The tool that I am choosing to present is Canva. Canva is an online application that allows you to create multiple graphic design publications, such as social media posts, documents, blogging and eBooks, marketing materials, event invitations, and advertisements. I located Canva in high school after my yearbook teacher introduced it to us to complete a project.

 

Summary of Usage:

To use Canva to its maximum extent, students and teachers must have basic graphics and computing skills to create imaginative designs. Canva allows users to create professional or personal designs for any area. Within Canva, you can use different design tools and applications to personalize your project any way you would like. Tools that are included are pictures, layout options, stickers, and various other elements to make the projects more creative. Canva allows you to explore many options as to what you want to create. It gives detailed tutorials and outlines as to how to use Canva as efficiently as possible. Each graphic design option has its own instructions and examples to better suit the needs of the user. Designs made from Canva can be used for personal media outlets, school assignments, and business portfolios. In a future classroom, teachers could use Canva to create exciting posters or assignment sheets to present to their students to help explain lessons. Students can also use this tool as a means of completing school projects or tasks. Canva has different purposes that allow it to be used for many state standards.

 

Selection Criteria:

I chose Canva because of its unique capabilities and its free applications. Users can either choose to use Canva for no charge or upgrade to Canva Premium and receive benefits, such as unlimited pictures and other tools. When using it for free, there are additional charges for some applications, but users do not have to use them. Canva allows students to assemble creative presentations and graphic designs, unlike most other tools. Canva also contains visually appealing designs that relate to students in today’s generation. The website itself looks very well put together and easy to use. This tool can be used by both teachers and students. Teachers can utilize Canva to compile information to create projects assigned in class or for personal use, for things such as social media or their resume’s. For educational purposes, Canva does not have specific criteria, meaning it can be used for any school subject. Teachers can use Canva as a means for creating project assignments or posters to give to students or hang in their classrooms. Canva is a very valuable tool because you can use it in many different ways.

 

ALCOS Connection:

To better exemplify the tool’s capabilities, I chose a specific learning requirement from the Alabama Course of Study.

• Language Arts Grade 2: "Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. [L.2.2]

  • "Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographic names." [L.2.2a]

  • "Use commas in greetings and closings of letters." [L.2.2b]

  • "Use an apostrophe to form contractions and frequently occurring possessives." [L.2.2c]

• This standard connects to my presentation because I was easily able to exemplify how a teacher would create a poster for her students to refer to in class for note taking and future assignments. For this project, I created a poster providing information about grammar skills, such as punctuation and capitalization, that elementary school students need to learn. This poster could be used as an aid for future homework or as a starting point for in-class assignments. This project allowed me to employ information I already knew, compile it together, and create a presentation to display these ideas. I was easily able to do this with Canva because it is a general tool with advanced capabilities that is very easy to use. Canva allowed me to create a graphic design presentation featuring helpful tips on how to use grammar properly.

 

Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy:

• Creating

  • I chose this level because I believe it best conveys the actions and products created within this assignment. For this project, I created a poster that had key notes and lessons towards how students should use grammar correctly. To do this, I had to analyze information, evaluate the criteria, and combine different ideas to make a new project. Developing and designing this project was very easy because of the different tools and applications that Canva contains. I was able to input information and use Canva to formulate a constructive poster for students to look to for help. In order to complete this assignment, I had to have previous knowledge of the information and apply it to the presentation.

 

ISTE Tech Standards:

• Creativity and Innovation

  • I chose this ISTE Tech Standard because I believe it best applied to the creation and application of the presentation I assembled. In order to create the poster, I had to apply existing knowledge of the information and come up with innovative ideas as to how I should successfully present them to students. Because of this, I was able to create an original presentation representing how both teachers and students can utilize Canva. This assignment allowed me to identify certain further trends and habits that current students have to appeal more to their tastes. Canva best fits with this standard because it allows you to innovatively create various forms of graphic design products to best express your ideas. Canva is very easy to use and contains many tools and applications that keep presentations original and exciting.

 

Curriculum Connection:

I used Canva to create a poster from the point of view of a teacher. I used it to cater to teachers needs by creating a presentation for a classroom discussion regarding what students are learning about in school. The assignment specified to explain and exemplify rules of capitalization and punctuation. I was able to recall information I had previously learned and create a poster stating these grammar rules. Through this assignment, I was able to include a language state standard. I believe that Canva is a very reliable tool and is versatile enough to use for all state standards because it can be used for a variety of subjects and by both students and teachers.