BP4_PhotoPeach

Image provided by www.photopeach.com

The image you see here is a screenshot of the second web 2.0 tool I’ve chosen: Photo Peach. This tool is a slideshow creator that utilizes images, sound, text and video into online presentations that can then be posted to various URLs. Since my AR project is the incorporation of digital storytelling in the classroom, it’s necessary that I have a platform for students to create their own photo stories as assignments. One of my deciding factors to a site such as Photo Peach is its availability of use. Though the computer labs that my students have access to through the college are equipped with imacs (meaning the availability of software such as iMovie and Powerpoint), they are not open on a consistent enough basis to give students adequate “out of class” time to work on their projects.  This has been a frustration for some time because instructors have to allow a large portion of their class time to be used as a lab. Most of my students now have computers at home so by incorporating a tool such as Photo Peach that doesn’t require additional software, students are still able to upload and design their stories out of class. This tool alone will enable the class time to be more centered on discussions, showing more advanced techniques, and instructor/student as well as student/student interaction.

I can’t begin to express what the incorporation/presence of this tool, alone, will do for my students. My entire focus and platform for teaching/learning is shifting to a much more collaborative process. Due to Photo Peach being based on user-generated content, I imagine students incorporating their favorite music and personal text to give their stories more meaning and personality, thus inviting richer feedback from viewers/classmates.

The networking feature was another reason for choosing this particular tool. I’m sure the social interaction available on Photo Peach will be one of the favorite features to my students. The site offers the ability to view and comment on classmates work as well as to anyone else who has posted a slideshow on the site. A user can also subscribe to a particular creator and be notified as new posts are made to the site. It will build relationships/networks that the classroom alone couldn’t do. In addition, by incorporating a group project through Photo Peach, I can modify my curriculum on documentary photography in the hopes of encouraging more projects that reflect students’ lives, our community and their college experience. By expanding my “big picture” view, I see how creating a Photo Peach digital story in class will spill over into college events such as our annual student art show. For example, I foresee every year that the digital photography class could attend the show, document it, and finally assemble a presentation that represents the evening for view afterwards. What a wonderful project for their resumes and for the college to have as a collection of presentations year after year!

The ability of Photo Peach to be linked to additional URLs leaves even more room for networking potential. Though I’m a little nervous at the kinks that will have to be worked out, I am confident of the overwhelming benefits that will be produced by the incorporation of Photo Peach. Through more meaningful assignments, richer class dialogue and a connectedness to an outside community of slideshow creators, I will achieve a higher level of engagement in my classes. Here's the a link to Photo Peach so you can try it in your classroom!

http://photopeach.com/home