MA Secondary Schools Add Digital Media to the Learning Process
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In an effort to enhance the learning experience using photos and other images, software developer Vertus has donated about 200 licenses for its software Play With Pictures to Old Rochester Junior High School and Senior High School of Mattapoisett, MA. The application allows users to manipulate photos in a variety of ways, including the use of user-designed backgrounds and a built-in color template, as well as the addition of text bubbles, to add visual interpretations of the material they study to the traditional essays and term papers.
In one junior high English class, for example, students dressed as characters from Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," took pictures of themselves, cut out their faces, and superimposed the images on creepy backgrounds for a haunting multimedia presentation.
"The kids are more engaged in the projects they've been given, and they picked up the program instantly," said John Ashley, technology coordinator for Old Rochester High School. "If we didn't make them wait to start working, they'd be finished with their projects before we even completed the demo!"
A free trial version of Play With Pictures is available for download here.
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Scott Aronowitz is a freelance writer based in Las Vegas. He has covered the technology, advertising, and entertainment sectors for seven years. He can be reached here.