Image Editing and Creations

As a science teacher, I don't get to use editing programs as often as I would like in the classroom.  When we use the computers, it is usually for research or virtual labs.  I felt like a kid in a candy store while finding my way through the different imaging websites listed in the "sandbox". 
The original image is below:

This image was released by the National Human Genome Research Institute, an agency part of the National Institutes of Health, accessed at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DNA_Double_Helix_by_NHGRI.jpg Used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/)

  The first site I used was picmonkey.com.  I used a DNA image from the NHGRI because DNA is blueprint of all life, and as a science teacher, I could teach about DNA for an entire year!  (But Standards of Learning dictate that I teach 13 other standards in addition to DNA!).  There are so many applications for picmonkey in my science class, such as taking pictures on a nature walk of different plants and then creating new images from them in the program.  I saturated the colors of the DNA image and sharpened it.  You can see the results below:

This work is a derivative of the image released by the National Human Genome Research Institute, an agency part of the National Institutes of Health, accessed at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DNA_Double_Helix_by_NHGRI.jpg Used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/)

I next visited bighugelabs.com next and immediately wanted to try the "pop art" option!  I used my original DNA image and created a 4-panel pop art image in the "cool colors" option.  I could see my students using this program to help visualize vocabulary words.  See my masterpiece below:

This work is a derivative of the image released by the National Human Genome Research Institute, an agency part of the National Institutes of Health, accessed at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DNA_Double_Helix_by_NHGRI.jpg Used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/)

I used imagechef.com  to create the next image.  I found this program harder to use because it seemed that every time I clicked on an arrow to advance to the next page, it opened another program, such as creating a website.  Once I followed the links more closely, I was able to see my options.  I really liked the "newspage" idea and used that one below.  I could see my students using this program to create front page news ideas about specific scientists or discoveries.

This work is a derivative of the image released by the National Human Genome Research Institute, an agency part of the National Institutes of Health, accessed at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DNA_Double_Helix_by_NHGRI.jpg Used under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/)

Creative Commons license image

'Books & Zines Wall' by Pogobooks Exhibition at SPRUNGTURM Colo…   By  pogobooks   Flickr - Photo Sharing!.htm available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/pogobooks/5531122307/in/photolist-9qLrXH-d7VaAd-97LzcX-deTfVM-e7MNMy-az2oXF-9spEYf-giHsPS-bjWC5H-aqZ4RC-9evFXf-iXuhBZ-69mC92-rTK9Zr-pH2dKm-gEjthW-qr9hrL-cBeEqj-mqziPG-9wGA7j-b93uo2-bzkpN5-9rxAoM-9nhipm-hjd4XH-h4BmDd-h4zvHm-rvSbLJ-hGLDeQ-nA8fWs-aygMS4-qEYzMR-o5NcNZ-9xU2NF-aNMcM6-ad59m6-oeqUa2-8ZKjQy-9498sr-rmpaNi-f92jiy-j4M4Ab-rtxN5Z-feqEjS-nu4yzf-oN8cRu-jAX7Dt-iaJbeC-sRJ89Q-9gLjYY under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0. Full terms at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0. 

What does Creative Commons mean?  According to creativecommons. org/about:

1. Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools. Our free, easy-to-use copyright licenses provide a simple, standardized way to give the public permission to share and use your creative work — on conditions of your choice.
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Font/Color/Design

I first started out with a much more graphic setup to this blog and quickly realized that a simpler, direct approach would be best.  I want the information that I include in my blog to shine, not the flashy graphics or distracting animations.  I went with a soothing color scheme of tans and greens to keep with the "natural" theme.  The background is simple shelves of books so that the reader immediately recognizes the blog as having to do with reading/books/library.  I tend to gravitate towards simple fonts such as Arial, Verdana, or Trebuchet.  

Reynolds, G. (2014). Presentation zen design: A simple visual approach to presenting in today's world (2nd ed.). Berkeley, CA: New Riders.   

My Wordle: LIBS 602