June 19th, 2009
Free ArtRage Pro download for art teachers!
One of the cooler bits of software included with the Classmate PC is ArtRage Pro. It’s an incredibly intuitive, full-featured art program for teachers that supports Photoshop layers, a variety of drawing tools, easy application on interactive whiteboards, and really makes the user (of any age) feel like he or she is working with a realistic set of media.
I won’t belabor it’s capabilities. Tutorials are available along with community support on the Ambient Software website. Suffice to say, however, that this is a briliantly powerful tool. It isn’t just for the Classmate, though. Users of PCs and Macs can also tap into the software and now, art teachers can tap into it for free.
ArtRage actually offers a free, scaled-down version of the software on its website (the free version, by the way, is more than enough for most primary students). However, art teachers who create an account on Artsonia can download the full version at no charge through the first week in July.
Artsonia is well worth exploring in its own right. It is “the world’s largest kids art museum” and allows art teachers to share their students’ work as well as lesson plans.
The software download is not to be missed, though. Share your creations with ArtRage by linking to it in talkbacks. Even I can make interesting things in ArtRage; I’d love to see what actual art teachers can do.
Follow Chris Dawson on Twitter! Christopher Dawson is the technology director for the Athol-Royalston School District in northern Massachusetts and a member of the Internet Press Guild. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations, but always keep in mind that the opinions expressed here are his own and not those of his daytime employer, even if he talks incessantly about his day job.
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