Resources
We have found a number of resources, most of which are free, that will be useful to schools in making the most of their new school websites.
Image Manipulation Software
In order to display photos and opther images on the web their size and resolution first needs to be optimised. Modern digital cameras will produce photos that are great for printing out onto A4 or even A3 paper, which is massive when compared to what is required for use on a web page.
This is for Windows XP only. After download, simply accept all the defaults offered during installation. Now, when you right click on an image, or one of a selected group of images, the context sensitive menu will show a Resize option. Simply select that and step through all the defaults. New copies of the image(s) will be created at a size and resolution optimised for use on the web (640x480 pixels). Your original images will remain untouched. The image can be reduced further in size once it is inserted in a page simply by changing its dimensions in the image dialogue box.
This free photo managment and editing software will help you tough up your images before you put them on your website. It allows actions such as cropping, colour / contrast enhancemengt, red eye removal and resizing to optimum size and resolution.
Although this is commercial software it is well worth investing in. It allows a great deal of control over your images and is very user friendly. It is also very creative for children to use for 'digital art'. One of our schools, Sutton-on-Sea Community Primary School, features work by their pupils using Photoshop Elements in their Gallery.
Other Software
Is a small yet powerful Windows screen capture program for snapping (capturing) images from selected parts of the screen. This is great for snapping work that the children are doing on-screen.
The current version is capable of capturing the whole desktop, a highlighted window, an active menu, a control, or a fixed or free rectangular part of the screen. MWSnap handles 5 most popular graphics formats and contains several graphical tools: a zoom, a ruler, a color picker and a window spy. It can be also used as a fast picture viewer or converter. MWSnap does not require installation and does not need any special dlls, drivers or system files which can mess up your system. It is compatible with 32 bit versions of Windows only (XP + 32bit versions of Vista and Windows 7)
This essential free software will allow your children (and teachers!) to record and edit podcasts for playing on your school website. To export your podcast sound files in the required MP3 format don't forget to install the Lame Encoder add-on - full details on the Audacity site.
Checkout some Podcasts on the Crompton View Website and the Radio Station at Coningsby St Michael's Primary School
