Canva
The Swiss Army knife of Graphic design
LESSON FOCUS
Introduction to Canva: What is Canva? Basic navigation and interface.
Image Selection and Use: How to choose appropriate images, resize, and crop.
Text and Typography: Experimenting with fonts, sizes, and text placement.
Digital literacy and basic computer skills: Introduce the concept of using a computer for creative purposes.
Color and shape recognition: Explore the color palette and shape tools to create simple designs.
Storytelling and imagination: Encourage children to create simple stories using images and text.
Book Cover Creation: Designing book covers for original stories or favorite books.
Fine motor skills: Practice clicking, dragging, and typing to develop dexterity.
Design principles: Introduce basic design concepts like balance, contrast, and harmony.
Digital citizenship: Discuss responsible online behavior and copyright.
Project-based learning: Assign projects like creating a book cover, poster, or social media graphic.
Collaboration: Encourage teamwork by working on group projects.
DIGITAL SKILLS & Computing Focus
Log into a computer and their Google Account.
Access Google Classroom.
Able to identify the set assignment and follow instructions.
Identify and open the assigned links.
Open the set worksheets when asked.
Use keyboard shortcuts.
Launch Canva
Install the "Magic Media" app.
Generate images and edit them using AI tools
Add text, change fonts and style of the text.
Evaluate different AI tools and choose the best AI for a particular task.
Complete a simple design and make change to the supplied template.
Share designed to Google Classroom
Add screen shots to Google Slides.
Key vocabulary
Graphic Design, template, drag and drop, presentations, flyers, photo editing, image editing, video editing, animation, collaboration, AI design magic design, magic write, magic eraser, magic edit, magic enhance, magic resize, magic animate, magic grab
📸photographic summary 📸
🧠What is Canva⌨️
If you are not already using Canva with children why not? Totally FREE to education, Canva is a user-friendly online design platform that empowers anyone to create stunning visuals without needing professional design skills. It offers a vast library of customisable templates including social media posts, presentations, posters, and even websites.
Canva allows children to effortlessly personalise your designs by adding your own text, images, and colours. The platform also provides a rich collection of design elements, fonts, and stock photos to make your creations stand out. Whether you're a student, entrepreneur, marketer, or simply someone who wants to enhance their visual communication, Canva is the go-to tool for creating professional-looking designs with ease.
Canva also offers a variety of premium features, such as access to exclusive templates and design elements, the ability to remove backgrounds from images, and the ability to create animated designs. These premium features can be accessed through a FREE educational plan.
🧠Why do children need to know about AI⌨️
At Aldwyn Primary School children start using Canva from Year 3 onwards. It is is an exceptional tool for nurturing young minds through design. Its simple interface and vast array of creative elements make it accessible and engaging for even the youngest users.
Beyond the sheer fun of creating colourful and imaginative designs, Canva helps children develop a range of crucial skills. It fosters digital literacy as they learn to navigate a computer program and understand basic digital concepts. Creativity flourishes as they experiment with colors, fonts, and images to bring their ideas to life. Problem-solving is enhanced as they figure out how to achieve their desired visual outcomes.
Furthermore, Canva can spark storytelling abilities as children arrange images and text to convey narratives. It's also a platform for collaboration, encouraging teamwork and sharing ideas as they work on projects together. By incorporating play and exploration, Canva transforms learning into an enjoyable experience, making it a valuable asset in a child's educational journey.
🧠Canva's AI Features: A Design Boost⌨️
Canva's AI features are rapidly transforming the design landscape, making it more accessible and efficient for users of all skill levels. At the core of this transformation is the Magic Studio, a suite of AI-powered tools that streamline various design tasks.
One standout feature is Magic Design, which generates multiple design layouts based on your text input. This is a game-changer for those struggling with creative block or needing to rapidly produce multiple design options
Beyond these, Canva offers Magic Animate for adding dynamic elements to static designs, and Magic Grab for isolating subjects within images. These, along with other AI-driven functionalities, are continuously evolving, making Canva a powerful and versatile tool for designers and non-designers alike.
A list of some of the AI tools built into Canva is shown opposite. All are easy to access and even easier to use.
Magic Design: This tool generates design ideas based on your text input. Want a social media post about a new product? Input details, and Canva suggests various layouts.
Magic Write: Need compelling copy? This feature can generate different text styles, from formal to casual, based on your requirements.
Magic Edit: This allows you to replace objects in an image with AI-generated elements. Imagine swapping a person's outfit or changing the background.
Magic Eraser: Quickly remove unwanted elements from images with precision.
Magic Enhance: Improve image quality with a single click, adjusting brightness, contrast, and more.
Magic Resize: Automatically resize designs for different platforms without compromising quality.
Magic Animate: Bring static designs to life with simple animations.
3 Reason's to Use Canva
Sparks Creativity
Canva's colourful interface and endless design options ignite imagination, encouraging children to experiment and express themselves visually.
Builds Essential Skills
From digital literacy and problem-solving to storytelling and collaboration, Canva helps children develop a range of valuable abilities.
Makes Learning Fun
Turning design into a game, Canva transforms education into an enjoyable experience, making learning more engaging and effective.
3 Best AI Aps & Why
Magic Design
This AI-driven feature is a game-changer for those struggling with creative block. Simply input your text, and Magic Design generates multiple layout options, saving you time and effort. It's perfect for creating social media posts, presentations, or any design project where you need quick results.
Magic Write
Need compelling copy to accompany your designs? Magic Write can generate different text styles based on your desired tone and purpose. Whether you need a catchy headline or persuasive body copy, this tool can help you craft effective content.
Magic Eraser
This AI-powered tool simplifies photo editing by effortlessly removing unwanted objects from your images. No more spending hours trying to perfect your photos. Magic Eraser does the heavy lifting for you, allowing you to focus on the creative aspects of your design.
Graphic Design with Canva
Canva is an indispensable tool for creating compelling digital media. Its user-friendly interface and vast array of templates make it accessible to both design professionals and novices. From crafting engaging social media graphics to designing professional presentations, Canva offers a comprehensive suite of features.
At Aldwyn Primary, we will introduce Canva to Year 3 as part of the Teach Computing Curriculum. Whether it's crafting eye-catching Instagram stories, designing informative infographics, or producing professional-looking videos, Canva has you covered