Hello and Happy New Year!
It’s a brand new year and the perfect time for teachers to try something new in their classrooms. I am so excited to share an idea with you that you can implement into your classrooms immediately!
In my opinion, Pic Collage is one of the easiest apps for students to use and one of the best apps for students to create with! As a former 1st Grade teacher, this app is easy enough for even the youngest scholars to use. Here is a simple and easy project that will teach students how to create with Pic Collage.
It is beneficial to systematically teach students what each tool button does within the Pic Collage app. Just like the song, start at the very beginning…it’s a very good place to start! Once you launch the app, you notice the option to choose either Grids, Templates or Freestyle. Start with Freestyle and inform your your students to look for the plus sign. That plus sign is like a start button for creating within a Pic Collage. Tap that plus sign, or you can tap anywhere on the screen and you will get the options to add a Background, Photos, Text, Stickers, or even do a web search. I love how you Pic Collage uses various colors for each circle. Our young scholars might benefit from pre-reading clues, so saying something like, “Look for the pink circle with the letter A on it” can help as you direct students through the workflow of the app.
For this project, we will explore how to maximize the Text and Background tools while adding in a photo or two. I really do believe that it is important to let students learn through exploration, so an “All About Me” project is a great way to begin to play with Pic Collage and learn how to create with it.
How to Create an “All About Me” Pic Collage:
- Launch the Pic Collage app.
- Select Freestyle.
- Tap the plus sign.
- Tap on a color or design to choose a background. Then tap the checkmark or on the screen to “set” the background.
- Tap the plus sign or tap on the screen and select Photos.
- Choose a photo or take a picture to use in your project.
- Tap the plus sign or tap on the screen and select Text.
- Tap in the text box to launch the keyboard and begin to type the information you wish to share. Get creative by changing the Text, Text Color, and Fill Color using the small icons to the right of the text box. Then tap the checkmark or tap on the screen to “set” the textbox.
- Continue to add individual text boxes as needed.
- Pinch and zoom, or use the drag tool to size each text box and position them around the Pic Collage.
- When finished, use the share button for various sharing options like Save to Library or tap More for options like sharing to SeeSaw, Google Classroom, Padlet and more.
Ann Kozma is a Tech Integration TOSA in Fullerton, CA. She is passionate about education technology and enjoys helping others learn how to integrate tech to transform teaching and learning. Ann is an Apple Distinguished Educator, PicCollage Ambassador, and Leading Edge Certified as a Professional Learning Leader. She has 13+ years teaching experience and has spent the past 7 years teaching in and supporting a 1:1 iPad initiative. Ann occasionally blogs at techtravelteach.com. Connect with her on Twitter @annkozma723, she loves to share ideas and best practices with educators around the world.