Picasa
Student Resources
As we get ready for summer, there are some great things you can do online when you are not outside getting exercise. Remember, don't waste a sunny, warm day playing video games or watching TV. When you do have to be inside and want to use the computer, use that time to do something fun, creative, collaborative, and innovative. As you spend time online this summer, there are some important things to remember about being safe while on the internet. Below are some great resources, videos, tips, etc. for staying safe and protecting your privacy and after that are some ideas for summer fun:
Online Safety
Fun Summer (or anytime) projects
Group Photo Album
Get a group of your friends and make sure everyone has a digital camera. Pick a topic to take pictures of this summer or even just for a day, week, whatever. Create an online photo album using Picasa and share it with the group so that everyone can add pictures to the album. You can then link to them on Facebook or Twitter to share. Here are some more links to resources for making your photography great:
- The Gimp (free, open-source photo/graphic editor like Photoshop)
- Photo.net (free site with free online photography textbook)
- 13 Great tips for taking better pictures
- Picasa (free photo sharing resource from Google with a free downloadable editor)
- Flickr (free photo sharing resource)
Learn how to use Twitter
I use twitter all the time to connect with my "tweeps". Twitter is a fun, easy way to see what your friends are up to, learn new things from interesting people, get news, and to share what you are doing. If you can text, twitter is easy because it is 140 characters or less per tweet so it keeps everyone's comments brief and less time consuming to read. I actually like it better than facebook for that reason and that people can use it from their computer or even send out tweets with any cell phone with text capabilities. When I am on my computer, I use an application called Tweetdeck to send out updates to twitter and facebook at the same time so that I can save time and connect with people no matter which one they use. Here are some resources to get you started VERY QUICKLY:
- My free twitter tutorial (takes about an hour for you to tweet like a pro)
- My twitter profile
- Tweetdeck (free application for your computer, iPhone, iPad, etc.)
Learning Web Design
For those of you who want a more "techie" challenge this summer, try your hand at creating a web site from scratch. There are a lot of great ways to make web sites and if you want something more than Facebook or MySpace but don't want to spend a ton of time learning how, try Google Sites. If you want to get more in-depth and learn how the nuts and bolts of a web site come together, try doing it using HTML and CSS. All you really need is a computer connected to the internet and a text editor like Notepad or TextEdit. Here are some links to get you going:
General
- Web Style Guide - free online Web Design text book
- Principles of Graphic Design - great way to learn about layout and design considerations
- Creating Killer Web Sites - tips and tricks to make sure yours has taste
- Web sites that "aren't too great" - what not to do on a web site
- Google Sites - free, quick, and easy way to get a site up and running fast.
- Tripod Free Web Space (great place!)
HTML/CSS
- W3Schools - free online tutorials to learn web design/development
- Bare Bones Guide to HTML - glossary of HTML code
- CSS Zen Garden - shows power of css in web design
Graphics Design Resources
- The Gimp - free, open-source photo/graphic editor like Photoshop
- Photoshop Cafe
- Ultimate Photoshop Design Resources
- CG Textures - free photo textures and pictures
Flash Resources
- Flash Kit
- A1 Free Sound Effects
- Sound Dogs
- Sound Rangers
- Web Places- Sounds
- Freeaudioclips.com
- Fish and Wildlife Videos and sound
Great Web Design Examples
- WebDesignerWall
- SmashingMagazine
- Dario Picciau
- Ruth Ann Anderson
- DP Architects
- Marco Palmieri
- David Gary