Review of Smilebox

Name of the Tool:  Smilebox URL of the Tool:  www.smilebox.com Please select the one, primary category for this tool: Communication Tool, Collaboration Tool, Productivity Tool, Creativity Tool, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving Tool, Reflection Tool, Feedback Tool, Networking/Social Tool, Presentation Tool Please describe this tool in your own words in about 150-250 words:  Smilebox is a free program downloadable from the internet that allows you to create slideshows, scrapbooks,  photo albums or collages to share in multiple formats (email, Facebook, blog).  If you opt to obtain a subscription to Club Smilebox for $39.99 per year, you can also print your creation or save it to DVD.  Smilebox is a nice alternative to simply pulling up your digital photos on your laptop or TV and flipping through them while your friends and family watch.  The real benefit would be in sharing a fantastic pictorial experience (such as travel) or pictures of the grandchildren over long distances with friends and family out of town.  It also makes looking at pictures fun!  You can add music, control the number of pictures on a page, and even add text.  The best part is that the memories are preserved in a fun format that can be enjoyed for years to come.  Of course, no web tool is complete these days without an iPhone app, and Smilebox delivers.  You can download the free iPhone app which lets you create Smilebox content on your phone.  I would recommend learning the computer tools first as the iPhone version is not as robust or as easy to use. Try using the Tool (you may need to sign up for a free or trial account) so that you will learn how it works and what its capabilities are - and so that you will be able to answer the following questions. What do you need to know before using this tool? (What skills do you need to have?)  Basic computer skills are a must.  Previous experience working with photos in a drag-and-drop format is a plus, but not a requirement. What do you need to have before using this tool? (Resources)  A computer with internet access.  Photos.  Friends and family to share with.  If applicable, please create an example with this tool and either embed in your blog or submit the URL.

Make your own scrapbooking design 10.  Please describe a scenario of how you might use this tool in a teaching environment (150-250 words)  My demonstration scrapbook is a good example of how this tool can be used in a teaching environment.  I made this scrapbook to educate obstetrics and gynecology residents about a rural healthcare facility in Tanzania where they will be working for the next year.  Neither of these individuals have visited the facility, but i was there last week and took photos.  The two physicians don't live in Houston and I needed an efficient way to share this information with them across distance.  The purpose of this scrapbook was really just to share information with these physicians, but i can also imagine using this type of scrapbook to teach US residents about  healthcare in low resource settings.  The majority of US physicians will never have the opportunity to visit rural Africa, and this would be an ideal means of introducing them to those healthcare environments. 11.  What are the advantages of using this tool in a teaching environment? The advantage of this tool in a teaching environment is that it is fun and interesting.  It would certainly hold someone's attention more than a block of text might.  It is also appealing to those individuals who are visual learners.   12.  What are the disadvantages of using this tool in a teaching environment? The disadvantage would be that the tool is relatively simple and there is a lack of control over some features that would improve it's use in education.  For instance, there are limits to the number of photos that can be uploaded, the speed of the slideshows, and limits on the amount of text that can be included. 9.  How do you use this tool? (Write the basic steps using a numbered list.)   Before you can use Smilebox, you need to go to the website and download the software to your computer.  then open the software from your computer and follow the steps below. You will see this screen after you pick personalize.  Be patient...