Ed. note: App of the Week picks are now being curated by the editors of Common Sense Education [1], which helps educators find the best ed-tech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. Click here [2]to read the full app review.
PicMonkey Photo Editor [2]
What’s It Like?
PicMonkey is an engaging photo-editing and graphic design tool for customizing pictures and images by applying effects, filters, and overlays such as text, drawings, and stickers (know that some stickers include toilet humor and alcoholic beverages, but it’s nothing too severe). While there are limited text-effect options and no background remover tool, PicMonkey is a great photo editor built for sharing creations online.
Price: Free, Paid
Grades: 8-12
Rating: 4/5
Pros: Excellent online resources and tutorials; paint-on editing feature gives precision to creations.
Cons: Built-in styles, themes are a bit kitschy. Free version has ads and no cloud storage.
Bottom line: A great, social media-friendly option for teaching teens design, layout, and photo editing, but the paid version is more competitive with other tools.