Don’t Take Classroom Photos Without this App!

When I was in the classroom, I was constantly taking pictures of students learning. I was so proud of their progress and their mature interactions with each other during learning experiences. One thing that was tricky was which students I could photograph and which ones I couldn’t- and what I mean by that is which students’ photos could I publicly post on my blog based on who turned in consent forms to the school. It was VERY frustrating trying to remember which students could and could not be featured, especially because I was teaching four different classes of students in Science and two different classes in Literacy. I felt so bad asking certain kiddos to step out of the background, or apologize that I could not take their photo.

Within the last year, I started to see more classroom photos on social media and blogs with students faces blurred out or with an emoticon over their faces. I always thought that was pretty clever but did not know how these educators were doing it. Honestly, it seemed like a huge hassle and time consuming task to fix the photos after the fact so I never researched it- until yesterday.

I happened to stumble upon Chris Kesler’s blog called TpT School and found a post called “Blur Out Student Faces From Photos Using Skitch.” He even included a how-to video clip and man is it easy! Just download the FREE app, select the photo, and use the blur feature box over a student’s face. Boom, you’re done! That took all of a few seconds right on your phone and you can place it immediately on your blog or social media account.

Here’s an example:

I love that now I don’t have to select which kiddos are in the picture frame, but can just blur out whomever happens to not have the consent form at a later date. It is also great for students who used to have to sit out of a photo opportunity to still be able to participate and feel part of the class but are still protected thanks to the blur feature.

Click on the image below to download Skitch today!

Which apps are you using to blur out student faces for blog or social media shares?

About the author, Gretchen

I am a teacher trainer and coach. Working elbow to elbow with teachers and teacher leaders to ensure instructional proficiency and student achievement soar lights me up. We have a real need in our nation for strong educators to remain in the field. My blog, book, podcast, courses and instructional materials are geared towards empowering teachers (and those that lead them) to receive the support needed to grow and thrive today, tomorrow and always.

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