• You should have your own photos to use. If you don’t, you must use photos from the field trips that are in the Student Common.

• If you need to scan your photos, there are directions at http://www.rtsd26.org/trails/computers/lessons/scanning.htm.

• The collage document should be size 8 X 10 inches with a resolution of 300 just like the sample we did.

Some things to remember:

1. Do color corrections and enhancements to each photo first. Then flatten the image and drag it onto the collage.
2. One (or two) photos should be the main focus and be larger than the rest.
3. When resizing a photo, hold the shift key so it doesn’t get distorted.
4. Apply a layer mask to each photo layer in the collage by clicking the Styles and Effects palette and choosing Effects–>Layer Mask.
5. Paint with a black soft brush to hide and blend areas of the photo.
6. Paint with a white brush to restore areas of the photo.
7. Add a short title and give it a layer effect like a drop shadow or emboss.
8. Add your name in a small size at the bottom.

7th Grade Assignment for Thursday
Today you are going to be researching the exact date you were born. What was happening in the world that day? What music did your parents listen to? What was popular on television? Who was the President? How much did it cost to buy gas? a house? a car? What was playing at the movies? Who were the sports heros? Are there any famous people born on your birthday?

You will be using custom colored bullets in a Word document. The following video will show you how.
 

The next video will explain the directions and how to to use the research links.

Specific directions and research links can be found at http://www.rtsd26.org/trails/computers/lessons/birthday.htm.

Video 1 - http://animoto.com/play/Ybu7CuDOJf9cr0ArN44k1w

Video 2 - http://animoto.com/play/Imm9mFw10HrMrYI3Oy03hQ

As our first introduction to Photoshop Elements in 4th Quarter, the 8th grade students took digital pictures and learned how to apply adjustment layers and filters. We duplicated the photo 4 times and created an Andy Warhol effect poster. View the video link for samples.

Today I’m in a half day workshop on Google Docs. Here’s a great video that explains Google Docs. Think of how Google Docs could be useful for you. Any ideas?

Today I started the day with a keynote speaker for an hour in a very large auditorium.

Today I took a class called Scrapbooking in the Classroom using Photoshop Elements. I learned some new techniques and got tons of resources and links to online tutorials. The 3 guys that taught the class teach at a middle school in Barrington. I’d like to visit their school some time and see their classes.

I think that we’ll use templates like the one in the layout above for our March desktops.

What themes or designs did you use for your custom checkers today?

Today we’ll be creating an interactive TicTacToe game. You’ll be learning skills and techniques that you can expand upon tomorrow to create another interactive game on a larger scale. If we don’t finish in one class period or if you were absent, directions can be found here.

If you have time at the end of class, leave me a comment letting me know how much you accomplished today. Use your first name and last initial only. Were the directions easy to follow? Was anyone especially helpful to you today? I’ll see you Monday!

This is a test. Please make a comment using your first name and last initial.

As I was doing some research to help a student with a different version of Photoshop Elements, I came across this article at About.com by Sue Chastain with a Layer Mask action that you can download. This action allows you to use layer masks within any version Photoshop Elements. Here’s the link: http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/pselements/p/layermasks.htm

Depending on your operating system and your version of Photoshop Elements, the directions are slightly different for installing. so be sure to refer to the article for specific directions.

To use this action in Photoshop Elements 4 (which is the version we use in school) choose Effects and Layer Mask from the Styles and Effects Palette.
Double-click the Layer Mask thumbnail  to add a mask to the active layer.

To use this action in Photoshop Elements 5, choose Photo Effects from the Effects palette, then pull down the category menu and choose Show All from the list. Double-click the Layer Mask thumbnail to add a mask to the active layer.

To use this action in Photoshop Elements 6, choose Photo Effects from the Effects palette, then pull down the category menu and choose Show All from the list. Double-click the Layer Mask thumbnail to add a mask to the active layer.