Cool Tool Review - PicMonkey

For this week’s Cool Tool review, I used the website PicMonkey. It is picture editing software. Some of it is free, and other effects are only for paying users. All of the effects I used on the two pictures I edited were free.

The website is very easy to use. You just click on the effect you want to use, and it either automatically does it or you apply it with a brush. There are some things you might need to look up to figure out exactly what they are, such as the exposure of the image. There’s not much of a learning curve, you just need to figure what you do and do not want to use. The website also has the option of making collages, which I’m using to do before and after of the pictures I edited.

I did two edits. One was just a simple edit, using a filter on the picture, blurring out the background, and using the auto adjust for the website to automatically change things such as exposure. Here is a before and after.

You can see a clear difference in the pictures – the first doesn’t look as bright.

The second edit I did was using their seasonal editing software. I made a picture of my boyfriend and myself into a vampire and a zombie using tools that changed our skin color and added fangs and blood.

Obviously there’s a difference here.

  

Using this tool in the classroom would vary by age. With older kids, especially in middle school and high school, you could use it show how different an image can be from the original. This could especially help girls because it would be able to highlight the fact that editing a picture can remove acne, even out skin tone, make someone thinner, and even add makeup. This could potentially help with self-esteem, because a huge problem with modern day media is the unrealistic ads that we see every day portraying perfect people. It could integrate into TPACK as a tool used in a health class for a lesson regarding mental health and self-image.

With younger kids, it might be a little harder to integrate. It could very well be a fun activity seasonally – editing class photos for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, etc. It could possibly be used for TPACK as a tool when children are learning about different holidays as they school year progresses, as there are stickers on the holiday pages that you can put on the image.  It could show them things such as menorahs for Hanukkah, Christmas trees for Christmas, American flags for Labor Day, etc.

I would use this tool in the classroom because pictures are everywhere. Smart phones have changed the general way of life in that you can take a picture at any time. You used to need a camera and film handy, and now you have a high quality camera in your pocket. Integrating PicMonkey into the classroom would be a step further than just integrating a camera into the classroom. There could be a classroom digital camera used to document what is happening in a classroom, and the children could take turns editing pictures of what’s been happening. Those pictures could be used in a newsletter sent to parents to show what’s going on in the class on a regular basis.

This web application is something students can easily use. It is easy to use because it is so intuitive. There’s no complicated way to edit the image or software you need to learn, you just click and drag your mouse. The biggest issue I can see is something you have to use a very small tool for some things, which could definitely be an issue for younger kids that have more hand eye coordination issues. Older students, however, should have no real issues.

Students could also edit their own pictures along with classroom pictures, and could use any computer. I visited the website on my smart phone, and the webpage says it’s not yet available on mobile but that they’re working on an application for it.  It is definitely an effective web application to use, and does exactly what it is intended to do.