A Blog by a Soon-to-be Teacher
My post:
For my visual, I used Piktochart. In the beginning, I was very intimidated by all the different options but once I got into it, it was very easy to use. I really liked using this website because it allows you to make things look neat and you can choose multiple things to create (Infographic, Presentations, Reports and much more).
In Piktochart, I did face a couple different challenges. The first being the prink box behind the title. I spent at least 10 minutes looking for a “SEND TO FRONT” button. The next problem I had was adding the different graphics throughout the visual. I finally found it on my own! The last thing I had a problem with was zooming in and out. While there is no actual buttons on the website, you have to use a button combination on your keyboard (on Mac, Zoom In: Command +, Zoom Out: Command -). I was able to figure this and the “SEND TO FRONT” button by a helpful help guide at the bottom of the page. This guide allows you to type any key word and it will bring up multiple FAQ and give an answer. It was super easy and fast to find a solution.
I believe there are pros and cons to every situation, so that is how I decided what to put on my visual. I will admit, I had a much easier time thinking about the positive rather than the negatives but there were some negatives. Overall, I loved doing this project because the positives will stay with me for a long time and help me immensely as a student and teacher.
I would definitely use Piktochart in the classroom. I think it would be a good visual for students on multiple topics. I got the idea of giving notes or cheat sheets on different subjects. Just something to help the students so they know what to study and what will be expected on the test. You could use are but these look nicer :). Also, I could make my own posters with this website and hang them in my room. Endless opportunities!
In the classroom, there is a high advantage of using visuals more than any other learning technique. This could be for multiple reasons but one main is that a pleasurable visual will make for a better learning experience. If you see something pretty, you associate it with being good. However, if you see something ugly, you associate it with being bad. It is the same with learning in the classroom.
Overall, I am really happy I was shown Piktochart and will be using it much more in the future! Piktochart is easy to learn and makes very effective visual pieces.
Until next time,
-Rachel
Rachel's Mind 