Birch Lane Students Explore Digital Art

From Massapequa Schools: Young artists at Birch Lane Elementary School recently traded in their markers and paintbrushes for computers as they got their first chance to explore the digital arts.

The Massapequa School District’s expansion of its 1:1 Chromebook initiative to the upper elementary grades is giving teachers in all subject areas an opportunity to create technology-based lessons. Birch Lane fourth-graders arrived in Melinda Gibbons’ art room with their devices in hand to do a photo editing assignment.

The students learned how to work with layers to make changes to the famous Mona Lisa painting by adding hats, sunglasses and background objects using Chromebook app Pixlr Editor. Ms. Gibbons explained that the purpose of the project was to give students a basic knowledge of computer graphics and show them that there is more to photo editing than just adding filters to pictures taken on a camera phone.

The assignment gave students a head start if they eventually take computer art, new media and digital photography courses offered at Massapequa High School. As a follow-up project, the fourth-graders will take their own digital photos outside and edit them on the computer.

Photo courtesy of Massapequa School District