What it is: Picasa is a free download from Google that helps you organize, edit, share, and create using photos. The edit feature allows you to fix red-eye, crop, and fix any blemishes or scratches. Picasa lets students create turning photos into movies, collages, and slideshows. Picasa also makes it easy to upload albums to the web to share. Picasa has been around for a while as a Google tool but the big news this week is the release of the beta version of Picasa for Macs. The neat thing about the Mac Picasa release is its integration with iPhoto. The features are pretty neat and definitely worth a look for either platform but with the announcement of iPhoto ’09 yesterday, they aren’t as impressive. HOWEVER, Picasa is completely free while iPhoto ’09 is not.
How to integrate Picasa into the classroom: Picasa is a great way to organize photos you are taking of your classroom in action. Create a web album, parents always like to see the great things their kids are learning. Students can use Picasa to organize images they find online or pictures they take on a field trip. These pictures can then be used to create a movie, collage, or slideshow directly in the Picasa software. Students could create a class story in pictures, create a movie out of it and share it with other grades. Students can also collect historical images, scientific images, etc and easily create a movie or slideshow displaying their knowledge.
Tips: Picasa is available for Macs in beta version and Windows and Linux based in alpha.
Leave a comment and tell us how you are using Picasa in your classroom.
Hi Kelly,
I have heard others talking about Picasa for a while and on the strength of your post I decided to have a look.
At home I do use a Mac and am quite familiar with iPhoto. After a quick download and import of my photos Picasa did seem very similar to my current version of iPhoto, so much so that I think it would be very easy to use Picasa instead.
However, given that iPhoto is native to Mac and integrates with the other Mac apps so easily, I don’t think I’d replace iPhoto with Picasa. with the release of iPhoto 09, I think I’d also prefer to pay for the upgrade.
BUT, at school we have pcs, and it’s great to see an app that I can install on our network that will let staff and students do easily what I’ve been doing at home for years.
So, great software if you don’t already have a Mac with iPhoto, and thanks for getting me to have a look at it.
My students LOVE Picnik.com! Have you checked it out? I highly recommend it. We are able to take pictures using photobooth, upload them to iphoto, and easily upload them to Picnik. It’s so easy even my 2nd graders do it. They have a ton of fun with this and those with Facebook pages have continued to use it and upload their pics directly from and to Facebook (as well as other social networking sites).
Check it out when you get a chance!
Wow, this sounds like a really good idea. I teach fifth grade, do you think the program is grade appropriate?
Bobbie,
Picasa is absolutely a winner for 5th graders, it is very easy to use, they will catch on in no time!
Can Picasa be downloaded for free, or is it software that the school would need licensing for?
Picasa is a free download from Google!