Google Experiment: Say What You See

Prompting is an important part of using Generative AI.  In order to get the best output for you situation, whether it is written output or an image, you need a good prompt. Using descriptive language and observation are important skills that our students need in order to enhance their writing skills as well.  One way to make this learning fun is to try using the Google Experiment, Say What You See.

Say What You See challenges your descriptive abilities and puts your powers of observation to the test.  It is an interactive game that presents you with AI-generated images and tasks you with crafting accurate and detailed descriptions.  The better your description, the closer you'll get to recreating the original image using AI.  It's a fun and engaging way to learn about the nuances of language and how AI interprets visual information.

Using Emojis in Google Docs

Using Emojis can be a fun way for students to complete school work. They can be used to write summaries or a reading or writing assignment as well as crate a pictograph for a math lesson.

Google has a large selection of emojis, as special text characters, that can be used in Google Docs. To add an emoji to Google Docs follow the tutorial on the document below:

Inserting an Emoji into a Google Doc

Visual Recipes

Are you looking for a fun, end of the year activity to do with your students? 

Have you thought about cooking with your class? 

Everyone can create delicious food with picture recipes.  Picture recipes are great for all ages and abilities because they don't rely on reading abilities. 

Check out these great recipe options from Able2Learn: https://able2learn.com/categories/visual-recipes

OpenSymbols

Are you looking for free picture symbols to use in your classroom?

OpenSymbols (https://www.opensymbols.org/) is a collection of creative commons picture symbols that can be used for augmentative communication. The collection pulls from multiple sources and currently includes access to more than 50,000 symbols and icons!

SlideShare by LinkedIn - Guest Informer

LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com) has a new section called SlideShare (https://www.slideshare.net/).  I learned about this new feature from our district Technology Resource Specialist, Jerilyn Lynn.

In this section you can discover, share and learn new things.  It is a place to "share what you know and love through presentations, infographics, documents and more".

Some individuals have used this section to make slide shows of picture books.  They are simply a scan of the books, no attached audio that I have found yet.  These are a nice quick way to project a book to read to your class, that is already flat and doesn't require you to use (or have) a document camera.   Some are of higher quality than others but most that I have looked at so far are good.

Please keep in mind that these digital copies of books are not necessarily accessible materials compliant, just simply the book available in a non-paper format.

A few favorite titles that I have come across in my quick search are:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (https://www.slideshare.net/samanthamorris211/the-very-hungry-caterpillar-7574597)

If You Give a Moose A Muffin by by Laura Numeroff (https://www.slideshare.net/mol_by/if-you-give-a-moose-a-muffin-presentation) 

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (https://www.slideshare.net/peneglos/thegivingtree)

QR Codes

What is a QR code?  

QR stands for Quick Response.  According to Wikipedia, a QR code is  "a specific matrix bar code (or two-dimensional code), readable by dedicated QR bar code readers and camera phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL, or other data."

QR Codes have a large number of educational options available through the platform.  It can be a great way to share information with your student as well as an interactive way for students to complete assignments.  

Below is a link to a YouTube video on how to create Audio QR codes for classroom use.  
Creat Audio QR Codes (http://bit.ly/audioqrcodevideo)

The following link contains some fun math techniques and strategies using QR codes.
Math QR Codes (https://goo.gl/iMny4a)
Check out the sites and explore the use of QR Codes for your classroom use.

Social Networking for Parent Contact - Guest Writer

If you are considering using social media in your classroom, read through the 2016 article "Social Networking for Parent Contact" by Clark Rodeffer.

Clark does a nice written comparison of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and provides a few reminders in terms of COPPA and FERPA guidelines.  For a quick overview, there is a nice Feature Comparison chart at the end of the article.  

Tar Heel Reader

Tar Heel Reader is a collection of free, easy-to-read, and accessible books on a wide range of topics, started by the University of North Carolina. Each book can be speech enabled and accessed using multiple interfaces.

You can write your own books at Tar Heel Reader too.  You can use pictures from the huge collection at Flickr or upload your own pictures. All books should be complete, edited, and revised to the best of your ability before publishing them to the site. While you are working on them, please save them as drafts.

Creating a book on Tar Heel Reader could be a great class project or individualized learning experience.

Unite for Literacy

Unite for Literacy is a website that contains a collection of short picture books that are read by a live narrator.  These original, non-fiction picture books support beginning readers of all ages. Features of the books include predictable, rhythmic language, images with clear, familiar subjects as well as text that ranges from one word up to a few sentences per page.

The 13 different categories of books range from "Animals" to "Healthy Me" to "Technology" and each contain a varying number of titles.

The library does not require registration or a password. You can read any of the books and listen to the narrations as much as you like.

Visit Unite for Literacy to read and listen to a book with your beginning reader today.

PicMonkey - Premium Content

Do your students like to include images in their written work?  
Would you like to add fun details, information or images to the assignments you give to your students?  
Are you looking for a new way to create social stories?

PicMonkey might be just the thing you need.  PicMonkey is a photo editor that can add color and pizazz to yours and your students work.  

PicMonkey is available as both a Google App and a Google Extension

The PicMonkey App is a free photo editor.  As a photo editor it has "Collage, Touch Up, Teeth Whiten, Fonts, Effects, Filters, Frames, Stickers & more" according to the website.

The PicMonkey Extension instantly allows you to edit web page images and screenshots.  You can "instantly grab images from any Web page and open them up in PicMonkey for editing."

PicMonkey is simple to use.  Here’s how it works: 

Click the PicMonkey icon when you’re viewing a web page. In one kajillionth of a second, every image on that page and a screenshot of the entire page appears as a tiny thumbnail in a sidebar. Select one to edit, and wah-la!  PicMonkey shows up to do your bidding.

PicMonkey is a free online photo editor that says Booyah! to whatever your creative heart desires. Its lean and fast engine lets you perform basic edits, like crop and rotate, and enhance your images with luscious effects, overlays, fonts, textures, frames and touch up tools.  Ridiculously easy, staggeringly gorgeous.