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.
Adobe Capture CC [2]
What’s It Like?
Use Adobe Capture CC to help students pick out (and use!) the subtle details and elements of design and art in everything from magazines to photos to everyday objects like wallpaper. Task students with using Capture to extract color values, shapes, patterns, textures, and even brush strokes from the world around them, whether through a mission-based activity (like going out to a museum) or just in their daily routines. Once they’ve assembled a library of assets (which they can put into a digital mood board and present to the class), have students unleash Capture’s power by overlaying their curated visual assets onto other images to create mini-mashups. After that, have students export Capture’s asset library to other Adobe apps (like Photoshop) to create finalized projects such as composite posters for school events, custom composite images for a class YouTube channel, or a Facebook banner.
Price: Free
Grades: 3-12
Rating: 4/5
Pros: Access to granular photo elements; ability to create and share photo element libraries; fully compatible with Adobe CC apps.
Cons: The Vector Capture tool is a step down from the previous version; no in-app access to FAQs or other support.
Bottom line: The rare combo of “wow” factor and utility, this tool help students recognize and use the designed world around them.