Visual Learning Tools and Productivity Tools Experiences
The visual learning tool I used was Canva. I have a good amount of experience with Canva as I have used it throughout this program. As a challenge, I opted to use the poster templates. Schroeder (2021) emphasizes the importance of having a basic design that does not interrupt the learning, but merely reinforces it. So, after browsing different templates with the basic design in mind, I experimented with some of the advanced features, such as the animations of different elements and their position and layering capabilities (Clark & Clark, 2022). This tool was easy to use as it provided many resources for design ideas if you were not sure where to start. In addition, the undo feature made inserting and undoing different elements stress free. I would highly recommend this tool to other educators as an alternative to any media graphics and presentations applications. It is easy to navigate and offers many noteworthy templates within the Education tab. Visual literacy should be encouraged in the classroom for a variety of reasons, such as: it develops life skills, it teaches students to think critically, and it supports language development and other learning needs (Watts, 2023). Productivity tools offer some of that additional support by simplifying tasks or providing quick access. The browser extensions I used were Popsicle Sticks and Power Thesaurus. The two add-ins I explored were Pickit and Vertex42 Template Gallery. All of these productivity tools were new to me. I chose them because they worked with the Microsoft Edge browser and the Office 365 suite. The difficulty was not in their use, but in deciding which tools to explore. I found that Google has a greater variety of tools and even searching for ideas, most suggestions were catered to Chrome. I would recommend all four of these productivity tools to educators because they are easy to use and offer additions to the Microsoft Suite applications. Resources that teachers can use to learn more about these tools are listed below:
Ideas for Implementing the Tools in the Classroom
Visual literacy refers to the ability to interpret, understand, and create visual images and representations. Students should not only be able to understand visual content, such as photographs, diagrams, charts, paintings, and videos, but they should also be able to create effective visual messages. One way that educators can ensure that students have the opportunity to create is through project-based learning. In the module video, it is clear to see how the skills from visual literacy easily translate into students being able to learn through projects which results in higher engagement and deeper content knowledge (Edutopia, 2018). Please see below for ideas for implementing visual learning tools and productivity tools in the classroom and in project-based learning:
Visual Learning Tools and Productivity Tools Evaluations
Digital Tool Evaluation - Canva Digital Tool Evaluation - Popsicle Sticks Digital Tool Evaluation - Power Thesaurus Digital Tool Evaluation - Pickit Digital Tool Evaluation - Vertex42 Template Gallery
Browser Extensions
Popsicle Sticks Pros:
Power Thesaurus Pros:
Popsicle Sticks
Power Thesaurus
Add-Ins
Pickit Pros:
Vertex42 Template Gallery Pros:
Pickit
Vertex42 Template Gallery
References
Clark, J. L. a. S., & Clark, J. L. a. S. (2022). 10 Amazing features of Canva for Education. TechNotes Blog. https://blog.tcea.org/top-features-canva-for-education/ Combining The Gold Standard with 21st Century Technology. (n.d.). PBLWorks. https://www.pblworks.org/blog/combining-gold-standard-21st-century-technology Edutopia. (2018, October 21). Projects and Project-Based Learning: What’s The Difference? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhwuQU2-g5g Edutopia. (2020, November 19). How simple visual cues can improve your teaching materials [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NspVK9p_e_I Georgia Standards. (2023). GeorgiaStandards.org. https://www.georgiastandards.org/Georgia-Standards/Pages/default.aspx Gonzalez, J. (2023, June 21). Let’s make better slideshows | Cult of pedagogy. Cult of Pedagogy. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/slideshows/ Malamed, C. (2021). ELC 054: Do learners understand your instructional graphics? The eLearning Coach. https://theelearningcoach.com/podcasts/54/ PBLWorks. (2019, June 5). Tiny House project [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2gBFlPEZ2Q Schroeder, S. (2021). Using lessons from visual design to make better materials for students. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-lessons-visual-design-make-better-materials-students Tutt, P. (2021). How—and why—to introduce Visual Note-Taking to your students. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-and-why-introduce-visual-note-taking-your-students/ Watts, C. (2023, July 19). What is Visual Literacy? The Hub | High Speed Training. https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/what-is-visual-literacy/
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AuthorMari Mullen Archives
December 2023
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