Explore the Potential of Google Drawings

Graphic Organisers are tools that can be used to visualize and organise information. Graphic Organisers are often used by students to organise information, concepts and ideas. Google Drawings offers the ability to add images and text when organising information.

When you click on the images below you will be prompted to make a copy. Explore how the mind maps were created. Move objects around and have a play.

Resources:

• Matt Miller author of 'Ditch that Textbook' has compiled 25 FREE Google Drawings graphic organizers — and how to make your own
• Eric Curtis of 'Control Alt Achieve' - Transforming Education with Technology has compiled some great resources on creating Graphic Organisers with Google Drawings. His Blog post 30 Free Google Drawings Graphic Organizers offers some great ideas and a link to a how-to video on making and using Graphic Organisers in Google Drawings.

Comic Strips - who doesn't love to read them or make them for that matter.

In Google Drawings the age-old comic strip gets a makeover with the ability to use images and photos to enhance the comic strip.

Resources

• Matt Miller - Comic Strip Time Lapse
• Crash! Bang! Boom! How to add Google Drawings comic strips to your class

Google Drawings adds another element to the art lesson. Students can be creative and make themselves into a cartoon or create their own piece of art using the elements available in Google Drawings.

To create this image I used the curve line to trace sections of a photo. Then changed the colours as well as added a drop shadow under the chin.

Check out my 2 Minute PD Video on how I used the curved tool to create this Drawings.

Resources:

• Emma Cottier's EdTechTeam Blogpost - Drooling Over Google Draw (please note - Google Draw is Google Drawings) explores ways you can use Google Drawings.
• Elizabeth from 'Tech Out My Class' shows how easy it is to make 'Warhol Inspired Digital Art Using Google Drawing'

Other Ideas for how to use Google Drawings in the Art Classroom:

• Doodle Yourself with Google Drawing
• Vector Portrait in Google Drawings
• Creating a Vector image Avatar
• Pattern Block Templates and Activities with Google Drawings
• STUBC Google Drawing Characters
• Dazzling Classroom Creations with Google Draw!
• Lego - Inspired Minifig Portraits Using Google Draw Tools

Ownership over learning can be easily achieved by using Google Drawings. In my classroom we use Choice Boards for English. When a group not working with me on Guided Reading they work tasks on their Choice Board.

These tasks boards allow for independence in the learning process and encourage students to work at their own pace.

The Drawings were shared via Google Classroom. The Term 4 Week 1 & 2 was set for each student to have a copy, while the one on the right was set as view only.

Visuals can help users see and understand instructions. Simply insert or create images using shapes, add some arrows and text.

Create a timetable visual and share as view only. Store the unused icons off the canvas and change as needed. If you embed in a website you can change the drawings and have it automatically update the Drawings.

Digital Worksheets are a great way to support the environment, by reducing printing. They can ask students to drag and drop objects, fill in text boxes, research using a template or even act like a HyperDoc or Multimodal Textset.

In the examples below students can type in the shapes or add text boxes, they can even insert images to help define the word or draw the path.

Google Drawings can easily be pushed out to students using sharable links or shared through Google Classroom.

Infographics are a visual representation of information or data. In Google Drawings, they can be created using images, shapes, text, charts and diagrams.

By combining some of the basic elements in Google Drawings you can create visually pleasing displays of information or data.

Resources:

Explore the following links to discover more about infographics and how you can make them.

• What is an Infographic? Infographic Examples, Templates, and Design Tips by Midori Nediger
• Have Students Create Infographics Using Google Draw - Teacher Tech with Alice Keeler
• Creating eye-popping infographics with Google Drawings by Ditch That Textbook author Matt Miller

Many educators like to share their resources. Here are some templates to use when creating an infographic.

• Info toolkit images to use
• 4 Easily Editable Infographic Templates for Google Drawings by Jeff Herb
• 21 Editable Google Templates for Infographics and Graphic Organizers by Jeff Herb

Google Drawings is a great way to share one page Newsletters.

Change the page layout to A4 measurements in portrait and add text boxes, shapes, Word Art and images to share information. Add in some hyperlinks to more information if needed.

When ready to share download as a PDF document, print or share in view only mode.

The Google Drawings Newsletter was sent. out the colleagues to share the benefits of Google Drawings.

The two class newsletters were uploaded to Seesaw as announcements for both students and parents to view.