Thing # 13: Imagining Images

I'll be the first to admit that I get a little over-concerned when it comes to using any sort of generator, mash-up, etc. online. It makes me nervous, because I can't trust that they're doing things right, and it might come back to me. However, I tried to put aside my anxieties for this little assignment and focus on having a little fun with the project.

Going along with the theme of my last post, I created this image on Spell with flickr:

Then, I continued on and decided to be a cliche with Image Chef to add the little peace sign graphic on the sidebar, also found below:

...and finally I rounded out my little experiments by creating a graphic with the Danger Sign Generator.

One thing that I would like to note is that the district's new library websites have a lot of these sites linked, which is fabulous. However, when we (the teachers) were playing around on it last year, a lot of the sites were blocked. In fact, I remember wondering why the district would like Image Chef on its own site, only to block it in the schools! Perhaps this problem has already been fixed, I'm going to hope it has.

In the future, I think I'll be using these tools to make projects more fun, as well as a creative outlet for my students once they are finished with typing papers. I see endless possibilities for some fun extra credit assignments for my early finishers in the near future. The truth of the matter is that a lot of the time, as an ESL teacher, I don't have as much fun with the kids in the classroom as I WANT to in my head. With Beginners-Advanced High students in one classroom, it's hard to keep up the pace! However, as I mentioned before, I think that these tools will be a great addition for early finishers, and also perhaps as a way to get those beginning students a completely individual task for group projects.