http://wigflip.com/automotivator/
http://bighugelabs.com/magazine.php
Why two tech snacks in one entry, you ask? Well, I choose to include them together because the classroom implications for both are similar.
What are these tools?
The first tool listed above is a tool that lets you create your own motivational posters. The second tool listed is a tool that lets you create your own magazine cover. Both sites have simple interfaces that just require you to upload a picture then type in information into text boxes. You can also download, print and save your creations.Both sites are free to use, though both have advertisements on them. With bighugelabs, you can registrar for an educator’s account which allows you and your students to see the site advertisement free. With an educator account, you can also see your students work from one location. If you get an educator account, students would need to have login names/passwords. (bighugelabs has many tools on it, not just the magazine cover tool). If you and your students simply use the tool without joining the site, no login is required.
*Note: Neither site requires the creation of an account to use them. For both sites, however, you will need to demonstrate how to use the tool and specifically explain which links students should NOT use, including ads and links to social networking sites that are prohibited in your school. You will want to make sure that you discourage students from just snatching any photo off the web due to copyright issues. Direct the student on what photos are acceptable to use. Students will need to know how to locate photos on their computers or photo sharing site. They will also need to know how to save work to their computer and how to find their file.
Classroom implications:
There are a lot of fun ways that students can use this tool in the classroom. For example, students could use the motivational poster tool to create posters about vocabulary words. They could also be used at the beginning of the year to create a poster to see how students describe themselves. With the magazine cover creator, you can have students create a cover about a literary, fictional or historical person. Check out the graphic below for some other ideas suggested by the editors of teachersfirst.com: