Hello and Thing 24: Google Drawings
Hi! It's nice to be back. I didn't do Cool Tools last year and I missed it!
I decided to start with the Google Drawings, Thing 24 because although I use Google Drive all the time to store my files, I don't use the sharing feature often, nor have I ever used the drawings feature. In fact, I didn't even know it existed!
I started with the blog by Eric Curts on graphic organizers. I decided to watch some of his webinar on the topic. It is over an hour long so I didn't watch much of it. However, he had some really cool graphic organizers that he created that I was interested in saving for future use.
This one for word definitions is really cool. I plan on using this one. Curts provides a link to 30 graphic organizers that he already created using Google Drawings and he provides detailed instructions on how to create one yourself. There are links to the Google Drawing of each of the graphic organizers that allow you to copy them. They insert into a google doc that you can edit, share, or print. It also automatically saves a copy in your Google Drive. Eric also has directions that come with each Graphic Organizer as well as his link for a reference already included: From Eric Curts - controlaltachieve.com
Here is my first attempt at creating a Graphic Organizer that I will actually use:
I watched the YouTube Video by Jocelynn Buckentin covering some of the basics.
Jocelynn introduces Google Drawing by showing how shapes can be inserted, moved, connected, written in, and recolored. Next is the best part, where she shows us how to insert pictures. When I tried it, I don't get the same box that is shown in the video. I don't see the same box that she has with the choices for types of picture and colors. I might be doing something wrong but I am doing exactly what she shows in the video.
So I went to YouTube and searched "how to insert pictures into Google Drawings and found out that apparently Google has updated the way you insert drawings and the box that is shown in the tutorial where you can choose the type of image or the color of the image has been taken away. That sucks.
I decided to do the tutorial Robin Limpert’s Series of Google Drawings Tutorials and the first thing I did was find Google Drawings. Good thing I did this because it is very hard to find Google Drawings. Who knew it was there all the time!? I'm just not having a lot of luck with these tutorials. The videos in her lessons will not play sound for me. I checked the sound on the computer and it is fine with other YouTube videos but hers have no sound. I even went directly to YouTube and looked up her videos. None of them play with sound. I will try this on another computer and see if it makes a difference. No difference. No sound. Now that I looked at them again I'm thinking they aren't supposed to have sound. Anyway, I saw how to change the background color, insert shapes, rotate them, change their fill color, flip them and resize them. I found this very familiar because it is basically what you do in Word or Power point and I am assuming in Slides.
I created this Google Drawing of character traits using the text box, insert shape, word art, and changing the background features.
I went to this video:
I checked out the link for the Noun Project with 2 million royalty free icons available for use.
Google Auto Draw is very fun. I made some shapes and turned them into drawings, played with the color fill and background color. See my supreme talent below. When you click "add to a creation" the only choices are "new Album" or "new video with music". Both confusing to me. Apparently you can only save it as a picture and then you can't really do much with it. But it's fun.
Apparently I have lost that drawing! Oh well.
I'm now going to watch the video on YouTube that is recommended on the Thing 24 page called Creating NASA Planet Posters. It is a video of a teacher showing her class how to use features in Google Drawings. My first observation is that her head is in the video the whole time! I learned something from her right off the bat and that is that you can add more fonts to the ones you have available by clicking "more fonts"! How did I not know this?! She's using one called "chewy" and I like it so I added it. Then she showed us how to make a shadow by duplicating the word. She mentions that in Word the Word art will let you make a shadow and in Google Drawings in does not so you have to make your own. I was noticing that the word art does not have as many cool things you can do. I gotta say the way she added a ring around the planet was soooo cool!
I am going to cry. I keep losing part of this blog. I can't get it to save or publish. I am too through. One more try.
Here is my drawing...it took way too long to get it to post in this blog. Let's hope this will publish this time!
I decided to start with the Google Drawings, Thing 24 because although I use Google Drive all the time to store my files, I don't use the sharing feature often, nor have I ever used the drawings feature. In fact, I didn't even know it existed!
I started with the blog by Eric Curts on graphic organizers. I decided to watch some of his webinar on the topic. It is over an hour long so I didn't watch much of it. However, he had some really cool graphic organizers that he created that I was interested in saving for future use.
Here is my first attempt at creating a Graphic Organizer that I will actually use:
Jocelynn introduces Google Drawing by showing how shapes can be inserted, moved, connected, written in, and recolored. Next is the best part, where she shows us how to insert pictures. When I tried it, I don't get the same box that is shown in the video. I don't see the same box that she has with the choices for types of picture and colors. I might be doing something wrong but I am doing exactly what she shows in the video.
So I went to YouTube and searched "how to insert pictures into Google Drawings and found out that apparently Google has updated the way you insert drawings and the box that is shown in the tutorial where you can choose the type of image or the color of the image has been taken away. That sucks.
I decided to do the tutorial Robin Limpert’s Series of Google Drawings Tutorials and the first thing I did was find Google Drawings. Good thing I did this because it is very hard to find Google Drawings. Who knew it was there all the time!? I'm just not having a lot of luck with these tutorials. The videos in her lessons will not play sound for me. I checked the sound on the computer and it is fine with other YouTube videos but hers have no sound. I even went directly to YouTube and looked up her videos. None of them play with sound. I will try this on another computer and see if it makes a difference. No difference. No sound. Now that I looked at them again I'm thinking they aren't supposed to have sound. Anyway, I saw how to change the background color, insert shapes, rotate them, change their fill color, flip them and resize them. I found this very familiar because it is basically what you do in Word or Power point and I am assuming in Slides.
I went to this video:
#BookSnaps with Google Drawings - R.E.A.L. Talk w/Tara M. Martin Episode 9
and the sound works fine but again, the tools available on my computer are not the same. I guess this "thing" needs updating but I really don't like that all these tools are not available. There is no "take a snap" feature anymore. I think you can do the same thing by clicking the camera but this computer doesn't seem to have a working one.I checked out the link for the Noun Project with 2 million royalty free icons available for use.
Apparently I have lost that drawing! Oh well.
I'm now going to watch the video on YouTube that is recommended on the Thing 24 page called Creating NASA Planet Posters. It is a video of a teacher showing her class how to use features in Google Drawings. My first observation is that her head is in the video the whole time! I learned something from her right off the bat and that is that you can add more fonts to the ones you have available by clicking "more fonts"! How did I not know this?! She's using one called "chewy" and I like it so I added it. Then she showed us how to make a shadow by duplicating the word. She mentions that in Word the Word art will let you make a shadow and in Google Drawings in does not so you have to make your own. I was noticing that the word art does not have as many cool things you can do. I gotta say the way she added a ring around the planet was soooo cool!
I am going to cry. I keep losing part of this blog. I can't get it to save or publish. I am too through. One more try.
Sorry you had so much trouble with these tools! Tools do change and often not for the better. I don't know why google took away those features. You can get around the lack of image search tools by including what you want in your search words. For example, try searching with these 4 words: bird png clipart red You'll find you get the same results you would have gotten if those search options had been there.
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