Google Documents- Drawing

I was eager to learn more about Google Drawing because I thought there may be many ways for me to apply it in an elementary classroom. I would define Google Drawing as a document you can use to create a picture that can be plugged into presentations or as an interactive tool that can be used to present a topic and allow hands on practice.

I am most intrigued about the concept of using this application to actively engage students in a classroom. For example, in an Algebra class, students can actually interact with formulas using various math symbols. In an elementary math class I could import pictures of coins and have students move them around in the document to achieve different goals. This tool could be used to create many visuals for any age level.

The learning curve for me on this assignment was fairly low. The Google Drawing application was very user friendly and was easy to navigate. I learned more when I had to take my creation and apply it to other documents or to the web. I can now say that I know how to embed the URL in a blog, and save the file as a pdf, jpeg, or png document.

In the drawing you see below, I actively worked in creating the text boxes and input the headings in each box. We worked as a team to make sure all our viewpoints were presented under each of these topics. I also experimented with font and color changes, but our group worked so well as a team we all experimented in these areas.

After having the opportunity to experiment with the Google Drawing tool I feel fairly comfortable using this tool in a variety of formats and can't wait to use it in a classroom setting. My next goal for myself is to see how I can use this application in conjunction with a smart board!