Below are images created with the Pixlr Photo Editor and inspired by Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (2017). I elected to create two images inspired by this text as this is one way that pictures could be used during programming or classes. Creating collages that are inspired by favorite books, scenes, or characters is a favorite activity within many fandoms and popular on social media, such as Tumblr, which may add relevance for students. Similarly, middle graders and teenagers may enjoy using images to create memes that capture the essence of a character or scene. This could be done individually, within partners, or as a group assignment.
With younger students, an adult may lead the group through brainstorming search terms and selecting images to illustrate a book that they’ve previously read, such as preschoolers or kindergarteners assisting to find animal pictures after reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear, by Bill Martin, Jr. This connection between the illustrations and photographs reinforces vocabulary and offers an opportunity to re-tell or summarize a text in a way that is accessible for everyone in the class. Drawing a picture of a story may exclude children with fine motor difficulties, while all children can select an image. Children who need communication support could participate by pointing, reaching, or using eye gaze to indicate an image. They are then able to fully contribute to the group in ways that drawing and speaking may not have allowed.
Edited from the following images:
- Bluesnap. (2009). Cathedral-church-building-wall-191722 [photograph]. Pixabay. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/photos/cathedral-church-building-wall-191722/ CC Zero
- Pexels. (2016). Woman-umbrella-floating-jumping-1245817 [photograph]. Pixabay. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/photos/cathedral-church-building-wall-191722/ CC Zero
Edited from the following image:
- Michelleraponi. (2020). Las-vegas-bellagio-hotel-4849991 [photograph]. Pixabay. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/photos/cathedral-church-building-wall-191722/ CC Zero
Notes on Photo Editing Options
Pixlr has many advanced tools that overlap with the tools available in professional software, such as Adobe Photoshop. It allows the user to create multiple layers, apply filters, and manipulate text in multiple ways. It may be too complex for our youngest learners. PiZap is more user friendly for younger students as they can add fun borders, clip-art, and even expressions from memes. At time of writing, PiZap required a log-in for free use, which may limit its use in some areas. Tuxpi is the most user friendly for young students as it has buttons that can be selected easily to add a filter. It does trade off ease of access for number of functions, such as only applying one single filter. Tuxpi does not require a log-in, which is an advantage. For those with iPads, PicCollage is a free app for photo editing that is quite user-friendly. Google Snapseed is another free app that has more advanced functions.
References
Martin, Jr., B. (1995). Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see? (E. Carle, Illus.). Holt, Rinehart, & Winston, Inc. (Original work published in 1967).
Pixlr. (n.d.). https://pixlr.com/
PiZap. (n.d.). https://www.pizap.com/app/start
Townsend, J. (2017). Nevermoor: The trials of Morrigan Crow. Hatchette Book Group, Inc.
Tuxpi. (n.d.). https://www.tuxpi.com/
I love your imaginative blending of the two photographs, and the juxtaposition of the black and white with the color truly makes it magical. Bravo!
I love the images you created. That collage turned out so great.
You made some great points in your reviews of the different tools. I agree that tools that require a log-in will be difficult for school use.
Thank you! Yes, I remember this past year when we wanted to use a new program with our students but it required logging in… It took many, many months and contacts before we were able to get approval because of the rules around student data and privacy.
Audra,
You are an inspiration! You are my “go to” to see how it’s done. with graphic design. I forget that altering a photo can also be adding text. The “step boldly” message spoke to me. Really well done. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you! It is from a quote from the Nevermoor series that always inspires me: “We have danced, we have dined, we have drunk our fill. We have bid a tender and triumphant farewell to the Olden Age, and now we must step boldly into the new. May it be a good and happy one. May it bring unexpected adventures.”
I really enjoyed your photo edits and designs. Your touch of color, although minimal, really pops out next to the building. I love what you did. Thank you for your notes on editing options. I will definitely take a look at those user friendly apps for editing you mentioned.
Thank you! I want to play around with that tool a little more, because it was a bit tricky but one I think children & teens would find pretty fun.
I love your photo edit! It reminds me of an episode of one of my favorite tv shows: Gilmore Girls. There’s an episode where several characters jump from the top of a building while holding an umbrella (attached to a bungee cord, of course).
Your notes on the various tools are also informative and helpful. Nice job!!!
Audra, your insight in how you would incorporate images into a library setting is very helpful for a newbie like me. I noticed you included two citations for the first picture, do we need to do have two citations if we edit the photo? Great Job!
I mashed two pictures together, so they are both in there and I needed to give credit to both artists. I think if you have a collage, then you would need to reference all of the artists?
Tuxpi is awesome for someone like myself that doesn’t have a lot of experience with photoshop/digital editing.
I love the images you chose for editing and I love the ways you suggested using them! In particular, I hadn’t thought about moodboards (the collages using images for aesthetics or characters that you mentioned), which might be a fun thing to do when teaching students how to search for and use images online. I work with middle school kids, so it’s the perfect level of activity, too!
Thank you!! “Mood board” — I could NOT remember the name that people use to refer to them, but yes! I was thinking of middle school and high school especially.
Audra,
You are certainly winning at this blogging game. I love how you put two pictures together to create something new and fantastic. You are a talented lady! Is this something you have done before or did you just learn it?