I was very excited about this assignment. I have had an iPhone for several years, but have not really explored education related apps. This project gave me a chance to research some art programs that I could implement into my curriculum...or so I thought.
When I began searching for "free" art related apps, I became very confident that this assignment would be a snap to complete. An overwhelming (almost sensory overload) amount of results appeared. It would take forever to research and explore them all, so I began downloading the ones that initially looked promising. I quickly added 6 new apps to my phone, and couldn't wait to dive in.
Unfortunately, my excitement was short lived as I soon realized that this assignment was going to be harder than I thought. Out of the first 6 apps, there was only one that I could really see using in my classroom, and it has some issues. I was disappointed, but still optimistic. I went back to the App Store and uploaded several more programs. As the hours passed by, I became more frustrated, but no closer to completing this task. On the bright side, I was able to pinpoint the problem.
The source of my aggravation came down to clams, doubloons, moolah, and dinero. Whatever you want to call it, MONEY was preventing me from happily moving on with this assignment. Almost all of the apps that I really wanted cost money, and the directions explicitly said to research "free" educational programs. Now, you might be thinking that many applications have "lite" or free versions of the original programs. I can easily sum up these imposter's as a big waste of time. They basically exist to show you what you're not getting, so that you break down and pay for the full version. To add insult to injury, they are riddled with annoying adds and pop-ups. While I was playing with one "kid friendly" app, a pop-up appeared that wanted to test my knowledge of guns! Wouldn't that be exciting for my ELEMENTARY school students to see...
In the end, I did find an amazing, must-have app; but unfortunately it was not free. However, I feel the cost would be insignificant when compared to the potential creativity and product this app could promote. Hopefully, exceptions will be made to include some of these extraordinary programs on the district list, even with the added expense.
Art Lite (Free)
This program is a partial version of the ART app. It features biographies of 11 famous artists, as well as examples of their artwork. It also contains a quiz section, that tests your knowledge of different masterpieces.
Even though this version is limited, (the full version features 204 artists), the included information is thorough. The 11 selected artists are important, and I already teach many lessons that are influenced by them. This would make the implementation of this app into my curriculum very easy.
One drawback to this program is that the images, while beautiful, are not all appropriate for children. Some of the paintings contain nudity that would pose a problem in my classroom. However, there is a parental control setting that would allow me to filter out any inappropriate content. This is a very helpful feature, but enabling this setting would further diminish the already narrow subject matter.
Brushes ($4.99)
This is a drawing/painting application where you can create original artworks with the tip of your finger. It also allows you to enhance existing photographs from your iPhone/iTouch gallery. The features and effects are absolutely stunning. I am still in total disbelief over the quality of artwork that has been created using this program.
The professional quality features would offer endless creative possibilities at any level. It is user-friendly, but does take some time and practice to become comfortable with all of the elements. I feel that any of my elementary student's could use this program, but certainly my older kids could take it to the next level.
In my opinion, the only drawback to this application is the cost. $4.99 is pretty expensive when compared to other iTouch programs. However, after experiencing it for myself, I found it to be worth every penny.
Below is a clip from ABC news that highlights this remarkable application.
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