Multimedia Creation

Making sites, presentations, and videos in Canva

We can't underestimate the visual element of education, even when teaching a text-forward topic like English. Presentations with the same, staid visuals make it easier for students to disconnect. Students deserve visually engaging content that respects their visual intelligence. Canva makes creating a variety of captivating presentations (and freshening them up) quick and easy. It's another tool that's so friendly and free to use that I recommend it to students for their own videos and presentations. I allow for a wide freedom of expression in assignments in my class, and Canva is a great place to start for students who are visual processors.

Applications to education standards

ISTE Standard (Students/Educators)

1.4a - Innovative Designer - Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems. 

1.6a - Creative Communicator - Students choose the appropriate platforms and digital tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication. 

2.5b - Designer - Educators design authentic learning activities that align with educational standards and use digital tools and resources to maximize learning. 

Fink's Taxonomy

The Canva materials I make are about imparting foundational knowledge to students, but allowing them to create with Canva helps them apply and integrate that knowledge.

Making interactive text in Twine

I have a background in game development and interactive fiction, so I like to bring that into the classroom when we're dealing with texts over a long period of time. Sometimes I'll make the texts interactive by including clickable definitions or having students help me design choices in the narrative that weren't originally present to further explore a character's options and thought patterns. The tool I use for these exercises, Twine, uses a lot of the same language as frontend web development, so students who have an interest in programming and design sometimes use it for their own projects.

Applications to education standards

ISTE Standard

1.4a - Innovative Designer - Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems. 

1.6a - Creative Communicator - Students choose the appropriate platforms and digital tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.

Fink's Taxonomy

Using more advanced tools like Twine to create can help students see how multiple different pieces of knowledge can be integrated together to create a new whole.