Creating Anchor Posters

   One of the biggest ways that this class has changed my way of thinking is through our copyright and fair use discussions. I didn't realize that many of the ways I was using media weren't supported by fair use policies (shh, don't tell anyone!). Thankfully, once I learned what I was doing wrong, we were given some assignments to teach us how to use different tools in order to create our own content that won't cause us to break the law.
   I used Google Drawing to create an anchor poster for our science unit about plants. I used nothing except for the shapes and images that were available to me through Google Drawing and I made my own diagram of a plant and its parts (see below). As you can see, the poster doesn't look professional and I certainly couldn't trick anyone into thinking that it came from a paid resource, but it delivers all of the information that I need my students to know in a clear and concise way. To be honest, sometimes those "fancy posters" can be too distracting and overwhelming and the content can get lost.

   I had never tried to use Google Draw on my own before this class, and I'm so glad that I was pushed out of my comfort zone to try it out! Not only do I plan on continuing to use it myself, but I think letting the students use it to create their own diagrams and posters could be really beneficial and engaging, too!