Canva describe themselves as “a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more”. It is an incredible creative tool which in my opinion eclipses the free Adobe Creative Cloud Express (ACCE) offered through the HWB suite of tools. Teachers can apply for a free education account which grants full access to Canva’s extensive suite of tools, or can access a limited (but still great!) version of Canva through their HWB login which makes this a great alternative to ACCE.
Similarly to ACCE, you have access to a wide variety of templates ranging across multiple document types. Canva allows you to pick multimedia directly from their ‘elements’ options which include images, text, video and animations. An example of a presentation template with animations can be seen below.
The application itself is massively intuitive and uses a simple drag and drop interface to allow users to add templates or elements to their work. By using the toolbars on the side it is easy to switch between the content needed. It allows the upload of external media and provides a wide range of music tracks that can be used behind presentations etc.
These media elements can be added to any type of document, even static ones. Meaning that you can digitally share documents rather than printing them out. This gives users the chance to animate and turn what would be simple static documents into fully fledged multimedia documents. Like most web applications, work can be shared and even downloaded in a variety of different formats.
For those using Chromebooks or tablets in their classroom environment, Canva will work seamlessly making it accessible to all regardless of the equipment available.
To log into Canva using your HWB login, simply choose the option “Continue with Google”. If you are already logged into Google Classroom then it should link instantly. Otherwise you may be prompted to sign in again.
This really is a great tool, and can be used to present information across any subject area in schools. The intuitive tools make it accessible for both primary and secondary pupils and will allow them to create excellent multimedia documents. I hope you find it useful!
Teaching with Technology 