Unit 5 - Experience with Digital Image Manipulation using Piktochart

 

Hello colleagues, Welcome to my fifth blog post. In this unit, I summarized the ISTE standards collectively as follows: Educators and technology coaches assist both teachers and students in the instructional process based on classroom or campus needs and are constantly deepening their knowledge of technology and pedagogical practices. This week, we were tasked with engaging with the concept of digital manipulation, a form of graphic design. To deepen my understanding of this design process, I chose to use Piktochart to engage in digital image manipulation techniques. National Education Week     Earlier this week as I was watching the news, I learned that it was National Education Week. I had never heard of National Education Week; I had only heard about Teacher Appreciation Month, but this was different. I decided to research a little bit about this national holiday. National Education Week (n.d.), explains that National Education Week is observed every year in November, before Thanksgiving break. This year National Education Week took place from November 13th through the 17th. According to National Education Week (n.d)., National Education Week "was first proposed in 1919 at a meeting between representatives of the American Legion and the National Education Association (NEA)" (History of National Education Week section, para. 2). From there, it was implemented in 1921 with the goal of combating the deficiencies in the American educational system. This was due to a high percentage of illiteracy in the country at the time. Ever since then, schools across the nation have been celebrating National Education Week to create an awareness for education and honor the teachers, school officials, and staff members that help contribute to the education of our youth. Every day of the week is structured accordingly. Monday is National Education Week kick-off day, Tuesday is Family Day, Wednesday is Education Support Professionals Day (ESP), and Friday is Substitute Educators Day. Wednesday's celebration is particularly significant because it's a day that honors the school staff that are often behind the scenes supporting the education of students and teacher efforts. Busser (2023), implies that National Education Support Professionals Day is particularly special because it is a day dedicated to those who are supporting students wholistic needs; their academic, social and emotional needs. Professionals such as paraeducators, custodians, technical staff, security officers, and food service workers; to name a few. ESP's are the backbone of school functionality and deserve to be honored yearly. Technical staff or technology professionals that assist technology implementation across campuses are considered Education Support Professionals. I connected National Education Week to this week's ISTE standards for educators and coaches because these professionals are the ones that make education happen in our schools, and we should celebrate them. They support students and colleagues by assessing the technological needs of their campuses, provide resources, continuously increase their technological and pedagogical expertise to engage in professional development, and take on leadership roles. It is why on National Education Week we recognize these leaders for their efforts and contributions. Piktochart     Thus, this week I decided to create an infographic on National Education Week to help bring more awareness on this holiday. As I mentioned earlier in this post, I didn't realize there was a week dedicated to education and educational staff, so I figured I could design an infographic and share it with peers. Regarding my experience creating this infographic using Piktochart, it was fairly simple. Piktochart is a information design platform that allows you to create infographics, reports, videos and much more ([Piktochart homepage], n.d.). The purpose of Piktochart is to create stunning visuals that tell a story and provide your audience with information. Piktochart caught my attention because it looked simple to use and because I had already considered creating an infographic for National Education Week. Hence, it was not difficult to choose Piktochart as my choice platform. Experience with Digital Manipulation             When I first logged in to Piktochart, I was surprised to see that the website layout and features are very similar to Canva. Piktochart, much like Canva, allows you to choose from a variety of templates. I clicked on the "Infographics" option, and from there I narrowed my search by searching for "education" templates. Once I located the one I liked, I clicked on the template and I could now begin to manipulate the template based on my preferences. I began choosing images for my infographic. I found an image that I thought represented education and that would look appealing next to the title. Once I added my image, I began to explore how I could "edit" or "manipulate" or "enhance" the image. I went to the support center, and they had some quick tips on how to edit your images. For example, Piktochart allows you to make your image the background of your infographic. In the tools bar you are given an option to "position" the image based on your preference. I chose to position the image "backward" or behind the text and other graphics. I then decided to change the opacity of the image to make it appear more blurry. I didn't want the image to be overpowering. I liked this effect because it made the image become one with the rest of the elements. I then chose other images to represent each day of National Education Week. I noticed that there was a feature called "mask" which allows a user to apply a mask shape to any image. For example, there was a heart and star mask option. This altered the way I presented the images. Essentially it gave the images a specific outline or shape. To manipulate the background of my infographic, I chose to add a confetti background pattern. What I thought was really cool judging by the image next to the title, its opacity allowed the confetti graphics to show on the image. To make my infographic come together, I also chose the font styles and colors. I included a couple of graphics such as a trophy and heart graphic. I also added a text banner to make the text below the title easier to read. When I shared my infographic with my peers, I learned that Piktochart allows your viewers to see your visual through "presentation" mode. I thought that awesome because this feature cements' the purpose of Piktochart, to help you share your story or information in story mode. Overall, am so thrilled about Piktochart and look forward to integrating it more in my pedagogical practices.     I hope you enjoyed this blog post. I encourage you to try Piktochart or any other digital manipulation platform to may enhance your students' learning. Please check out my infographic below and leave a comment.   In honor of all educators and educational staff, thank you for what you do for our youth, your efforts are not left unnoticed.       Happy National Education Week!🍎✐🧒     -Ana

Resources:

Busser, C. (2023, November 15).NEA celebrates public education’s critical school staff on National Education Support Professionals Day during American Education Week. National Education Association. Retrieved November 19, 2023, from https://www.nea.org/about-nea/media-center/press-releases/nea-celebrates-public-educations-critical-school-staff-national-education-support-professionals-day 

National Education Week. (n.d.). National Today. Retrieved November 19, 2023, from  https://nationaltoday.com/national-education-week/#why-we-love

[Piktochart homepage]. (n.d.). Piktochart. https://piktochart.com/