Digital Art in the Classroom

Original blog post can be found here:

http://www.kindiekins.com/2014/06/digital-art-in-classroom.html

Use these apps to complement student writing, design new ways of doing things, illustrate and construct models, create story maps, or just play with form and shape!

• Adobe Sketch: Draw, sketch, and connect to a creative community of other artsy types like you! Connects to the Adobe Creative Cloud for the shared use of created pieces across platforms!
• Doodle Buddy: Simple platform for users of all ages. Can draw on pictures imported through the app. Teachers, import a pic of a worksheet and have kiddos take a screen shot of their completed work. Grade it in your p-jammies from home! Great other projects, too... illustrate the setting of a story read in stations, create a character for a story with specific character traits, etc... Simple interface makes it fun!
• Adobe Line: Fabulous app for drawing or drafting using traditional line tools. Also connects to bluetooth enabled drawing devices and pens! Also connected to the Adobe Creative Cloud!
• Art Rage: Wonderful filled with a variety of tools like watercolors, oils, and pens. Intuitive and fun! Use layers, blend colors, import photos, record your work, and get creative!
• Sketches: Beautifully responsive app for using a variety of artist mediums. Can connect to a bluetooth stylus and will respond to pressure!
• Adobe Ideas: Another beautiful app from Adobe that lets you connect with the Adobe Creative Cloud!! Connects to your pressure sensitive stylus and includes highly intuitive drawing tools.
• Paper: One of my absolute favorite drawing apps. Looks like journals, colors mix effortlessly, In-app purchases for tools & colors but try it for free! You'll fall in love. Connects to Fifty Three's really cool Pencil stylus.
• Drawing Desk: Really gorgeous app that lets you play with photos doodles, sketches, and includes a special spot specifically for kiddos!

• Draw 4 Free: Simple to use touch & play drawing app.
  
• Brushes: simple to use painting app.
• Atelier: Draw, sketch and paint your way through this beautiful and easy to use app.
• MoMA Art Lab: A favoriteof my first grade kiddos. Includes nine wonderful different "Activities" based on real artists' work. It is beautifully done & fun to use!
• Creative Kids: Fun drawing and doodling app that combines hands on real paper with the app. Play and explore! There's lots to do in this kid-friendly app!
• My First Artpad Free: Fun tools to let kiddos get creative! Paid version available.

• Toontastic & Toontastic: School Edition: Super fun & easy to use app for kiddos to draw and animate cartoons. My favorite part of this app is that it guides kids through the storytelling process. It leads them through the creation of story arc elements of "setup, conflict, challenge, climax, and resolution." You can't beat that! The school edition ($$) includes TONS of elements!!
• Big Nate: Comix by U! HD: I love this app with comics, characters, props, and storytelling capabilities. Plus, kids will recognize their favorite characters from the Big Nate series!
• Sock Puppets: One of my students' favorite apps for storytelling and puppet play. It is easy to use, fun to explore, and simply just adorable. There is a paid version available.
• Puppet WShop: Really colorful and creative app for kiddos. Free version is very simplified but is still fun. Paid version you can create and store your puppets then save to your device and use as props in your own story!

• Pixel Press Floors: Incredible app that allows for kids to draw and animate their own video games! Capture your drawings through the camera and then edit and draw in the app. This is not an augmented reality app but it has the capability to pull your real world drawing (on paper printed off their website) into the app and create your own games! In-app purchases available. Appropriate for higher level learners.
• colAR Mix: Print pages from the website, color them, and watch them come alive with augmented reality! Great for PK-2!
• Squiggle Fish: Really cute app that brings real world drawings and technology together. Kiddos draw their own fish then watch it come to life! Perfect for ages 3-7.

• Comic Life: An amazing comic software (available on desktop too) for kids & adults 4+. It's beautifully quick, easily customized, and full of inspiring tools! There are LOADS of opportunities for creativity here.
• Collins Big Cat: At the Dump Story Creator: Perfect app for PK-2 but fun for all ages. Use the adorable tools to create an animated story and find hidden treasures on every page.
• Strip Designer: Kids 9+ can import pics from the photo album or camera to create stories and comic-ish images. I can totally see this being used to create new endings to stories read aloud using pictures taken of kids in action or pictures taken of their illustrations! Lots of creative options for this easy to use app!
• Halftone: Comic-ish photo editor. I can totally see this being used to illustrate/create character maps!!
• Halftone 2: Using the same simple genius of the original Halftone app, Halftone 2 allows you to create comic book pages with pics and images. So many wonderful options that could get kids thinking digitally and creatively in retelling stories or designing elements for their own original tales.
• Toontastic & Toontastic: School Edition: Super fun & easy to use app for kiddos to draw and animate cartoons. My favorite part of this app is that it guides kids through the storytelling process. It leads them through the creation of story arc elements of "setup, conflict, challenge, climax, and resolution." You can't beat that! The school edition ($$) includes TONS of elements!!
• Big Nate: Comix by U! HD: I love this app with comics, characters, props, and storytelling capabilities. Plus, kids will recognize their favorite characters from the Big Nate series!
• Zoodle Comics: 4+ Create and publish comics on the iPad. Has really cute options for kiddos to explore. Simple interface and adorable stickers that even the youngest kiddos will be able to easily navigate.

• Typic Kids: Simple and fun photo editor specifically targeted for kids 6-8 but PreK & K kiddos would be able to use it easily. Lots of options and easy to use. Paid version available to unlock even more options for kiddos to use.
• Pocket Art Lab: Specific for ages 9-11 but So adorable you should give younger kiddos a chance at it, too. Take a picture, place stickers, insert text... lots of options to enhance photographs.
• Snapseed: This is a really beautifully designed app for photo editing. It is my absolute favorite and have pictures hanging in my home that have been edited with the tools in this app. I think kiddos in grades 2+ could navigate it with ease but younger kids would enjoy it after some guided practice. This could really help inspire some beginning photographers to get creative with picture taking!
• Friend Strip Kids Pro: Specifically for kids ages 6-8 but Prek & K could use it, too! Using the camera app and your wild imagination you can bring "family-themed" activities to life! Take time to explore this one. Kids will really enjoy putting themselves into the available story lines.

• Kids Journal: Really cute & kid-friendly journalling app for multi-student use. Not sure how many kiddo accounts can be loaded into one app but it is a simple way to help kiddos learn the joy of digital journals!
• Write About This: Super cute apps with visual prompts for students to respond to. Free version includes a LOT but there is a paid version available.
• Kidblog: My absolute favorite app for student sharing & writing. Its safe can be shared with other classes in other places of the world, and can be easily monitored by teachers and parents! The kids LOVE this app but also use the web version with ease. Think globally and give this one a shot. It will open up a whole new world for your students.

I am a Kindergarten and First Grade teacher in Texas with a passion for art and technology.

Email: naminstars@sbcglobal.net
Website: www.kindiekins.com
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Twitter: @kindiekins