Skitch, Part 2- Educational Uses

As a technology teacher who has multiple job responsibilities- such as teaching K-5 students, providing technology professional development to staff, and providing support for teachers when technological problems arise, I have found Skitch to be extremely helpful.

I have used Skitch to capture images or important information from my computer, highlighted what I want them to notice, and then shared the images with my students as part of the lesson. Having the application needed opened on the board for students to see can sometimes get confusing when they glance from the board to their computer. Using Skitch and taking a screenshot ahead of time, which has specific parts of the application circled or with hints of what to do, helps the students more independently complete the task.

One of my first educational experiences with Skitch and podcasting combined was when I had to obtain a substitute but didn’t want my students to miss the lesson that was scheduled. So, using Skitch I took a screenshot of the activity the students were to access on the computer. I circled and created text that contained directions on how to complete the activity. Since the screenshots were .jpg files, I dragged them into iPhoto, and using GarageBand, I created a podcast that showed the .jpg images and also had my voice verbally explaining what students were to do for the day. Basically I was teaching my class without being there. All the sub had to do was hit play on the podcast—and monitor student behavior of course! This was one of my first podcasts and as a result I cut out parts of my screenshot made using Skitch- not a glitch in Skitch!

Another educational use for Skitch is when creating directions. In my case, I create a lot of How-To guides for my staff. Going through step-by-step on how to create or use a piece of technology with screenshots is extremely helpful for those reading the directions. With Skitch, I can circle and point to exactly where I need the reader to pay close attention to on the screenshot.

To have an account with Skitch you do have to have an email address. My elementary students are not permitted to have accounts so they cannot directly use Skitch. If your school is similar, you could download Skitch and have students come up and circle, add text, etc. using your computer. This way, students could use and understand the image sharing program and at the same time be reviewing the directions (that you have just given) with the class or sharing a certain selection of a project they have created.

Here is another Skitch example- a map of the first floor of my school, color coded and labeled with room assignments.

Want more ideas and information? Check out the Skitch blog!