Digitally manipulated image use in the Chinese class

Photo shop is not an easy task for me.  It took me hours to figure out how to move around the images, add colors and type text.  I designed a travel experience by using the technique.  I brought myself into the picture to show my personal experience first.  Then, students can follow the pattern to retrieve their own travel experiences. 

First, I selected the landmark of Shanghai and added myself pointing to the landmark.  (The following examples explain are used in Chinese grammar patterns)

·         I went to Shanghai                              (Subject + verb + Object)

·         I 15^th went to Shanghai                       (Subject + time + verb + Object)

·         I have never been to Shanghai            (Subject + haven’t + verb + Object)

.   The Chinese sentence pattern has its sequential orders: 

Subject + Time + Place + Verb + Object

How did I digitally manipulate the image in this photo?

1.      Shanghai landmark:  I used lasso tool to move the Shanghai landmark photo to form a new image on this one.  Then, under Edit, I selected “free transform” to change the size  

2.      I used the same technique in #1 to add myself, from a personal photo, to stand next to the Shanghai landmark

3.      I highlighted the “Sentence pattern” and “Your turn” with yellow color, which I selected from the background color tool and painted it.  I also saved each one in a layer. 

4.      Each Subject, Person, Time, Places and Verbs has its own layer to manipulate easily

From this lesson, I learned that I can manipulate an image to represent a personal experience to bring into the classroom.  It definitely gets more attention than the regular image.  The more familiar I become with photoshop techniques, the more proficient my lessons will be in the future.