Picture Pizzazz: Finding, Creating and Editing Graphics for Your Classes
Maybe you need to create a header or course card for your course’s home page. Maybe you want to incorporate dual coding into your lectures through simple iconography. Maybe you just want to create a fun sign for your classroom. No matter what, you’ll need to figure out how to source and create graphics.
Luckily, there are a number of options available depending on your needs. There are photo editors, image repositories, screencasting tools and more. Below, check out a list of tools and tips that you can use year-round.
Unsplash
If you want to find Creative Commons–licensed photos to use as a part of headers or other materials, Unsplash is a good option. It is built into some learning management systems (LMS) — for example, Canvas has an Unsplash search if you go to change your course’s course card — but you can also search the site directly.
Unsplash mostly features photos, so if you’d like to find clip art, try Humaaans for commercial-style vector graphics that you can edit or Noun Project for simple vector icons. Also, depending on what you’re creating, programs might have their own searches. For example, SMART Notebook has the Gallery, while Google Sites link to a royalty-free image search.
Remove Background in PowerPoint
If you want to create a transparent image for posters or banners, try using the Remove Background tool in PowerPoint. PowerPoint actually features several useful graphics tools, including providing simple icons in newer versions as well as allowing you to edit various SmartArt charts. Office 365 licenses offer the most options.
The Remove Background tool is surprisingly good. Add your picture, go to the formatting menu and select the tool. It will auto-find the background to remove, but you can adjust as needed. Once you’re done, right-click the photo to save and reuse later.
Canva
Canva is fairly well known by now, but if you’ve never used it, give it a shot. It’s a graphic editor that allows you to create and edit graphics through your browser. Add backgrounds, text, images, etc., to create images that you can export and use for your classes. You could even create classroom signage!
If you work in K–12, be sure to look into the educator licenses here. You’ll get access to a wider variety of built-in clip art and templates. There are also options for creating graphic organizers. Another similar tool for infographics is Piktochart.
Snipping Tool
If you’re using Windows, look for “Snipping Tool” in your search bar for Windows’s built-in screen-capture utility. Although it will be changing to Snip & Sketch in the future, for now the Snipping Tool is a great way to capture parts of a screen for tech support or explaining how to use a program or navigate an online class. If you’re using macOS, here are some screenshotting equivalents.
One note: screenshots are great for sharing parts of a screen, but like with the option to save images you’ve edited in PowerPoint, check to see if the program you’re using has export options first. This will often preserve image quality. For example, if you’ve created graphics in Wolfram Mathematica, you can export the images rather than screenshotting the notebook pages.
Screencast-O-Matic
Screencast-O-Matic is a tool that can be used to record screencasts and webcam footage, but did you know those recordings can be saved as animated GIFs? Instead of saving to video when you export, save to GIF. These GIFs can be an excellent way to embed “video” instruction without having to deal with embedded video. For example, showing the click-through path of uploading an assignment could be helpful for students not used to the school’s LMS.
About the blogger:
Jesika Brooks
Jesika Brooks is an editor and bookworm with a Master of Library and Information Science degree. She works in the field of higher education as an educational technology librarian, assisting with everything from setting up Learning Management Systems to teaching students how to use edtech tools. A lifelong learner herself, she has always been fascinated by the intersection of education and technology. She edits the Tech-Based Teaching blog (and always wants to hear from new voices!).
