Big+Huge+Labs

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[|Big Huge Labs] provides a collection of free tools for turning digital images into magazine covers, posters, puzzles, trading cards and many other items. No registration is required, so you and your students can download your creations without having to provide an email address. If, however, you do want to save your work online to access it later, there is an option for educators to [|create an ad-free account.] All a teacher has to do is a create a free account and upload proof of their profession. The teacher can then start creating/uploading student accounts. Once this is done, each student will get a unique ID and password and can then save their creations online.

Connections to Strategies

 * Providing Recognition - create a magazine cover or movie poster featuring the Student of the Week
 * Reinforcing Effort - create motivational posters to be displayed in the classroom; make trading cards featuring those who have achieved great things through perseverance
 * Nonlinguistic Representation - create a magazine cover demonstrating understanding of a key concept or a unit of study; create a movie poster supporting a narrative writing assignment; students create a movie poster illustrating a persuasive writing assignment
 * Summarizing - students summarize what they've learned using the Trading Card Maker
 * Homework and Practice - use Trading Card Maker to create review cards including a picture of an object and the words/definitions/meaning
 * Cooperative Learning - students work together to gather photos to put into Mosaic Maker

Learn about Big Huge Labs
Picture Perfect: Make Your Own Motivational Posters - read this article about one educator's experience using Big Huge Labs.

Then watch the following video: media type="youtube" key="UG5l8NXQsP4" height="344" width="425"

Activity - Use Big Huge Labs to Provide Recognition

 * 1) After watching the video, "Using Big Huge Labs," go to Big Huge Labs website.
 * 2) Click on Motivator to create a motivational poster. You may choose to make a different product if you want to - the basic steps are the same.
 * 3) Upload your image. [[image:EFFORT_Poster.jpg width="300" height="240" align="right"]]
 * 4) Complete all of the information required, and click on **Create**.
 * 5) Save your creation to your computer.
 * 6) Upload the poster (or other item you created) to your //Providing Recognition// page.
 * 7) Below your image, explain how your creation could be used to reinforce effort or provide recognition. How else might you use the Big Huge Labs tools in your classroom?

Activity - Use Big Huge Labs (or other tool) to Reinforce Effort
The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate the importance of reinforcing effort by designing an inspirational piece that can be used with your students.

1. Select a person from the “Achievement Website” at [|achievement.org]. 2. Devise a unique and creative way to share the importance of “effort” in learning for your students. Consider two questions in creating your project:
 * //How did “effort” contribute to the success of the person you’ve chosen?//
 * //How do attributes of “effort” seem to be highlighted in the life of the person you’ve chosen?//

3. You may utilize Big Huge Labs to create a magazine cover, movie poster, trade cards or other product, but do not feel you have to limit yourself to this Web 2.0 tool. Glogster, Prezi, Photo Peach, Voki or many others could all be used. You might even think about including a creative rubric showing the relationship between effort and achievement. This one’s up to you. 4. Upload your creation to your //Reinforcing Effort// page. 5. Below your creation explain exactly how you would use it in a classroom situation.


 * For additional help with this activity, refer to the step-by-step instructions:** **[|BigHugeLabs.pdf]**

Extension (optional)
Explore [|A Dozen Back to School Uses for Big Huge Labs Trading Card Generator].

**[|Certificate Creator]**
A versatile tool that allows users to create and print custom certificates using a variety of templates and quality graphics.

**[|Certificate Street]**
Formerly My Award Maker, Certificate Street provides an abundance of free templates for creating award certificates.

**[|Image Generator]**
Good tool but use with caution as some examples on the site can be inappropriate for school use. You may want to try Magic 8-Ball, Clippy, or Dumbledore.

**PhotoFunia**
A site similar to Big Huge Labs with many special effects. Be warned, this site has so many fun effects you can get lost spending time here. If you upload a photo of a student, make sure that you check the " Do not publish the photo to the Faces section of the website." This site is easy to save or get embed code to use a photo you create