Hey there parents and students!

I know that I LOVE pictures and I’m sure some of you do, too.  In this age of technology, there’s got to be ways in which we can share our photos and memories of learning at MRA in safe, secure ways.  I’ve presented two options below, both of which I will make available to you.  One is using features on this website.  Another is Snapfish.  They have their pros and cons, but with the combination, we should be able to collaboratively enjoy the memories and exciting times shared with our Seniors.  Refer back to this blog post for how both of the options work.

I’ve been getting to know my website and blog a bit more lately.  It takes a lot of trial and error, messing around with the settings and features, and not being afraid of the technology.  Some of you may relate to the fear I sometimes have when starting to use a new piece of technology.  It takes some getting used to.  After a while though, I get to where I feel comfortable and confident with it, and I hope you also find those successes in your technological exploration. 

I’ve recently discovered that when I create a photo slide show and post it on the site, you can download the pictures from there.  When you glide your mouse over the slide show box, buttons appear.  

The downside to this type of photo sharing is that the only way we can share is if I have the pictures on the website.  I have a limited number of bites available on the webpage (for the free version) so I will be changing pictures periodically and cannot keep all the pictures up for long periods of time.  The other downfall is that you (the parent or student) share your photos with any of us.  This option only allows one-way sharing (from me to you.)

This is NEW to our MRA Senior communication and new to me as well.  Mr. Workentin suggested it to me when we were at ODS as a way to share pictures from our week of activities and camp.  “Snapfish” has a similar name to “Snappages” but is a different site.  Perhaps the similar name will help us remember them both.  With Snapfish, we can all share photos on a group page.  This means anyone with the password can upload pictures to the group and choose what photos they want to download.  So if Bronco (Mr. W) has great pictures from ODS, he can put them on the site and I could download them from home and have copies of the pictures.  Students can also upload their photos to the group page and we can all share.

The downside to Snapfish is that it is another name and password to remember.  Parents and students would have to create an account if they wanted access to it.  If this is too much, then parents and students could elect not to use this site or it’s offers.  Snappages is free, but it also has things that can be ordered (prints, photobooks, etc.) which is how they make their money.  If you do a lot of photo printing anyway, it’s a site that you might like.  Otherwise it may seem like a hassle.  It is up to you if you want to use this service or not.

Below, I’ve copied an explanation by snapfish of why you have to create an account to use their site.

Our group room's name: MRA Seniors
I'll send out an email with the invite to the group and the password information.  The password helps keep our students pictures and information safe.  Follow the link below to our group:
mraseniors.snapfish.com/snapfish

Le'ts give it a try for a while.  Like this website, it will take some trial and error.  Thank you in advance for being patient with me as we figure out the glitches.  

I will continue making pictures, videos, and other media available to you in as many ways as I can.  It is my hope that you choose the method of participation that works best for you. 

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, or feedback, I look forward to hearing from you.  Thank you for bringing such wonderful, creative, and photogenic students to MRA. 

Mrs. Nilsen