Well, I started working on my graphic using Sumopaint, and found it quite frustrating! I was having difficulty copying images and the layering process and also found the help function not as user friendly as ones I’ve used in the pass. Needless to say, I ended up going back to Microsoft Word and had much more success. I hadn’t really worked with images in Word, especially creating your own images and found Word to be simple when it came to editing and placing the images where I wanted. The graphic looks quite simple and took me far too long to create but I think it is effective.
The curriculum learning outcomes state:
Distinguish between sexual and asexual reproduction, and identify and interpret examples of asexual and sexual reproduction in different species, by:
− describing mechanisms of asexual reproduction including binary fission, budding and the production of spores
Sexual ReproductionAsexual Reproduction graphic
I am using both organizational and transformative graphics. The bullet list and bold, larger fonts for the titles as well as italics for the subtitles, are organizational graphics. I also used contrast to make these sections stand out to the learner. My hope is that the images act as transformative graphics which make the content memorable. The cognitive load theory states that ‘only so many elements can be simultaneously considered by a learner’ so I made sure to keep my text and visuals simple and to the point. Once a learner has a basic understanding of the concepts, only then can they go deeper into the learning.
Markku,
I agree, sometimes when you are making a simple graphic using complex software is more confusing than it is worth. I often use Word, Google Drawings or ActivInspire (my Promethean board software) to create graphics because I find it much more user-friendly.
Abbi
Hi Markku
I was the opposite. I started out on Word and it was a complete disaster, probably due to having too many graphics in close proximity. I had trouble moving them into the positions I wanted. I did ask you about my graphics at school and you said you did’t know how to fix my problem. Then, to my surprise you come out with this great graphic display. I’m beginning to suspect that Markku is trying to sabotage my learning. In all seriousness, I liked the simplicity of your graphics and your use of color to show the offspring either having similar or different traits.
Steve
Hi Steve,
Yes when we looked at Word it wasn’t cooperating very well. Then when I looked at it again, I seemed to have less difficulty moving the images around. Either way, I’m happy they turned out and I’m glad you were able to introduce me to Canva!
Markku
Hi Markku,
Sorry, this is a late reply. It’s nice to meet you.
I am new to Sumopaint and have also run into some difficulties with it not doing what I want it to. For the longest time, I couldn’t reshape the rectangle that I just created – I found “Free Transform” by right-clicking but that seems unintuitive. But I can’t complain – it’s free and students will all have access to it.
I use Word all the time to create my teaching materials. I also recommend Graphic for Mac which is very intuitive.