This app is addictively fun and has infinite possibility for use in the classroom.
Community Review for PicsArt Photo Editor & Collage
My Take
This app is one in which teachers can extend concepts into the visual realm, something I often want to do, but pass on because of the time it takes in class. using this app, students can easily create quality art projects to engage with literature in a different way. There are numerous ways to alter the image, and students can use found images as well as class and personal images. All of the effects are high quality and alter the image enough to warrant explanation from the students. This is a tool I can see being used in class once and permanently adopted by students for their own use.
How I Use It
I teach only high school seniors, so the uses for an art-based app might seem limited. However, I teach ekphrasis in my class, which is when you verbally describe a work of art. This type of exercise serves to continue their education in close reading (in this case of an art piece) and critical analysis. I first use paintings to model the activity. Then, students read the piece of related literature. Then, as part of their final portfolio on the work, students are required to create an expressive art piece on a character using Picsart. They have to write up how their final product exemplifies the characteristics of their chosen character, then present the piece to the class, verbally practicing ekphrasis. I don't find the app useful actively in the classroom, but more as a project opportunity to then easily share on screen in the classroom.