Canva Creations for Beginners by Pam Hubler

Education

Introduction

Canva Creations for Beginners by Pam Hubler

Hey, everyone! I am, of course, super excited to introduce our next guest—a frequent visitor here—I think you should get some sort of punch card by now with how many times you've been on this podcast and even going back to the Google Teacher Podcast. Welcome to the show, everybody. I have Pam Hubler. Hi, Pam! Thank you for joining us.

"I love joining this! We have so much fun. We could talk forever, even before we hit record. But I'm so excited to chat with you today about Canva, one of my favorite tools. I have like a million Canva tabs open every single day. But first, I want to give everyone a little bit of background on who you are in case they've missed some of these previous episodes."

Pam is an Innovative Learning Coordinator at Berkeley County Schools in South Carolina. With 28 years in education, she has a wealth of experience, having been a general ed teacher, special ed teacher, instructional coach, personalized learning coach, and now an Innovative Learning Coordinator.

Pam Breaks Down Her Experience:

  • GenEd and SpecialEd
  • Instructional Coach
  • Personalized Learning Coach
  • Innovative Learning Coordinator

She helps teachers and students integrate technology and innovative practices, gives assistance with coding, robotics, and maker space activities, and even has an Innovative Technology on Wheels (ITO) truck provided by a Google Grant. Her podcast, The Innovation Squadcast, covers various innovative topics.

"We have so much to talk about today, especially Canva! We’re going to do a beginner session. If you're listening to the podcast, don't forget we also have the YouTube version where you can watch the video if you get lost. We'll try to explain things clearly as we’re clicking around and share some tips and maybe some new features, too."

What is Canva?

Pam explains she can't get through a day without using Canva. Previously, she used Google Drawings for visuals, noting how Canva consolidates many tools into one place. Canva has evolved from an image-creation tool to an all-in-one design platform now offering Canva for Education, a free 'pro' version for educators, easing collaboration among students and teachers.

Scott Noones from Canva has highlighted the benefits of the entire school adopting Canva for Education. Pam explains that multiple teams within Canva can share designs more easily, thanks to Canva's collaborative features.

Getting Started with Canva

  1. Templates: Always start with templates. Searching under education, you can look for resource types such as newsletters, presentations, etc.
  2. Customizing Templates: Choose a template, customize it by changing text, images, and colors. Use elements, text, and styles to make it unique.
  3. Brand Kits: Schools can set up brand kits containing school colors and logos, which streamline the design process.
  4. Styles: Utilize color combinations and font pairings from the 'Styles' tab to make design cohesive.

The Elements

Pam shares tips on adding elements to a design:

  • Elements Tab: A treasure trove of clip art, shapes, and lines.
  • Frames: Hold images and can be customized in shape and size.
  • Text Boxes: Customize fonts, add effects, and animate text for dynamic presentations.

Presentations and Text Features

Tips include selecting text fonts that are easy to read, especially for young children, choosing from the vast range available in Canva, and making adjustments using upper/lower case conversions, color changes, etc. There are also keyboard shortcuts such as 'R' for rectangle, 'C' for circle, making design quicker.

Staying Organized

Name your files appropriately to track them easily. Sharing and downloading designs, whether through a link, PDF, or image file, Canva supports various formats making it versatile.

Special Features

Pam highlights some of Canva’s fun presentation tools such as the confetti effect for celebrations, mic drop animations, and interactive Q&As with Canva Live, offering extra engagement.

Utilizing Canva Across Applications

From newsletters to badges and infographics, Canva's wide range of templates aids in creating diverse content. Ready-to-teach lessons and interactive templates enhance teaching materials significantly.

Keywords

Keywords:

  • Canva
  • Canva for Education
  • Templates
  • Elements
  • Presentations
  • Newsletter
  • Infographics
  • Badges
  • Collaboration
  • Brand Kits

FAQ

FAQ:

  1. What is Canva for Education?

    • Canva for Education is a free 'pro' version of Canva available for educators, offering additional features and collaborative tools.

  2. How do I get started with Canva?

    • Start by searching for templates specific to your needs under the 'Design' tab, and then customize them using various elements and text options.

  3. What are some useful Canva shortcuts?

    • Press 'R' for a rectangle and 'C' for a circle to speed up your design process.

  4. Can I create a newsletter using Canva?

    • Yes, Canva offers numerous newsletter templates which can be customized with your own text, images, and school branding.

  5. How do I share my Canva designs?

    • Use the 'Share' button at the top right corner to download your design as a PDF, image, or video, or share via a collaboration link.

Pam concludes that experimentation is key to mastering Canva and welcoming feedback from users to adapt and enhance their usage. You can connect with her via Twitter (@SpecialTechie) or her blog.

By familiarizing yourself with the many features Canva offers, you can elevate your teaching materials without the need to purchase external resources. Dive in, explore, and let your creativity thrive with Canva.

The markdown format efficiently structures the article, highlighting key points and directions. The keyword and FAQ sections offer concise insight and deepen your understanding of Canva’s capabilities.