You’ll Go Totally Bananas For Picmonkey!

by | Dec 16, 2016 | How To, Student Blog, Teacher Blog

Picmonkey is an app for chrome and desktop that allows you to edit photos and make collages using unique graphic design features. The best part of Picmonkey is that it is completely free to use! (Some features are locked, but you can upgrade to Royale Membership for full access to them) Some key features that Picmonkey offers is that you can add frames, themes, overlays, and touch up your original photo.

 

Downloading & Accessing Picmonkey

To download Picmonkey you need to go to the chrome web store. Once you have accessed the chrome web store, type in the search bar “pic monkey”. Click on the first option under “Apps”. Click on the button “add to chrome” and you are ready to start using Picmonkey. To access Picmonkey, go to the page where all your apps are listed. The Picmonkey app icon should be towards the top of your list (it looks like a monkey so it shouldn’t be too hard to find)

 

I Downloaded Picmonkey…Now, what?

Once you have opened the app, click on the button that says ‘edit a photo’. This will bring you to the main interface of Picmonkey. This page is where you can begin editing your photo to perfection!

 

How do I Upload My Photo Into the Editor?

To upload a photo to Picmonkey click on the drop down arrow on the button titled “Open” at the top left of your screen. A drop down menu should appear with many options as to where to upload your picture from (Facebook, Pixlr, OneDrive, etc) Once you have selected a photo and successfully uploaded it to the Picmonkey you are ready to proceed with editing.

 

What Can I do With Picmonkey?

Picmonkey offers many different options when editing photos.  In the toolbar to the left of the screen, there are several tools to use such as Basic Edits, Effects, Touchup, Text, Overlay, Frames, Textures, Themes, and Templates.

 

  • Basic Edits –  this tool is used to do basic editing such as cropping, resizing, or rotating photos. Some more options in this tab are to sharpen photos or add color to them.
  • Effects – this tool is used to add gorgeous effects to your photos that make them stand out above the rest.
  • Touchup –  the purpose of this tool is touch up any blemishes when editing a photo that has a human face in it.
  • Text –  the text tool can be used to add text boxes to your uploaded image; also found within this part of Picmonkey is different font types.
  • Overlay – the overlay tool is used to add more elements to your photo. You can either add your own or choose one of the ready-made overlays.
  • Frames –  the frames tab is where you will find several different types of frames to add to photos.
  • Textures – this tool is used to add different textures to your pictures such as space, burst, and light trails.
  • Themes – the theme tool is where you can choose a theme (these consist mostly of festive themes) and add elements of that theme to your chosen picture.
  • Templates – this tool is used to create posters, diagrams, invitations, and cards (most templates are only available for Royale)

 

Saving Photos On Picmonkey

To save your design, click on the Save button in the top left corner of your screen (to the right of the ‘open’ button). Once you have clicked this button, you can customize the name of the file and resolution. Click “Save to my computer” to save it Onedrive or Dropbox. If you don’t have either application you can simply download your image.

 

Sharing Images From Picmonkey

To share an image/photo click on the “Share” button to the right of the Save button. When you click this, Picmonkey will allow you to choose what platform you would like to share it on (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc). You also have the option to caption your photo before sharing. Click on the button titled “Do it” once you have selected where you want to share the image to. Your photo has now been shared on the app of your choice.
Happy editing everyone!

Five Apps That Will Help You Survive High School

by | Dec 15, 2016 | Student Blog

High school is tough; we are always busy working on homework, playing sports, and participating in clubs. We don’t always have time to open up a laptop and study for tests, so here are five apps every student should have on their phone to survive high school. 

  • Quizlet

Quizlet is great for studying on the go, plus it saves paper that would’ve been used for notecards, and a lot of teachers make Quizlets for studying. Of course there is the flashcard option with basic word on one side of the card and the definition on the back, but Quizlet is more than just flashcards; in fact, you can play matching games and complete practice tests to enhance your studying. The matching games work well for quick memorization for a simple vocabulary test. The practice tests are beneficial when you want to focus on spelling.   

  • Google Classroom

Almost every teacher uses Google Classroom daily. Teachers post important information on there from bellringers and assignments to test reviews and homework. When you have the app, it is much easier to check for assignments due that day. The app also comes in handy when you’re absent and want to see what you missed. For more information about Google Classroom visit the “All You Need to Know About…” tab.

  • Remind

Remind is exactly what it sounds like, a reminder. Teachers use this app to send out informative messages about homework and tests. Lots of organizations like NHS and Student Council use Remind as well for meetings and service hour opportunities. Having this app will keep you on track with what’s going on at school

  • Spotify

School causes lots of stress, and by that, I mean Milicent from Suite Life of Zack and Cody stress levels. Spotify serves as an antidepressant from school. Whether you’re on the go studying or trying to finish an essay at home, listening to music helps you focus on completing the assignment by blocking out other distractions. I would suggest making playlists that you can jam to while working.

  • Alarm Clock

Alarm clocks are a student’s best friend. They can be set for anything, anytime, and anywhere. The most common use is setting an alarm (10 alarms) for waking up. They can also be used as reminders to get off Netflix and start working on that project that is due tomorrow. Alarm clocks help you manage your time better and more efficiently.   

Ace English Class – Get Grammarly!

by | Dec 5, 2016 | Student Blog, Teacher Blog

What on Earth Is Grammarly?

You guessed it! Grammarly is an extension that is used to better improve your writing by correcting mistakes in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. This extension is super easy to use, so don’t worry! Let’s get down to business.

How do I Get Grammarly?

To get Grammarly you must first go to the Chrome Webstore. Once there, enter “Grammarly” into the search bar and hit enter. Grammarly will be the first option in the ‘extensions’ section. Click add to Chrome and Grammarly will install.

Accessing Grammarly

To access Grammarly, you must first on the all apps button at the bottom left of your screen. Click on the icon for Grammarly and the document editor will open.

How Does Grammarly Work?

Grammarly is an extension that corrects your mistakes in apps such as Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Tumblr, and basically any other place on the web that you can write. In these applications, if you spell something wrong or there is a grammatical error then a red line will appear. If you hover over it then Grammarly will pull show suggestions as to how to fix it.

Uploading Documents

Grammarly allows you to upload a wide variety of documents; these consist of .doc, .docx, .odt, .rtf, .txt files. To do this click on the icon on the toolbar that looks like a page (right under the home icon) and select upload. Choose what file you would like to upload and click open. You are now ready to edit your document!

Editing Documents

Once you have uploaded the document of your choice, you can edit it to fix the mistakes found within its contents. Grammarly will automatically highlight any mistakes and will give you helpful solutions to the problems.

Grammarly Toolbar

The Grammarly toolbar is found on the far right of the screen and consists of five buttons.

  1. The first button you will see is closest to the top of the page and looks like a house. This is your home button, titled “My Grammarly”. By clicking this icon, you can access any previously saved documents or add new ones.
  2. The second icon has the silhouette of a person and is titled “Profile”; this is where you can find all the details involving your profile.
  3. The third button found in this toolbar is “Apps”. Grammarly Apps is where you can see what Grammarly is installed on ( Google Chrome or Microsoft Word)
  4. The fourth icon is the star-shaped image named “Premium”. Premium is where you can upgrade Grammarly to get new features. Some of these features include vocabulary expanding and a plagiarism filter.
  5. The last icon on the toolbar is a power button. This is where you can sign out if you want to log into another account.

Downloading Edited Documents

If you are using Grammarly on Google Chrome to download a document to your Google Drive first click “My Grammarly”. Then, click the document you wish to download. To the right, there will be a toolbar with four icons. Click on the icon that looks like a square with a downward arrow bring up a little bar. Click on the words “Download” for the document to be downloaded to your drive.

 

Hour of Code

by | Dec 5, 2016 | Student Blog, Teacher Blog

What is Hour of Code?

Hour of code is a worldwide movement that encourages all students to code. It takes place during the Computer Science Education Week. Hour of Code is made for kids and adults alike. Plus, it’s available in over 30 languages, so everyone can participate. You don’t even need previous experience in coding, all you have to do is jump into the website, and start coding at your own pace and skill level. This is great news for students because a number of jobs that require computer science skills are on the rise. The number of students pursuing the field is not as high as the number of jobs available; therefore, there are much more computer science jobs that need to be filled.

How to Get Started

1. Planning: Hour of Code doesn’t have to just be during the Computer Science Education Week. All you have to do is plan where you want to host the hour of code either online or offline. If you don’t have a device that’s alright because coding can be done “unplugged” which means that you can use paper or other items to code. Coding doesn’t even have to be done inside. If you choose to code online, that’s great too. The coding lessons are compatible with phones, tablets, laptops, and PCs.

2. Choosing: The next step is choosing a tutorial. Just go to https://code.org/learn then pick out a lesson. There are three types of coding offered: Javascript, Blocks, and other. Blocks are the easiest and the best way to ease into coding. Javascript involves typing in the code, as opposed to stacking blocks on top of each other like in the block option. You can filter by grade, skill level, duration, and even by the type of technology in the classroom. Hour of Code integrates all different subject areas into coding such as art and history. The website has over 20 tutorials that include iconic characters from Frozen, Star Wars, and Ice Age.

3. The final step is to start coding!

For more information visit: https://hourofcode.com/us   

Make Your Diagrams Look Spiffy With Gliffy!

by | Dec 5, 2016 | Student Blog, Teacher Blog

Gliffy Diagrams is an application for chrome that you can use to create flow charts, Venn diagrams, and even floor plans. Now I know that not most people will use the floor plan option, but Gliffy Diagrams is still a super useful chart creator!

Downloading Gliffy Diagrams

To download Gliffy Diagrams, go to the chrome web store. Once there, click on the search bar and type in “gliffy” and scroll down to the section titled “Apps”. It should be the first option out of the apps. When you have found it, click add to chrome and Gliffy Diagrams will be added to your apps.

Opening Gliffy Diagrams

To access Gliffy Diagrams, click on the circular button at the bottom left of the screen. This will pull up a separate window in which you will click “All Apps” located in the bottom right of the window. After that, find the icon for Gliffy Diagrams and click on it. This will open up the application, and you can begin working.

Getting Started

The first thing that you must do before creating a diagram, is create an account for Gliffy Diagrams. (My advice would be to use your school account) Once you have done so, a window will pop up with some basics on how to work Gliffy.

What Type of Diagram Should I Choose?

Gliffy gives the choice of twelve different types of shapes and icons to use in your diagram. The twelve options are shown below:

  • Basic Shapes – this category includes basic shapes such as triangles, squares, and stars.
  • Flowchart –  this option has many unique shapes such as arrows, diamonds, and trapezoids.
  • Swimlanes – these are commonly used in process flow charts and show different steps (can be positioned vertically or horizontally)
  • BPMN – this is a more advanced flowchart. Mostly for describing processes in business.
  • Entity-Relationship – this is a graphical representation of an information system that shows the relationship between objects, people, or places.
  • Network – graphically displays interdependent relationships between groups, tasks, and steps as they impact a project.
  • Venn Diagram – this is used to compare and contrast different topics.
  • User Interface – describes how a user interacts with an application or a website. These help improve a user’s overall experience.
  • Sitemap – the sitemap option is used to organize information and direct users to certain sites, images, or any other media.
  • Floorplan – this is used to make a general outline of a floorplan in a house. You can even select a type of room and choose from a couple of items that are found in that room.

Gliffy Sidebar and Toolbar

Gliffy Diagrams has two different bars that you can use to get the best experience making a diagram; a sidebar and a toolbar. The toolbar is located across the top of the screen and is used to perform functions such as zooming in and out, adding text and shapes, and grouping objects together. The sidebar, on the other hand, is where you can pick out of twelve different categories of shapes and items for your graph.

Printing and Exporting files

Gliffy Diagrams allows you to print out the diagrams you have created or export your file. Diagrams made by Gliffy can exported as PNG, JPG, and  SVG files. To export or print these files, hover your mouse over the tab labeled “File” at the top left of the screen. A menu will drop down in which you will find many options; to print your diagrams, click “Print” at the bottom of the pop up window.

How Do I Save My Diagram?

To save your created diagrams click on the button labeled “File” and then click either save or save as. Same with printing you can save your image to your desktop or Google drive as a PNG, JPG or SVG file.

Why Choose Gliffy Diagrams?

Gliffy Diagrams is a free application that allows you to create all different kinds of charts and diagrams. The best feature about Gliffy is it’s simplicity and easy to use interface. There are a ton of options and possibilities to explore with Gliffy Diagrams!