Some years, we do a compositing project, which is a great review of using Selection tools, Layer Masks, and Adjustment Layers called the What the Animal project. Students must take numerous parts (four) of animals/insects and create a new one with some color adjustments.
Here's a video demo of me walking through this example one (you can download the PSD in the video comments on YouTube).
A few tips: 1) Make sure students sketch out an idea before they start as they collect the parts. It makes it easier to grade and helps them think about getting pics that are turned the correct direction, etc., to match. 2) Make them turn in a thumbnail sheet so you can see the images they started with (sorry, they will cheat and just find one already done online). 3) Make your own! They want to see what you come up with, too!
First off, my apologies for not being as present this school year. It's been a trying semester for me, for some reason. But, I wanted to give some updates for those who teach Web Design.
I revamped my curriculum and I'm still ironing out the details of how I want to do things, but I did create a TON of resources this summer to go with my materials. We also shifted to using Repl, a coding site, where students code in-browser. I can have them turn in projects through that, do bellringers, etc. It's working really well for us.
Here's a walkthrough video. I wanted to show you what it looks like and how to use with the kids. I will say that it always starts with a skeleton HTML file (with an embedded script that we delete), a script. js file (which we delete), and a blank css page. When I begin the class, I made the kids delete everything but the index file and then even all the content of the index file before we type everything in. At this point, they use the skeleton file and just make edits. But, you can drag and drop in other html files (if you drag in an index.html file, you will have to tell it to REPLACE the current one) and you can drag in image files from the computer as well.
I deliver materials (mostly just the links) in Canvas. I don't run it through modules or anything (yet, maybe eventually). But, here is a link to my bellringers file (which I add to as my kids need more practice). We do some of these whole class together to practice from the unit or they get 20 minutes to try to work on it and then we do it together. I don't grade any of them (I hand out stickers sometimes, though). We do a ton of practice, including self-graded practice quizzes I made on Google Forms.
I did do a hand-coding quiz the other day... they were relying too much on guessing on codes and not looking it up (they are allowed a notes page for quizzes AND for work... and some weren't even getting them out!). We practiced hand coding every day for a week because it was driving me nuts. But, they are doing much better now.
Anyway, this is a rambling post today... but I wanted you to know 1) we all struggle, 2) you are not alone, and 3) here's a resource that might help you. Oh, and if you managed to get this far... here are my "teacher recap" videos for my chapters, in case you need any help figuring out how to use some of the code.
