On the Web: Digital Images

On the Web: Digital presents free or subscription based collections of digital files as well as digital clip art photo collections, digital imaging software, digital text editing software as well as review sites, and etc. The sections are listed alphabetically. If you know of a site that is missing from this collection but is would provide helpful information to teachers, please contact us.

Copyright and Fair Use|| Digital Collections || Digital Cameras, Scanners, and Reviews || Integrating Digital Images into Learning || Software Options for Digital Image Editing || Software Options for Digital Text Editing || Software Options for Video Editing

Copyright and FairUse for Educators and Students

The following sites offer information for educators as well as their students about copyright and Fair Use laws and how they govern activities in the classroom. Annotations provide more information.

Copyright and Fair Use
PBS Teachers presents explanations about Copyright Law and Fair Use, Guidelines for Off-Air Recording, and recent Fair Use guidelines for educational multimedia. You will also find FAQs about these issues.
Copyright and Fair Use
Stanford University Libraries offer this overview of copyright and Fair Use. FAQs provide quick access to questions along with much more helpful information.
Copyright and Fair Use in the Classroom, on the Internet, and the World Wide Web
The University of Maryland presents excellent information at this site that is from their library. Many of your questions will be answered here in a user-friendly environment.

Digital Collections: Free or Subscription-based

The following sites offer free or subscription-based collections of digital files. Annotations provide more information.

Clipart.com
This site offers a subscription-based collection of clipart, photos, web graphics, illustrations, fonts, and sounds. Compatible art for web and print-based documents. There are special school rates available.

CoolCLIPS
This site, offered by New Vision Technologies in Canada, offers royalty free access to many clips that can used by teachers and students for projects. There is an image license agreement that appears at the site that should be reviewed and adhered to when the clips are downloaded and that advise that all clips are screen resolution and cannot be redistributed with written permission.

Cool Text Graphic Generator
Cool Text is a free graphic generator that provides logo designs, fonts, and colors for teachers and students who want to create labels that say more. The site does have some advertising but provides a great way to create and download graphics to use for projects, presentations or publications. Have fun!!
Open Photo
This site offers images under Creative Commons license that states that information can be used if proper attribution is given.
Discovery School Clip Art Gallery
The free clip art gallery, provided by Discovery School has many categories of images available for student and teacher use projects if accompanied by a credit. Please read the copyright information at this site and document as requested for permission for use.

Free Graphics
This site that offers free graphics. Many more are available on the web, easily found through the use of a search engine, but may contain distracting ads or have costs associated with their use.

Free Photography
This site serves as a portal for free photo web sites. There are some restrictions that can be easily identified.

Pics for Learning
This is an image library for students and teachers and is copyright friendly. The images have been donated by teachers, students and others who give permission for the images to be used.
Manual Alphabet Letters
This site offers access to digital photographs of individual letters in American Sign Language. Access to full services in the Handspeak web site requires a subscription.

Digital Cameras, Scanners, and Reviews

The following sites offer current information on cameras, scanners and reviews. Annotations provide more information.

Digital Photography Review
This site offers a lot of current information and reviews on digital cameras and accessories.

Digicamhelp
This guide for digital camera beginners and beyond, originally started by an educator to help her less technical friends, has since transformed into pages that present information on digital cameras and photography. This information rich site connects the reader to a buying guide, features, accessories, taking pictures, working with images and more.

How a Digital Camera Works
This site details the inner workings of a digital camera, detailing the process from capture to output.

How Scanners Work
This section of howstuffworks.com presents both basic and in-depth information about flatbed, sheet-fed, handheld, and drum scanners A drop down menu makes the information quite convenient to the reader.

Scanner Guide from Nuance
Nuance, formally Scansoft, offers basic information for first time users of scanners. This can also be useful to refresh your knowledge. Current information about basics, types, scanner companies, software, and you may visit their store.

Scanning Tips
Wayne Fulton has developed a huge amount of information at this site, A Few Scanning Tips, that offers basic to not so basic information about scanning. Included here are screen shots of several popular scanning software. There is also information about ordering his book in print. GREAT RESOURCE!!

Scanner Reviews from Zdnet
This site is a way to find some reviews on different types of scanners.

Integrating Digital Images into Learning

Click! Using a Digital Camera in the Elementary Classroom
This page presents ideas for using digital cameras in the elementary classroom.

Digital Cameras in the Primary Classroom
Scholastic presents this page and shares ideas for using digital cameras in the primary classroom.
Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling
Published at U of Houston, and written by Dr. Bernard Robin, this page explains the steps to creating a digital story. Storytelling is a vital skill with many applications. An overview of digital storytelling, examples of digital stories, software applications to use, how to evaluate as well as many resources are shared.
Quick! Get the (Digital) Camera!
This article, published by Education World, is shared by a tech coordinator in South Dakota and presents ways that students use digital cameras in learning in grades K through 12. Share the neat ideas from Craig Nansen.

Scanners: NCTE (National Center for Technology in Education)
This section of NCTE provides advice sheets with one sharing basic information on what a scanner is, possible uses in education, technical considerations and purchasing considerations (pdf format).

Snappy Ideas for Using Scanners in the Classroom
This article, written by Warren Buckleitner, for Scholastic, gives various suggestions about ways to use a scanner in the classroom. Developed primarily with young children in mind, it will "jump start" your creative ideas.

Using Technology in the Classroom
Find lesson ideas that include using digital cameras with primary, elementary, middle school and high school curriculum at this site. Activities for the older students include the use of slideshows and other multimedia software.

Software Options for Digital Image Editing

There are a number of digital image editing software programs from which to choose, but they range in capabilities, learning curve, availability and price. Teachers must consider not only the cost, but also the type of editing operations that are needed, the skill level needed of the end users and the support provided in the school. As always, the computer system requirements must be available in the classroom/school environment. Advanced options are usually cost prohibitive as well as having a high learning curve and rarely are good options for the typical classroom.

iLife
iLife '09 by Apple Computer is the integrated suite for Mac users with new versions of iPhoto (import, organize, and edit digital photos), iMovie (create and edit video) iDVD (author, burn movies, photos and music to widescreen DVD), Garage Band (create music and podcasts) and iWeb (create website and blogs). Read about each of these programs plus the cost involved as well as the system requirements at the web site provided. There are links to each program within iLife to read about features provided.

Gimp
Gimp is an open source image manipulation program which allows photo editing. Get the latest free download from this site.
Paint Shop Pro: Education Addition
Corel offers Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 as an education edition. Corel reports that Paint Shop Pro to be perfect for intermediate and advanced editing and Paint Shop Pro Studio to be the perfect fit for novice and intermediate users. System requirements include Windows XP or Vista. Read more about this software at this site.

Photoshop Elements
Adobe provides versions of Photoshop Elements for Windows (version 6) and Mac (version 4) users and offers a user-friendly interface with many of the features of the more advanced Photoshop without the steep learning curve. This software has many more features than free image-editing software, and is quite affordable for classroom use. Review and download a trail version at the Adobe web site. This has all the features needed for most people.

PhotoImpact
Ulead provides PhotoImpact, an image editing software with many features. Read about options provided by Ulead at the web site for beginner, intermediate and advanced users.

Software Options for Digital Text Editing

Provided in this section are specialized programs that will assist working with special students mentioned in the discussion of digital text editing .

CAST AspireREADER
The AspireREADER is an enhanced version of the CAST eReader, by Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) is a moderately priced software program that will read text presented in a variety of digital formats. The product is available for Windows only at this time (Aug. 2007) but the Mac version is under development. A free trial version is available at this site.

CoolSpeech
ByteCool offers downloadable versions of CoolSpeech, which will read digital texts in a variety of natural voices, and TextSound, which converts digital text into audio wav or MP3 files. Payment of a modest fee is required for download.

Kurzweil 3000
Kurzweil 3000, by Kurzweil Educational Systems works with a scanner to change print based text to digitized text. The Kurzweil web site lists a schedule of live product demonstrations broadcast on the web, research studies supporting the use of the product with students with disabilities, and product descriptions. Upon request, the company will send a 30-day trial CD.

Intellitalk
Intellitalk II by Intellitools, Inc is a text-to-speech word processor that is bundled within the product named Classroom Suite. Visit this site to download a 45 day version of the program. The site also has informative product demonstrations and other information.

Read and Write Gold by Texthelp, Ltd.
Read & Write Gold by Texthelp, Ltd. offers scan and read, speech recognition, and other literacy supports using a toolbar that “floats” in any standard Windows application. The software will also read PDF files. Directions for receiving a presentation CD are found at this site.

Wzcom Technologies LTD
This company-sponsored site presents features and purchasing information for portable scan pens designed to help people read and use text. Much information is shared for various uses. Products is specific to Windows for desktop application.

Write: Outloud
Write:Outloud, by Don Johnston, Inc., is a text to speech word processor that will read digitized text. Product and ordering information is available at this site.

Software Options for Digital Image Management: Storing, Organizing, Sharing

Flickr
Store, manage and share your digital photos with this online photo management application. Sign up for a basic account that is free and upload, send by email, organize, and share your photos via this Yahoo!! company.
Picasa
Use this free software download from Google to locate and organize all your photos, edit and add effects to your photos and share your photos via email, prints, or on the web.