Creating a Graphic

 PhotoCC- By Ned Potter

Creating a graphic is not something I am very familiar with, but I quickly learned that it really wasn’t that difficult. After reading through the articles, I wasn’t sure what type of graphic I would create; a comic strip or something from Canva. I decided to go with Canva, for the simple fact that I didn’t have to download the app from iTunes or GooglePlay, I just didn’t want to have an extra app taking up space.

I quickly found out that Canva, was easy to navigate and it didn’t take much extra button pushing to figure out how to use it. After looking through the endless templates, I had to decide what I was going to create. I thought about creating an infographic that gave specific details about Speech-Language Pathology, but instead, I decided to create a certificate. The  certificate resembles what the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association would present to someone who has earned their certificate of clinical competence in Speech-Language Pathology. I used myself as an example in hopes that one day, that certificate will be official.

PhotoCC- By Alzada Drane

I would use both, Canva and a comic strip site, in my classroom. I think they are an easy way to add creativity to a piece of writing or a presentation. I thought that a comic strip would fit nicely with a writing assignment. For younger students, I think the comic strips would be fun to use in an assignment that compares and contrasts characters in a book. I would be more open to using the comic strip apps if I had iPads in my classroom, so each student could access the apps. Along with presentations, I thought it would be fun for students to make an infographic about themselves at the beginning of the year. It would be a great way for myself and other students to get to know each other along with starting off using technology right off the bat.

I would say that for the most part, I didn’t have any technical difficulties with these options, other than with the comic strips. I feel that the comic strip apps would be easier to use if I had an iPad. It also took me a while to decide what template I wanted to use on Canva, I can see students almost feeling overwhelmed with the options. You also have to pay close attention to whether the template is free or not. I was fortunate that it didn’t take long for me to navigate and understand Canva and I would hope that it would be close to the same results for my students. I love technology, but trying to navigate through sites and figure out how to get them to work can be extremely frustrating, and I do not want to add extra frustration to my student’s lives. I don’t think it would be that way though.

I enjoyed making my certificate and later, I would like to go back into Canva, and explore more of the options, maybe make a few more graphics. Overall, it was a positive experience.