Canva INfographic Creation:
C.R.A.A.P. Test for Evaluating Writing ReSources
The technology tool that I used to create this C.R.A.A.P. test infographic was Canva. Canva is a very useful informal graphic design website that you can use to create posts for social media, PowerPoints, posters, infographics, videos, and brochures. To create the infographic, I searched for an infographic template and customized it with my own graphics and text to explain the C.R.A.A.P. test for evaluating sources. In Canva, you can edit existing text boxes and create new text, insert shapes, pictures, and stickers (some of which are animated graphics), and even add audio to a project. One feature of Canva that I enjoy is how, when you click on a text box and begin to make alterations to the text, all of the text in the box takes on those alterations, so you do not need to be concerned about constantly highlighting different portions of text. Another wonderful feature of Canva is the wide variety of stickers, pictures, clip art, and animations that are accessible through their Photos and Elements tabs. These resources can add some energy to your PowerPoint through moving animations, and they allow you to easily add visual aids to support your text. To finish up my project, I downloaded it as a PDF. Other options to finalize a project include presenting and recording a PowerPoint or even posting to social media! Canva is a great tool to put in your teacher toolbox because it allows you to create professional and pleasing content in a matter of minutes.
This technology tool can help professional educators to succeed in each Danielson Domain. In Domain 1: Planning and Preparation Canva can fall under the component 1D: Knowledge of Resources. Part of being a great teacher is knowing how to use many different resources, like Canva, to cater to the learning needs of students and to tie creative projects into instruction. By being knowledgeable about the learning tool of Canva, teachers can use it in their classrooms for different content projects, such as creating a digital poster on the life of Ralph Waldo Emmerson or having students create ignite session presentations on grammar concepts.
This idea of creating projects leads to how Canva also fits into Danielson Domain 2: The Classroom Environment. If a teacher actively uses Canva, he or she can create a culture of learning in the classroom (Component 2B). The teacher can introduce this technology tool to a class and have them use it for a project. By exposing students to new technology resources that they can use for PowerPoints and class projects, and also personal social media posts, the teacher can effectively encourage a culture for learning in the students. The students will be more engaged with learning if they are excited about learning how to make their projects pleasing and intellectual through a new technology tool. They will also be more engaged with class learning because they know how it could be benefiting them personally by building their social media skills.
Canva can be used in Domain 3 to engage students in learning (component 3C). Through the many creative animations and graphics available on Canva, students will be drawn into learning because the teacher can make his or her PowerPoints exciting and creative with these accessible resources. In addition, as mentioned before, teachers can engage students in learning by asking them to create their own Canva projects, such as a poster on a literary device.
Finally, learning about how to use Canva fits into Domain 4 because it is a part of professional development for the teacher. When teachers learn new technology tools like Canva, they grow in their ability to be a professional educator by being able to incorporate these technology tools into their classroom. In addition, teachers develop skills for advertising, clearly presenting information, and graphic design, which will help them to communicate clearly to students and parents and make their classroom a welcoming place.
I plan to use Canva in my classroom as an alternative to PowerPoint to create fun and engaging content. I think that it is a great tool because it enables teachers to create PowerPoints, videos, social media posts, posters, etc. through one platform. All of these designs look professional and show content in a creative way. I will probably use Canva when presenting to a class about the background of an author. I hope to also use Canva for different projects where students are instructed to create a digital poster about literary devices, themes in a work that we are studying, or MLA concepts. I could even use Canva to have students create example social media posts as an exit ticket at the end of the class period.
This activity directly relates to the 4 C’s of Partnership for 21st Century Skills: communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, and creativity and innovation. When I began this project, I developed my skills of communication by reaching out to my Virtual Co-op through email to introduce myself and to ask what she would like me to create for the poster/flyer project. Then, I had to collaborate with my Co-op to create the content. She provided me with the topic: the C.R.A.A.P. test to evaluate sources for writing. Next, I had to examine the content and determine how it might be translated into a digital infographic. This leads to how this project built my skills of critical thinking and problem solving. I had to determine how much information I should use from the webpage about the C.R.A.A.P. test so that it was sufficient for student knowledge, but not overwhelming. Also, I needed to decide how to paraphrase the information and make it accessible to students who were in 9th and 10th grade by simplifying questions and putting them into common language. Finally, I used my creativity and innovation by customizing the image bubbles on the infographic to create physical and mental scaffolds for the acronym. An example is how I used a picture of an arrow on a bullseye next to the A standing for Accuracy to remind students that the sources they choose for their essays must be “on the target of truth” so that the essays present reliable information from reliable sources.
This activity also relates to the ISTE standards for students because I used technology (Canva) in my project and collaborated with a teacher to create content for her students. The ISTE standards that particularly apply to this project are knowledge constructor, innovative designer, and global collaboration. As a part of this project, I was a knowledge constructor because I used several different resources including a website about the C.R.A.A.P. test and Canva to create an infographic artifact about this test to assist my Co-op’s students in their learning. I was an innovative designer because I transformed a standard webpage into a vibrant poster full of useful information. I also tied in images on the poster with the written information, using them as symbols for the different words in the C.R.A.A.P. test acronym. Finally, I was a global collaborator because I worked with my Co-op, who teaches in Columbia, and her students through the digital tools of email and designing this poster. Through this process, my learning was broadened because I had never heard of the C.R.A.A.P. test for evaluating sources before, and I was able to connect with a professional who teaches internationally and with students who come from a different cultural background.
This technology tool can help professional educators to succeed in each Danielson Domain. In Domain 1: Planning and Preparation Canva can fall under the component 1D: Knowledge of Resources. Part of being a great teacher is knowing how to use many different resources, like Canva, to cater to the learning needs of students and to tie creative projects into instruction. By being knowledgeable about the learning tool of Canva, teachers can use it in their classrooms for different content projects, such as creating a digital poster on the life of Ralph Waldo Emmerson or having students create ignite session presentations on grammar concepts.
This idea of creating projects leads to how Canva also fits into Danielson Domain 2: The Classroom Environment. If a teacher actively uses Canva, he or she can create a culture of learning in the classroom (Component 2B). The teacher can introduce this technology tool to a class and have them use it for a project. By exposing students to new technology resources that they can use for PowerPoints and class projects, and also personal social media posts, the teacher can effectively encourage a culture for learning in the students. The students will be more engaged with learning if they are excited about learning how to make their projects pleasing and intellectual through a new technology tool. They will also be more engaged with class learning because they know how it could be benefiting them personally by building their social media skills.
Canva can be used in Domain 3 to engage students in learning (component 3C). Through the many creative animations and graphics available on Canva, students will be drawn into learning because the teacher can make his or her PowerPoints exciting and creative with these accessible resources. In addition, as mentioned before, teachers can engage students in learning by asking them to create their own Canva projects, such as a poster on a literary device.
Finally, learning about how to use Canva fits into Domain 4 because it is a part of professional development for the teacher. When teachers learn new technology tools like Canva, they grow in their ability to be a professional educator by being able to incorporate these technology tools into their classroom. In addition, teachers develop skills for advertising, clearly presenting information, and graphic design, which will help them to communicate clearly to students and parents and make their classroom a welcoming place.
I plan to use Canva in my classroom as an alternative to PowerPoint to create fun and engaging content. I think that it is a great tool because it enables teachers to create PowerPoints, videos, social media posts, posters, etc. through one platform. All of these designs look professional and show content in a creative way. I will probably use Canva when presenting to a class about the background of an author. I hope to also use Canva for different projects where students are instructed to create a digital poster about literary devices, themes in a work that we are studying, or MLA concepts. I could even use Canva to have students create example social media posts as an exit ticket at the end of the class period.
This activity directly relates to the 4 C’s of Partnership for 21st Century Skills: communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, and creativity and innovation. When I began this project, I developed my skills of communication by reaching out to my Virtual Co-op through email to introduce myself and to ask what she would like me to create for the poster/flyer project. Then, I had to collaborate with my Co-op to create the content. She provided me with the topic: the C.R.A.A.P. test to evaluate sources for writing. Next, I had to examine the content and determine how it might be translated into a digital infographic. This leads to how this project built my skills of critical thinking and problem solving. I had to determine how much information I should use from the webpage about the C.R.A.A.P. test so that it was sufficient for student knowledge, but not overwhelming. Also, I needed to decide how to paraphrase the information and make it accessible to students who were in 9th and 10th grade by simplifying questions and putting them into common language. Finally, I used my creativity and innovation by customizing the image bubbles on the infographic to create physical and mental scaffolds for the acronym. An example is how I used a picture of an arrow on a bullseye next to the A standing for Accuracy to remind students that the sources they choose for their essays must be “on the target of truth” so that the essays present reliable information from reliable sources.
This activity also relates to the ISTE standards for students because I used technology (Canva) in my project and collaborated with a teacher to create content for her students. The ISTE standards that particularly apply to this project are knowledge constructor, innovative designer, and global collaboration. As a part of this project, I was a knowledge constructor because I used several different resources including a website about the C.R.A.A.P. test and Canva to create an infographic artifact about this test to assist my Co-op’s students in their learning. I was an innovative designer because I transformed a standard webpage into a vibrant poster full of useful information. I also tied in images on the poster with the written information, using them as symbols for the different words in the C.R.A.A.P. test acronym. Finally, I was a global collaborator because I worked with my Co-op, who teaches in Columbia, and her students through the digital tools of email and designing this poster. Through this process, my learning was broadened because I had never heard of the C.R.A.A.P. test for evaluating sources before, and I was able to connect with a professional who teaches internationally and with students who come from a different cultural background.