Draw/Paint Programs
Drawing and painting software tools help teachers and students create their own graphics to insert into documents or web pages (p.149). The best way to use this software in the classroom is to allow the students to illustrate their computer-generated work which in turn encourages them to become more creative with their work. These are some draw/paint programs that are available:
These are great resources to utilize in this capacity. Kid Pix is a program that can be used with younger students and the list above increases in complexity from there. Artweaver and Adobe Illustrator are programs that are more appropriate for secondary ed students. For the most part Microsoft Paint is an acceptable program to use in the classroom.
Image Editing Tools
These programs are used to modify or alter photographic images. This type of software is rarely used unless it is specific to the class. These are usually reserved for photography classes or classes dealing with graphic design. The most used software for this concept is Adobe Photoshop. This software is difficult to master and requires substantial practice. Take it from me, I speak from experience. For the novice, a simple photo manipulation can take over two hours. Not that I am saying that is the case for me, but...okay, that is exactly the case for me. But I am trying.
Charting/Graphing Tools
Charting/Graphing tools automatically draw and print desired charts from data entered by users (p.151). This type of work can be done in simple Word documents as well as Excel spreadsheets. As the text states, this gives the students more opportunity to work on other, more important things rather than plotting and drawing the perfect chart/graph. The more important aspects are that of the actual information being graphed or charted. It is more crucial for the students to be able to analyze the data than to draw the graph itself. This software permits this.
Clip Art, Photo, Animation, Sound, Video, and Font Collections
These collections are helpful to make the students' work look better and more complete. These collections offer valuable resources that help illustrate and decorate written products (p.153). Some teachers feel that students are more motivated to write their own stories and reports when they can also illustrate them (p.153). This can be true, but there is a very important caveat when it comes to using this type of software; more often than not the student gets more engrossed in the creation of the visuals/illustrations than in the writing itself. There needs to be limitations placed on this, preferably by way of a rubric. This keeps the student on the task at hand. This is also the case for sound and video files that may be used in PowerPoint presentations.
These tools can inspire the student to be more creative and inventive with work that is required to be completed using technology. The best way that it benefits learning is not in the product that is created, but the actual process that takes place to get to the end result. Most students are not familiar with this type of software, so exposure to such things is educating them in and of itself. I have always given my students some starting pints when it comes to resources for this type of work. I encourage them to use resources that I have not provided. This gets them thinking and searching to rise to this challenge. But, as I stated earlier, I monitor the work closely to make sure they do not get away from the assignment at hand, the writing. Allowing them to get creative with something as mundane as a paper on what they want to do when they grow up, can inspire them through autonomy to discover things of which they are unaware. Isn't this the basis of learning?
I would have to say that this type of instruction fits into both the directed and the constructivist approach, but it fits best into the constructivist. It allows the students to discover different methods, different approaches, create unique products, and learn through experience. The best way to learn how to use these types of tools is to just use them and discover what works best for you. Tutorials are helpful with some of the programs (i.e. Photoshop), but given enough time, it is best to learn these things by doing. This constructivist approach empowers the student to be truly creative.
Here are some miscellaneous resources on this topic of Graphics Tools in the classroom:
References
Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, A.H. (2010). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon/Pearson.
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