Picasa

=** Picasa/Picasa Web Albums **= (can be used separately but I included both because I would use together)

Download site: []

Sign-up for Picasa Web Album: []

** Tutorials: **
[] (Getting started guide) [] (Basic information) [] (Advanced features) [] (How to help page)

** Video tutorials: **
[] (Introduction video) [] (basic information)

Picasa Community training: [] (basics webinar) [] (photo editing)

** Educational Objectives of Picasa/Picasa Web Albums: **
Demonstrate proficient use of technology tool Demonstrate ability to organize and label project materials efficiently Demonstrate ability to classify and categorize Demonstrate critical thinking and higher level thinking skills to create artifact representing unique point of view Global collaboration

** Picasa/Picasa Web Album in the Classroom: **
· Students can create historical photo albums by editing photos in Picasa to make them look old. For example, students can dress up as revolutionary characters and take pictures of each other. Editing in Picasa, the photos can be converted to black and white photos. Pictures can be combined into a Picasa photo album that can be printed or shared online in Picasa Web Album for parents to view.

· Students can take pictures related to a content area and create a Picasa slideshow or movie to digitally express what has been learned. For example, a science class can create a movie of before and after pictures of safety hazards found around the school.

· Students can take pictures of rock samples and tag them according to rock type and geological period. Using Picasa, a class album can be created for each geological period using the tag feature to sort the photos. Each album can then be transformed into a collage and printed as a poster to serve as a classroom resource.

· Students can take photos to digitally tell a story. For example, students read a biography about a famous author and then take pictures that represent the life of the famous author. Students choose whether to create a slideshow, movie, or collage to tell the story. The final products can be posted as a Picasa Web Album to be shared with parents and administrators.

· Collaborating with students in classrooms around the county, state, country, or globally, pictures can be added to a Picasa Web Album with geotags enabling students to locate where the picture was taken. For example, a student in Philadelphia takes a picture of the Liberty Bell and uploads it to the Picasa Web Album with a geotag. In a collaborating classroom, another student in London clicks on the picture and a map is displayed showing the location of the Liberty Bell.

I tried Picasa by first, downloading the Picasa software. This was a simple process and took less than two minutes to download. I selected the option to allow Picasa to locate all the pictures on my laptop which took a few minutes. While Picasa was locating my pictures, I familiarized myself with the various buttons and features that I was introduced to in the tutorials. The Picasa layout is clear and easy to use. It can be a bit overwhelming at first because of all the included features but every button or icon has a text label clearly identifying its purpose. After all my pictures were located I played around a little bit with some of the editing features. Picasa includes basic editing options like cropping and red-eye reduction as well as nine photo effects. I found these options to be sufficient and easy to use, especially since Picasa is primarily a photo management tool as opposed to a photo editing tool. I added tags and a geotag to a group of photos and created a short movie that I uploaded to my Picasa Web Album. I also created and printed a collage of pictures. Everything was very easy to use and quick to process. Some students may find it difficult to locate and/or choose the feature they want to use because of the number of features available. While Picasa is laid out clearly, it may be too //busy// for students who struggle with visual overload. Another challenge is for students unfamiliar with working with folders. Some time would need to be devoted to explaining folder manipulation and to practice finding and accessing the folders in Picasa. While I found the editing tools to be easy to use, students unfamiliar with the tools might not fully understand how to use the cropping or the tuning effects. However, students can use Picasa successfully for managing and locating their pictures without using the editing tools. Picasa Web Album is also easy to navigate. I easily uploaded pictures and shared them with my husband and daughter via email containing the link to the web album. Albums can be public, private, or require sign-in. Parents can use the required sign-in link to access the photo albums.

** Challenges: **
· Picasa must be downloaded to the computer so a student would have to use the same computer for each class period unless a network folder is available.

· Uploading photos to Picasa Web Album may require scheduling of uploads to handle multiple students trying to upload photos.

· Managing appropriate and accurate tagging and geotagging


 * Technology Integration Lesson Plan: **

Collaboration with Language Arts Teacher - 7th Grade

Objective: To demonstrate understanding and insight by creating a movie, slideshow, or collage representing a famous author’s life via original photos managed and tagged in Picasa and published in a Picasa Web Album.

Procedures:
 * 1) Students research and select a famous author using the laptops and the internet in the classroom.
 * 2) Students read the biography of the famous author (3 weeks provided to complete reading).
 * 3) Students sign out cameras or use their own cameras to take pictures that represent objects or ideas significant in the life of the famous author.
 * 4) Students upload photos to Picasa using laptops in the classroom.
 * 5) Teacher demonstrates basic editing tools in Picasa.
 * 6) Students use basic editing tools in Picasa to edit their photos using laptops in the classroom.
 * 7) Using Picasa, students will create a slideshow, movie, or collage using their edited photos.
 * 8) Students will upload final project to class Picasa Web Album.
 * 9) Students will review and assess classmates’ final projects.

** Recommendation: **
I would recommend using Picasa as a photo management and publishing tool. It is very easy to use and has many valuable features. The slideshows, movies, and collages have a professional look. It is a good tool for classifying and sorting photos and is a safe way to publish student work for parents to view. The tagging feature provides a quick and easy way to locate specific photos.