|
|
 |
 |
A
computer screen saver using classroom pictures
| Type
of Submission: |
|
This
idea is a submission for:
__A curriculum idea
X Cool things
to do
__A special issue
|
|
| Age
group for whom this activity is appropriate:
|
This
is for teachers
| Brief
description of activity: |
I
turned a digital picture of my class into the screen
saver on the computer, so the kids see themselves
whenever the computer is not being used.
| What
I did to set this up and how I followed through: |
|
First,
I took a digital picture of my group of kids,
my whole class. Then I saved it on my computer.
I made a folder on the desktop called "group
photo" and put the picture in there.
I went to the Internet and found a free screen
saver program at: http://www.dcatsoftware.net/mswind/dss/main.htm
When I clicked on DOWNLOAD to get the little
program called Dcat Screen Saver that lets me make my
own screensaver. Save the Program to your hard
disk. Once it is saved, open the program and
follow the directions. The program will start
with images from the company, but you can remove
those and load the images from your "group
photo" folder. There is a help button if
you get stuck.
|
| Materials
used: |
|
A
digital camera, The Internet to find the software,
and the screen saver program.
|
| What
the children had to do and what I wanted them
to learn: |
This
is something the teacher can do to integrate the computer
into the classroom.
| Background:
How I got the idea: |
| I
saw this at a friend’s house. He’s a computer
person. He explained to me about screen savers and
how new computers don’t really need them anymore,
but he had a picture of his family on there just
for fun. So I asked him if he thought I could do
it too. He explained to me about compressed files,
so I wasn’t confused when the Dcat Screen Saver file
said my browser couldn’t read it. |
| Analysis:
How the kids and/or parents responded: |
|
This is for the kids. They love it. They love showing
it off to their parents. But it was for me too. I really
liked being able to do that, to customize the computer.
I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to do it, so I didn’t
tell my kids about it until it was done. When I did it
by myself (I did have to call my friend twice on the phone
while I was doing it, but he only reassured me that I
was doing the right thing – I had already done the
steps I was asking him about), I felt really proud and
much more confident about the computer. It was challenging,
but it was worth it! |
| Extension |
|
You
could use any pictures of your class room activities,
field trips or even kids picture from home.
|
| CLICK
HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN PROMISING PRACTICE |
|
|
|
|
