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Tuesday, October 14, 2014

PikToChart.com for Infographics & Signs

If you've ever needed a quick way to build a small sign or flier quickly, give PikToChart.com a try.  It provides a way to build "infographics" - highly visual documents that communicate tips and/or data.  It lets you quickly make things like this:

Some ways to use PikToChart include making a sign for your classroom, a flier for an event, or having students color code maps as an assignment.  Students can even research a topic and build an infographic as a summary of their research or as a presentation tool.

Getting started is amazingly quick.
  1. Go to piktochart.com
  2. Click on "Login" on the top-right.
  3. Click on the Google logo.
  4. Click "Accept".
You're now logged in and ready to go.  Pick a template, drop in your material, and go.  Adding things is just point-and-click.  Objects can be moved around the page with a simple click-and-drag.

When you're done, use the "Download" button on the top right to keep a copy.  You can put that file in email, Google Classroom, or share it on social media.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Clip Art in Google Docs

Want an easy way to spice up your documents?  There is a quick way to add clip art to Google Docs.  To install it, follow these simple steps:

  1. Create or open any Google Doc.
  2. Click on the "Add-ons" menu and then "Get add-ons..."
  3. You'll see the add-ons collection.  To cut through the list quickly, search for "clipart" on the upper-right corner.




  4. Click on the "+ Free" button.
  5. Click the "Accept" button.  


Congratulations.  Your new clip art system is now installed and ready to use -- in this document and any others.

To use it, just click on "Add-ons", then "Openclipart" and "Search Clipart".  (Its easier than it sounds.)


That will bring up a sidebar where you can search for images and just double-click on them to insert them into your document.