Google Drawings
Tech Tool Talk
Google Drawings
Google Drawings is a tool by Google that is a virtual white board, poster board, or blank canvas on which students and teachers can create and record their thoughts, ideas, and responses. It can be accessed through your Google Drive. This tool is extremely easy to use and very versatile, so it can be used in any content area, with any age ranges, and in a huge variety of lessons!
https://youtu.be/TCQjFdHVOzg
Graphic Organizers
Google Drawings can be used by students to create graphic organizers, timelines, mind maps, and flowcharts to record information. The recorded information could include text, pictures, videos, or links! Teachers could also make their own graphic organizer, share it with the class, and have each student make their own copy to fill in with their information and responses. This could be used best in the content areas of math, science and social studies.
Virtual Manipulatives
Google Drawings can also be used to make virtual manipulatives for students. In math, students can practice things like fractions, algebra/equations, and even basic counting/one-to-one correspondence with templates like the ones this teacher has created! It can also be used in ELA or as a creative writing center with poetry fridge magnets like in this template. The teacher could create these templates, share them with the students, and the students could work with them. OR, the teacher could pull this up on the smart board and call on students to come up to the board and use the manipulatives to solve specific problems.
Virtual Posters
Teachers could also give students projects and have them create posters in Google Drawings to present their research or information. This could be done by inserting and annotating an image, similar to ThingLink, or students could create and design their own poster. The student could either present the project as you would an actual poster, by showing it in front of the class, or the teacher could link them to QR codes and have a "presentation day" where students could go around and scan the QR codes to see their classmates' projects.
Access Google Drawings through your Google Drive.
You can insert shapes, lines, text boxes, images, videos, links and more into your Google Drawing.
Use the toolbar to access all the functions you need to create your drawing.
Devices/Tech Requirements
Previously made Google Drawings can be viewed on any device in which you can access your Google Drive. However, the drawings can only be created on a Mac or PC computer. You cannot create Google Drawings on Android or iOS devices.