Photoshop Blew My Mind

 

          Last Friday was the second class of my Technology in Education class, and it was a doozy. Mind = Blown. Literally non-stop learning from the moment I walked into the computer lab. Whatever were we learning? The amazing program that is Photoshop. We learned to identify between altered and real photographs and how to create our own blended pictures. It was a roller coaster of feeling like "Oh my god, this is AMAZING" one moment and "I'll never remember how to do all of this" the next. It was a Russian Doll where every minute you uncover another layer, another matryoshka doll, to this amazing program. The possibilities are endless, especially when you think about all of the applications in a classroom setting.

          Go simple with making pictures of animals in different habitats and having students identify if the habitats are correct for lower grade levels to having the older kids make there own marketing posters about hot topics and issues facing society today. An example of such a poster is the one I created and posted above this entry, depicting a glacier melting in a pair of cupped, into a bowl with a town in it. This poster is showing how humans have increased the effects of global warming and is calling for action. I created this poster by combining a picture of a fishbowl I had at home, pictures of cupped hands and glaciers from the internet, and scanning a picture of a castle. It was quite the learning curve with how to use Photoshop, but thanks to all the incredible people who make YouTube videos I got the hang of blending, deleting backgrounds, combing pictures and so much more that my brain hurts just thinking about it. Learning how to use Photoshop myself made me realize how important it would be to give such a diverse tool to my future students. It could be a wonderful tool to engage kids, especially those students who are more creative, who are hands on and/or visual learners, or for kids who are struggling or aren't the type who learn by reading, sitting at a desk, and listening to a lecture all class period.

         You could have your students make similar posters about a variety of topics like politics, gay rights, current laws, social media, women's rights, etc. Nothing is impossible as long as you can imagine it, for with Photoshop you can combine and create your dreams, hopes, and give your imagination life. I know I can't wait to continue learning about Photoshop and apply it in my own studies and my future classroom.

Note: For those of you who are students, Adobe is having a special for students where Lightroom and Photoshop are only 10 dollars a month. Or if you want all the Adobe products, students only have to pay 20 dollars a month. If you're a poor college student like me, and might not want to purchase your own and don't have access to Photoshop on a school computer, Adobe has a free Photoshop app that is very impressive and user friendly called Photoshop Mix. The app can do a lot of Photoshop applications with just a touch of your finger and is able to use internet, Facebook, or your personal photos and send any of your creations to your email, Adobe account, and/or to Photoshop on the computer for more advance editing. Try it o