Smilebox - Emerging Technology 2

Picture collage created with Smilebox

I decided to try Smilebox for my second emerging technology. This program allows users to upload pictures from their digital photo file and decoratively arrange them in pre-developed templates in order to create calendars, scrapbooks, photo albums, postcards, collages and more. You can even add music to play in the background while people are viewing your photos. There are many options to choose from but users need to beware because there are also upgraded options that cost money.
The site is very user-friendly but I have to admit that it was difficult to do what I had originally intended with this program. My goal was to create a flower journal of all of the flowers that I have noticed around my property this spring. I love taking pictures of flowers so I already had quite a few to work with and the past few weeks have brought out many more. The idea was that I would post a picture and alongside would be the name and a few facts about the flower. After extensive time searching through different options that said they would work for journaling, I could not find any templates that really fit my idea. So, for the sake of finishing this project by its deadline, I needed to rethink my project. I still wanted to share some of the flowers with everyone in the class, so I chose a collage which I feel is still very effective although not quite as educational.
This technology is a great option to use for class projects. I think that my journal idea will still work but I just need to find the ideal program. My niece’s third grade teacher used a program similar to this one to create a slideshow with music in the background. The show recapped the year using pictures she had taken of the class during different events. She saved it to a disc for each student to take with them on their last day of school along with a self-addressed stamped envelope so they could send her a letter over the summer. The slideshow was beautifully done and my family and especially my niece were deeply moved by this gesture. It’s amazing how something that can take just a small amount of time to create can mean so much to another person. I love how her teacher used this technology to really let her students know that she care about them.