During this course I have learnt a lot about different ICT-resources which can be used in teaching and learning English as a foreign language or other subjects as well. I have chosen to write about Photo Story, which is a free software programme that you can download to your computer. Basically, it is a programme that you can use to create your own presentations. It is fun and easy to use and it can be used by both teachers and pupils.
Photo Story
Photo Story is a free software programme created by Microsoft. You create your own presentations using pictures, text, music and your own voice. You can download Photo Story from:
www.microsoft.com/photostory
To be able to use the programme your computer needs the following requirements:
• Windows XP
• Microsoft Windows Media Player 10
The first step is to write an outline where you write down the purpose with the presentation and your ideas. Then you chose pictures suitable for your presentation, you can use our own pictures or download them from the Internet. After choosing and putting your pictures in the right order you can write a text. You can also decide if you want to use some effects on the pictures to make them the way you want them to show. After that you can made a recording using your voice. The final step is to create the music for the presentation. When you download pictures and music from the Internet you have to make sure that the ones you use have no copyright. Examples of websites where you can find pictures and music are:
www.flickr.com
www.multimedia.skolverket.se
www.fotofinnaren.se
How the resource can be used by teachers and pupils
Photo Story can be used by both teachers and pupils. As a teacher you can use it to start up an assignment or a theme. You can do your lesson notes in Photo Story instead of writing on the white board or using power point presentations. I believe it is easier to get my pupils to concentrate when I use digital presentations. I can also face them all through my lesson because I don not need to write on the white board.
Last year, my school had Nelson Mandela as a theme. I did a Photo Story presentation from our “theme week” and exhibition. I did it to show how the different groups had been working with their tasks and also to show the great results of their work.
As a pupil you can do your assignments in Photostory, such as telling the class about a country, a trip you made, a visit to a museum, your idol or your favorite animal. You can also make stories and poems.
Photo Story is easy to use with both younger and older pupils because you can do it on different levels. In the beginning some pupils find it difficult to hear their own voices, but after doing it for a while they get accustomed to it. I had Photo Story as “Elevens val” last year and the pupils loved it. They found it easy to use and they also got amazed when they saw each others projects.
Other considerations when using this resource
When using Photo Story you have to have access to a computer or several computers if you want your pupils to work with the programme. You also need a digital camera if you want to do some photographing. Otherwise you can download pictures of the Internet, do not forget about the copyright. When downloading pictures from the Internet click on the picture to make it bigger and then download it, if not it can get blurry. When showing your project you need to have a projector and speakers to be able to watch it on a screen.
You can create so many different and enjoyable projects using Photo Story, it does not take much but the end result is fantastic.
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I think that your blog on Photo Story was written in a way that made it easy to understand how the program works.
ReplyDeleteYou gave a lot of useful advises of how to find and download the program as well.
I think that all you need as a user is presented in the text and you also point out things that are good to know before using the Photo Story, for example to make the photos large before downloading.
That you mentioned copyright is also good because not all users think about this and it is important to be reminded now and again. I liked that you gave example on websites for music and pictures to use when you make a story.
It is a good thing that you tell us how it worked for you in your class and that you highlight the pros which are connected with using this technique.
I have tried Photo Story myself and I was astonished of how professional the result was. It is positive that the program is free of charge and that it is so easy to use, you don`t have to be an expert on computers to create a story.
Hi!
ReplyDeleteSince we used Photo Story on the last course with Satish I can really agree with you that it is a really good tool to use when teaching. And I also agree with you about the part that it is really easy to understand and use, not only for the teacher but also for the pupils.
And I think that every teacher wants their pupils to be interested and excited about things you do in school and if you can make that happen by using Photo Story why not use it instead of writing on the white boards? Variety is stimulating for both teacher and pupils.
Even if I hadn´t used Photo Story myself before reading your post I would easily understand how to use it by reading this post. You explain everything in a good, easy way and your text almost feels like an instruction, and I mean that in a good way :)
And just like you said, you don´t have to have a digital camera, you can just use pictures from the internet (good reminding about the copywright btw!). Even though I am pretty sure that most schools at least have one digital camera to dispose.
Good work!
I think you are describing how Photo Story works in a simple way. It is easy to keep up with your descriptions of the program. It is also positive that you divide the description into parts. This makes it easy to read and understand.
ReplyDeleteYou give us reader’s tips about web sites with music and pictures, I think that is positive. And that you write about copyrights. This is something that is easily forgotten.
I have myself been using Photo Story, and feel like you, that this is a program with great opportunities. It is easy to use, which makes it perfect for children.
In your description you write about how Photo Story can be used by the teacher and students, I think this is positive, as it can sometimes be difficult to know who to use different “websites” in the classroom.
One problem that I experienced with Photo Story is that the pictures can be blurry. It is good that you write about this. It is not fun to discover this afterwards. One more problem is that Photo Story is only available for those who have a modern version of Windows; unfortunately, all schools do not have this modern version.
I think it is important to note that in order to work with Photo Story, requires much time and many computers. One possibility would be to let students work in groups around one computer.
Josefin Lilja