Skitch – Snap. Mark up. Send.

Freemium!

Skitch allows users to annotate pictures, album photos, web pages, maps, PDFs, or diagram a blank page. When launched, Skitch greets users with a screen wherethey are able to choose the type of media they would like to annotate. To begin creating their Skitch, users can upload an image into the workspace for annotation by taking a picture with their tablet’s camera, selecting a photo from their album, finding a location on a map, searching the web for an image or entering in a specific URL, opening a PDF, or loading a blank page. From there, users can annotate their Skitch with various tools that includes: arrows, text, markers, highlighters, X bubbles, smiley faces (with additional text and arrow functions), and pixelate functions. Plus, Skitch provides users with the ability to clear annotations, undo annotations, crop their work, or share their work via Evernote, Twitter, message, email, Facebook, or save to users’ photos and more.

Instructional Ideas

1. As part of a close read activity, teachers can convert a text to a PDF and have students upload it from a website or cloud to their device. Next, teachers can have students (re)read the text multiple times. For the first read, students can annotate it for the text’s main idea. For the second read, teachers can have students annotate it for its details and key vocabulary. Between the second and third read, teachers can present students with questions. Students will then have to (re)read the text a third time and annotate text-based evidence that corresponds to the questions. Each annotation can happen on a new copy of the text, or students can re-annotate their text using different colors.
2. Students can use this app to annotate screen shots of a novel’s text, either as a PDF or web page. Students can use the highlight, text, draw, and other functions to point out key plot points, vocabulary, and more!
3. Students can use this app to annotate a map of a geographic area or famous battle using the provided annotation tools.
4. Students can use the camera function to take a picture of art work. Then, with the annotation tools, students can put out what they liked or did not like about the piece, and/or offer ideas for improving it.
5. Teachers can use this app to annotate over, correct, and/or comment on students’ work.
6. As a homework assignment, teachers can have students find an object that relates to the topic being studied in class. Students can then take a picture of the object using this app and use the annotation tools to explain how/why the object relates back to the topic being studied.

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