Create an avatar or icon

Essential Questions

• What is special to you and about you?
• What is important to you?
• How can these things come together as a visual representation of you?
• How will creating and using a visual representation of yourself help someone online relate to your life and get to know you?

Gather your thoughts and create an avatar/icon

1. On paper, write, map or draw what is essential about you. In the center of a piece of paper, draw a large outline of your favorite shape. Around the outside of the shape, write the answers to these questions:

Option 1: Use Google Docs Drawing (Screencast by Evelyn S from BASH)

Option 2: Jump In at Splashup.com

2. Either "Jump Right In" or Sign up/Sign in at http://www.splashup.com/ and Click Edit Images.

Alternatives include (These all require downloading and installation unlike splashup which is web-based):

clkr.com (http://www.clker.com)

Gimp (http://www.gimp.org)

Pixen (http://opensword.org/Pixen/)

Paint.net (http://www.getpaint.net/index.html)

If you choose: "Jump Right In" you'll get a floating window workspace ready for you to start

• File --> New Image
• Name: FirstNameAvatar
• Width: 480 Height: 600.
• OK

3. Explore several different ways to create a background layer. Try all of these before you decide how you want to make your final background.

• You will see the following panels: Tools, Info, Color, Layers
• In Tools: One at a time, click on the Box, Circle, and Polygon
  • Change the color.
  • Drag your cursor from the top left to the bottom right corner.
• Click the Gradient
  • Add and change colors in the Colors panel
  • Click on the Image and drag until you see colors
  • Click Radial
  • Click anywhere in the image, and drag your mouse, while holding the left button
• Click Marker, Line, Pencil, and/or Brush
  • Draw and paint using different colors.
  • Explore the different options (especially under the Paintbrush).
• Use Filters on the top menu
  • Choose your favorite two colors for the Foreground and Background colors.
  • Click Clouds in the Fiters.
  • Try the other Filter options.

4. (Optional) Use the Text tool to type your name.

• Format: size, color, font
• Click on the image area to insert your text
  • Notice that a new layer is created each time you click.
  • Find out how to add and delete layers in the lower right box.
• Choose the move icon (arrow) to place your text exactly where you want it.
• Click "Apply Move" In the Options box. (If you don't do this last step, the program will freeze and you'll loose your work.)

Save

5. Save your work to your computer or flash drive

• File > Save Image > My Computer >Save
• It will say JPG
• Click Save
  • A window will pop up with your hard drive
  • Choose a location
  • Add .jpg to the Name of your file.
  • Click Save
  • A Pop-Up will say "wait"
  • Then the Pop-Up will say "Save Complete"
  • Click OK

Upload a photo... to your Profile Photo

6. Add your image as your Avatar on your Profile on Youth Voices.

• Login
• Go to Member Home
• Click My Profile, then Edit
• Find Picture and upload the image you saved in #5 above.
• Click Save

Talk about your icon and embed your YouTube Playlist into your Profile page

Written directions for this screencast are below.

1. If you haven't done it yet, log in to your gmail account; go to YouTube; create a channel with your username; make a playlist called Detox.
2. Even if you've already uploaded videos to your channel and put them into your playlist, do another one now. Talk about the different elements of your icon and how they respresent something important about you.
3. Go to your Youtube account, and click on the Upload button at the top.
4. Click on the icon on the lower, right-hand side of the screen to Record from webcam. This should bring your webcam and microphone on and you can start recording. (You may need to get help from a teacher or a peer who knows how to turn permissions on at this point.)
5. Once you've recorded and uploaded your video, go to the video manager (which is under your icon and username).
6. The Uploads tab should appear. Click in the box next to your new video, and go to Add to. Put this video into your Detox Playlist. (If you haven't set up a playlist for Detox, do that now, and add this video into that playlist.)
7. Next, click on the Playlist tab, then click edit. (This is only necessary to do after you have more than one video in the playlist.)
8. If your new video is at the bottom of the list, click the box next to that video, then click Actions and Move to the top. Your most recent videos should be at the top of your playlist and the oldest ones at the bottom.
9. Don't forget to Save your playlist before leaving this page.
10. Now let's get the Embed code for the entire playlist (not just one of the videos). On your Detox playlist, click the Share button at the top, to Share or embed this playlist.
11. Click the Embed button, and choose the 640 x 360 size.
12. Copy the code that should be highlighted (Ctrl-C.)
13. Go to your Bio Box on Youth Voices. (Log in -> Member Home -> My profile -> Edit -> Bio -> Bio box)
14. Paste your embed code under the title for the Detox section of your Profile page: <h1>Detox: Notice. Dream. Connect. Do.</h1>
15. On a line between the Detox title and your new YouTube embed code add a title: <h2>My Vlog</h2>
16. Study the code carefully to be sure there are no mistakes, then hit Save at the bottom and View at the top. This is what the code looks like:

    <h1>Detox: Notice. Dream. Connect. Do.</h1>
    <h2>My Vlog</h2>
    <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=YOURuniqueCODE&amp;hl=en_US" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

17. Okay, so now when you record a video journal for Detox, you just have to make sure it gets to the top of your Detox playlist on YouTube so that others can see it on your Youth Voices Profile. Have fun!