Photo Album Project

Digital photo albums are a very simple way to get your feet wet when it comes to learning multimedia software. You can keep it very simple - just using a single photo per frame and a little text - or you can start to jazz it up and personalize it with the inclusion of video clips, website links, voice files, vr tours of favorite places - whatever you like.

I was playing with some drawing software the other day and the next thing I knew, I had created an oak leaf. One oak leaf became another and soon I found myself thinking that a color-coordinated background might be nice. Once I had my bits and pieces laying around, I decided to turn it into something. A photo album seemed to be high on my list.

I've included the parts and pieces to make this project in a downloadable well. I'm providing screen captures of an empty project so you can get an overview. Keep in mind that because I've provided the elements of this project in a well, you can recombine those in any way you like. (Use it in eZediaMX or QTI - it doesn't matter.) Move the buttons on the frame. Don't use any buttons and just have it set up for presentation clicks to move through the project (see File > Document Setup). Don't use the project for a photo album. Have the students use it for creating a science project on why leaves change color in the autumn. In other words, just because I did something one way, doesn't mean you have to do the same.

Again, students and teachers are able to use these projects in the classroom for educational purposes. You just can't sell them and you can't post the individual pieces on a website for download. You can create a project where you use the pieces and they will end up as part of a presentation at a website such as a eZedia QTI project. If you're a tech coordinator, etc. using these projects for staff development, I'd like you to send me an e-mail (the link is at the bottom of this page) to seek permission.

Figure 1: The "cover" or title frame for the photo album project with a textbox waiting for someone to fill in the name



In Figure 1, you see the title frame for the photo album project. I've created a text box that's in the well for the teacher name. You could use the blank frame I've provided and change this from a class photo album to individual student photo albums highlighting their hobbies, interests, families, activities - whatever you like.

Figure 2: Information frame

Figure 2 shows a frame with a corner decoration that I inserted so that you could provide some background information on the context of the photo album. Talk about the class or the family members - depending on how you use it. Of course, you don't have to use this frame at all! The same holds true for Figure 3 - the table of contents I've inserted so that people can quickly go to a particular child's picture. I'm thinking that something like this might get used on Parent's Night - sitting outside the teacher's room so that parents can view the members of the classroom while they're waiting.

Figure 3: Table of Contents frame

You can set up your project for presentation clicks (File > Document Setup) or you can have people just keep clicking through using the next and previous buttons. That's all pretty linear. In other words, if you visualize this project as a line of frames, you can go in a straight line one direction or another. A Table of Contents allows users to move through the project in a non-linear fashion. You could create an invisible GoTo Object or a Button that would go over each child's name such that when people click on the name, it would take them righ to that child. The presence of a table of contents button on every frame makes navigation simple as it always gives a way to get back to the master list.

Figure 4: Frame for the photos

I've pulled together a simple photo frame using a text box for the student name and a placeholder object that guides people on where to place the picture. Again, you can choose not to use that feature. I like it because if you have all the student photos in a well, you can just drag in a photo into the frame and it will head for that placeholder object like a magnet. It can speed up development. Naturally, you can resize the photo once it is in place if it looks a little off in terms of proportions.

Figure 5: Additional frame suggestions

In Figure 5, I'm showing you one additional frame I've created. Instead of putting a picture, I'm suggesting you might want to consider a short video clip of the student speaking. Off to the side, the student can have a link to their favorite website. Just a reminder - you might want to check out the websites before doing a public presentation of the project. In fact, this provides an excellent opportunity to engage the students in a discussion of ethics. What is an appropriate website? Just because you can link to something, does it mean you should? What does good judgement look like in a digital environment? How do we take into account the tastes and concerns of our audience? Remember - this is part of the NETS for students. Actually, it's a part of everything we do these days. The Internet can provide us with a way of getting into things we would have no physical way of encountering. If someone can't see you doing something, is it still okay? Or does personal ethics demand that we think about whether our behavior is appropriate no matter if everyone else remains in ignorance of what we've been up to? I always tell my students or workshop participants that everything you do on the Internet should be able to appear on the front page of your local paper without causing you (or your grandmother) concern.

Figure 6: Credits

Hmmm . . .can you spot the error on this frame?? If this is the final frame, I shouldn't have put a "next" button as there will be no where to go. That would be the same as putting a "previous" button the first frame.

Final Thoughts:
The project on this page is only meant to be a springboard for your own creativity. There are lots of dedicated software programs that only do digital photo albums. You could always use one of those. However, if you already own a powerful piece of sofware and can make it do everything you want with relative ease, I'd use it.

As a beginner project, you can drag in the bits and pieces from the Object Well and create a very simple project. Keep in mind that something that appears technically simple can still offer the chance to engage students in a number of higher-order thinking skills. In the simple linking environment provided by eZedia, students can begin to explore fundamental logic. They have to pay attention to detail. They need to use communication skills such as considering the perspective of an audience. We have students who rarely get to practice any of those skills and shun more traditional academic opportunities that would give them that practice. Multimedia projects, even very simple ones, can open the doors for students in ways that we have yet to imagine.

Download the project well. It's 2.4 MB.