18 September 2024
Creating Canva Websites - CAS Primary TC meeting
Key Summary Points:
- Canva is a free tool available for primary and secondary schools to create engaging digital content.
- It provides over 80,000 curriculum-aligned templates for UK educators.
- Students can easily create websites and presentations using Canva’s visual templates.
- AI tools within Canva enhance classroom experiences through automation and media creation.
Canva for Education is a versatile, free platform designed for primary and secondary schools. During a recent session organised by Computing At School (CAS), Canva was highlighted as a tool that simplifies the creation of visually engaging digital resources. Launched in 2019, Canva has quickly become a popular resource, with over 70 million active users globally, including pupils and teachers.
Canva is available free of charge to both primary and secondary schools, ensuring that no upsells or premium features are required to access the full range of tools.
Website Building and Visual Projects
One of Canva’s standout features is its ease of use for creating websites. This tool enables pupils to build websites in a format similar to slide presentations, allowing them to engage with digital content creation without the need for extensive coding knowledge. The platform supports a range of media, including images, videos, and graphics, offering pupils a simple, creative way to showcase their ideas.
The session demonstrated how Canva’s templates can be used to help pupils create visually appealing, structured websites. This feature makes it ideal for introducing pupils to web design in an accessible, non-technical way. The use of pre-built templates streamlines the design process, enabling pupils to focus on content creation while learning about layout, aesthetics, and information presentation.
AI and Media Tools
Canva also incorporates AI tools, such as Magic Media and Magic Translate, which can further enhance the teaching and learning experience. These tools enable pupils to generate content quickly, automate translations into multiple languages, and even create customised images and graphics. The AI features are switched on by default for teachers but can be controlled for pupil use.
Magic Translate is especially useful for multilingual classrooms, as it allows teachers to translate lesson materials into various languages with just a few clicks. Additionally, Canva’s media library offers thousands of free images, videos, and audio clips that are copyright-free, ensuring teachers and pupils can create and use materials without legal concerns.
Encouraging Collaboration and Skill Development
In addition to its creative applications, Canva fosters key skills such as collaboration, creativity, and communication. The platform allows multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously, making it easy for pupils to collaborate on group assignments. Teachers can monitor pupil progress and provide feedback directly within the platform, enabling a more interactive learning experience.
These features align with the goals of computing education, where pupils are encouraged to work collaboratively and engage in problem-solving activities. Canva’s integration of media and design tools helps develop digital literacy while promoting teamwork and creative expression.
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Links and resources from Canva
Canva Education UK Facebook Group