Digital Visuals   Like many aspects of the computing world, the digital divide is an issue with computer-generated visuals. While some students have an array of technology tools available in their homes including scanners, digital cameras, and color printers, other children are limited to crayons and sidewalk chalk. While an artist can work in any medium, it's wonderful to have a full range of tools. Schools may be the only place many students have access to a full range of options to explore their visual needs and interests.   An elementary child's sidewalk art school complete with a computer lab Digital Glyphs Menu Visual Literacy Digital Visuals Visual Resources Return to Eduscapes Scanners, digital cameras, graphics software are all tools that can be used to create wonderful digital visuals. The key is not the tool itself, but the way the tool is used. Consider the wide range of uses for scanners, cameras, and software. For example, when people think of scanners, they most often think about scanning paper and photographs. Many exciting projects can be made by scanning fabric, objects, book and CD covers, and even body parts. For example, students in India learn a form of traditional cultural hand painting. They can now scan their results before washing their hands. In addition, lights, colored cloth and movement can all be added to the scanning area.   Add a new element to a traditional project. For example, instead of an oral history project that starts with a series of questions, start with a photograph. Use photographs from your own family as examples. For instance this black and white photograph was taken of my father in the 1940s. It's a great way to start a conversation about what life was like during that time. Consider using a series of photographs through a person's life and create a digital collage using the scanner. You might also include other elements such as paper (i.e., documents, grade sheets), photos (i.e., vacation pictures, school photos), pictures (i.e., drawing, clip art), maps (i.e., maps show where this person lived, worked, and traveled), and labels and writings. Consider projects such as this PowerPoint presentation on the topic of nutrition. Students scanned labels in this project. In a similar project, students scanned labels and used maps to identify the location where the item was produced.   By scanning artwork such as projects using colored pencils, markers, chalk, watercolors, and collage, students have a permanent record that lasts long after the artwork itself is worn out or lost. In addition, students can post their projects on the Internet to share with others such as Math Collages. You can even do watercolor painting or finger painting directly on the scanner tray. Of course, you'll want to use a piece of plastic or glass to over the unit, but you can do almost anything on a scan tray.   Consider digitizing images of natural objects, historical artifacts, and other items that might be used in science or social studies projects. The tool could be a scanner or a digital camera depending on the project and access to technology. In some cases a scanner works best. If you want to zoom in or out from an object, organize visuals, or make an array of adjustments, a scanner might be the best choice. For example, you can put an orange slice in a petri dish and zoom in to see almost microscopic elements. If you're outdoors, working with three dimensional objects, or want the flexibility of recording visuals anywhere, a digital camera is a good choice.   An industrial technology class scanned and researched different types of wood for a class presentation on the topic of woodworking. They used the scanned image as part of a sidebar in the presentation. Consider projects that could be shared with others through the Internet. For example, if your class is studying mold and fungi think about sharing your science project with another group. The tomato mold project was shared each day for two weeks. The HyperStudio stack was shared as an email attachment.   There are many opportunities for nature photography. As you explore the outdoors, talk to students about the use of light, color, depth, clarity, action, and change in a picture. Ask them to consider point of view and framing. Students often need practice in framing a picture. Use a piece of cardboard with a square hole and have students practice long, medium, and close-up shots using the cardboard frame before using the camera. Brainstorm the many objects you could scan or photograph in your classroom including tangrams, money, and shapes in math and science. Think about projects that mix mediums such as scanned pictures, craft foam, glitter, beads, and paper combined with computer graphics painting. Create collages using photos, cloth, ribbons, and reusable pictures and objects. For more ideas, check out a museum project on scanning.   You've probably seen "plastic clings" that stick to windows as holiday decorations. There are also academic clings that are similar to flannel boards. These can also be scanned. Other projects include scans of paper cuttings like those that are often found as illustrations in books. Clay is another interesting project that can be scanned or photographed. You can use modeling clay, play dough, or even food to create still projects or clay animation. Check out the Chicken Run website for a great example of Claymation. The Tech4Learning website has lots of ideas for teachers. Check out the Claymation ThinkQuest project for a student example.   You can create any shape such as geometric shapes, natural objects, or molecules. Check out Miami's Museum of Science for a web example of clay images.   Easy projects include creating trees, leaves, planets, and other simple objects. These pictures can be used in a word processor, HyperStudio project, PowerPoint presentation, Inspiration document, or even a database. Student Project from Hudson, Ohio In addition to scanners and digital cameras, you can also use graphics software to create original visuals. Paint programs such as PhotoShop and PaintShop Pro are great for painting. Corel Draw and Illustrator are good for drawing projects. Others such as PhotoSuite, PhotoShop, Print Master, and specialty software can also be useful.   Many teachers like to use children's software for graphics. Professor Franklin's Suite is a good option for easy-to-use graphic creation and modification. HyperStudio has some powerful paint tools. KidPix Studio, KidWorks, Disney Magic Artist Studio, and Crayola Creativity Pack are other popular packages with limited painting tools.   Use websites for tips and techniques for using software. Do a search for the title of your software AND the words tip, techniques, tutorials, student projects, or activities. You'll find websites like Pixel Poppin for KidPix and K-6 Projects. You can draw objects, people, or places using painting software. When developing assignments consider the skills of your students. For example, it's difficult to draw animals and people. In the portrait pairs projects, students created wonderful self portraits. However, it might be easier to start with a project such as one on Greece Pottery where students used the web to examine pottery, then draw their own.   Virtual field trips are another good graphics project that can be done with a digital camera or graphics software. Again, start with a simple project such as drawing a nature trail. Ask students to create the scenes from a field trip such as a stream slide show. Consider projects that involve map making such as these Egypt projects.   Think of projects that combine elements such as scans, photographs, clip art, and original drawings together. For example, provide students with animal photos and ask them to add the habitat of the animal. Or, provide students with their school photo and ask them to draw new clothes to represent a period of history such as the middle ages or colonial days. Student Project from Hudson, Ohio Prompts and starters can help get student projects started. You might start with an event, a children's picture book, a newspaper article, or other starting points. For example, the Chinese New Year stimulated the Dragon project on the left. Showing students pictures of quilts and discussing geometric figures could promote some exciting students-made quilts in KidPix. The book called Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews could be introduced and students could add to the book using KidPix. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. is a popular predictable book. Students could take digital camera pictures of beanie babies and create their own version of the book. The key to successful projects is simplicity. For example, after reading the book Follow the Drinking Gourd about following the Big Dipper while on the underground railroad. Students could create their own constellations in KidPix. In the Armadillo from Amarillo, students read postcards. This book could be used to generate ideas about making postcards. The Forest Has Eyes by Bev Dolittle could be used to learn about camouflage. Many of the software packages for children contain extensions that can be purchased such as clip art or activity books. For example, there are KidPix extensions for themes such as weather, seasons, plants, bugs, animals, sea creatures, rocks and soil, Native Americans, fairy tales, and my country. However, you don't need to purchase activities. You can created your own. For example, Tops and Bottoms is a children's book about a fable related to gardening and hard work. Think about creating your own graphics projects for students. For example, you could have students use KidPix to show you the vegetables that grow above and below the ground. They could show you the tools that are used in gardening. You could create gardening math activities using the stamps in KidPix.   The art project on the right is based on a project called the 3Ms - Miro, Mondrian, Matisse. Students explored work by each artist such as Miro, then created their own in the same style. Student Project from Hudson, Ohio Faces Software Think about how graphics can be used across subject areas such as science and language arts. For example, students might draw a representation of a sunspot and write a poem that includes the definition of the word.   Beside the popular children's software you can also find specialty software based on characters such as Pokemon, Sesame Street, Barbie, Rugrats, Tigger, and Crayons. However to get some of the best ideas, just go to the website such as Crayola.com.   A fun application of a specialty package is Faces. It's available through the America's Most Wanted website. You can create your own composite drawings. This is particularly effective in an English classroom. As you read a novel, ask students to visualize the characters. What do they think the grandma in Dicey's Song looked like? What will you look like when you grow old? Or, read the book Bud, Not Buddy. In the book, Bud is looking for his father. He doesn't know what he looks like, you can create your own vision of this person. Digital Glyphs Menu Visual Literacy Digital Visuals Visual Resources Return to Eduscapes Created by Annette Lamb, 03/01. Updated 3/02.