shared there. Note that this How-to shows you how to ONLY use images where the photographer has granted Creative Commons licensing. That means that you are using it with their permission for a specific type of use. Teach ethical use of web resources, even if you just think aloud as YOU do it in front of little ones.
• You may want to limit student access to Flickr, since the images are shared by the general public and can include content NOT appropriate for the classroom. We know that middle schoolers will immediately search for body parts or naked women. Avoid this by adding Flickr images (the SAME way as the tutorial shows) to My Resources, then sharing them with your class. At the very least, spend some time talking about appropriateness and consequences of poor judgment by students using Flickr in class. Many teachers believe it is better to teach and guide than to completely protect and avoid. It is up to you.

Over the summer, we created a powerful new set of tools for managing student and school accounts. You can access them by clicking on the “Userlist” button in the workBench, or by going to http:tf.trintuition.com/mypage and logging in. Even if you haven’t added students, you can see the data for your own account. In additing to being able to see, sort, and edit all kinds of information, the new tools enable you to access and open all student projects.

On the TR blog, there’s a new post about workBench projects as reading lists, logs, and reviews ( http://blog.trintuition.com/?p=143 ). If you’re interested in trying out one of the options, mention it in a comment or post here, and we’ll give you more details and any support you need.

To make getting started with the workBench as easy as possible, we’ve begun creating video tutorials. Nothing quite matches actualy seeing something done. It’s a new initiative for us, so we would appreciate any comments you might have about what’s helpful in the videos and what mght be improved.

If you have a moment, take a look at several. They’re at the top of the Canvas Tutorial menu page  ( http:www.trintuition.com/tutorial/tools ).  By Wednesday (10/8), we should have two more videos up about linking.

I have just posted a comment to a frustrated member of our project who cannot receive our emails. If you have not received your confirmation email with log-in information and/or a recent (Aug 4) mass email to project members, please check to be sure YOU have taken these steps to allow email through:

1. Check your OWN email “Junk Mail” or “SPAM” folders for mail from any of the following and tell your email program to “trust” these addresses:

cshively(at)sflinc.org
accounts(at)trintuition.com
wordpress(at)blog.teachersfirst.com
servers(at)teachersfirst.com

Note that the (at) is printed here instead of @ so bad web spiders do not find our addresses and spam them! The addresses SHOULD really have the @ symbol!

2. Turn this same list of addresses into your tech administrator/network person at your school and request that our emails be allowed through the SPAM filter. Explain that you are receiving email about an instructional project via these addresses. If they have a question, show them this post!

Only if these two steps do not solve it, you may email me directly at the address above (cshively). Once you have emailed my address, your system should allow my responses back through the SPAM filter. Please do not use my email as a primary contact. This blog gets more immediate attention from more people than my swollen mailbox does, so posting on the blog is “the way to go” with any question, no matter how minor. Benefit from the “wisdom” of this “crowd”!

I have signed up for the Building Learner’s Project twice but I have never received the welcome e-mail and password for the Workbench.  Can anyone advise me on this problem?

Thank you!

S. Ryall

Open the workBench and click on the link to the “Build a Project” page. In the lower-left corner of the screen, you’ll see your list of projects and resources. TRintuition puts several examples into your account for a start.

There’s a collection of screens for experimenting, a large image of a bee, and the Gettysburg address as an example of saved text.

Finally at the bottom of that initial list, you’ll find the Quick Start Menu. It’s a link that opens tutorial materials. Double-click on it, and the menu opens in another window.

Each of the blue boxes in the menu is a link to help materials on a basic topic. They include how to Start a Project, Add an Image, Add Text, Add Screens, Make Links, etc.

Click on any blue box, and you go to those help materials. To get back to the Quick Start Menu, click on the Menu button in the bottom-left corner of the screen. That will take you to the main menu for project building. There is a big, blue button there as well for returning to the Quick Start Menu.

We are about to begin replacing these text-based help materials with video. Nothing quite matches the simplicity and clarity of watching someone actually do exactly what you want to. For now, we hope the step-by-step text descriptions help get you started quickly.