LibGuides: Digital Resources for Teaching: Visual Communication

Did you know?

You don't just have to use PowerPoint and Word when creating posters or presentations. There are lots of great tools available online that you can use to spice up your work and enhance your creativity! This page will give you some examples of these tools.

The most important thing to remember when using images in presentations and posters is that you abide by copyright law and regulations. When sourcing pictures, use Creative Commons to search for images that are free to use or are in the Public Domain.

The tools on this page do require some time to get to know, but they are not hard to use and you can have great fun exploring and testing your creative muscles!

For further resources check out our Digital Resources for Teaching Guide which has lots of great ideas you can use in the classroom.

Slidesgo

Slidesgo
Step up your Powerpoint game with this site which had loads of free templates and tons of editable icons to use and experiment with. Make sure to keep the credits slide they provide to credit the creators

PhotoFunia

PhotoFunia
PhotoFunia is a fun tool that you can use to create great images. The image banks are regularly updated and range from images into which you can put text or logos of your choice or images where you can insert pictures.

Infographics

Infographics are a great way to convey data ian simple and easy to understand form. You can use them to convey a lot of information, advertise or highlight services or simply to create an interesting visual of information. There are lots of great tools online to help you create a good infographic.

Canva
You can create a free account with Canva and use their free layouts, designs and templates. Some graphics cost money but there are loads of free images and layouts to use.
Piktochart
Piktochart is another site that you can use to create a free account. There are some simple layouts on this that are easy to use and adapt to your need

Quik

Quik
Quick can be downloaded from the Apple Store or Google Play. Use it to group photos together to make short videos. You can edit the photos in the app, add text, choose the duration of the image, add filters and much more.

Powtoon

Powtoon
Powtoon is like a video version of PowerPoint, and you can sign up for a free account. You can use it to create videos and presentations with lots of features that move, jump around and get bigger or smaller.
The video on our Library Information page in this Guide was made using Powtoon.

Screencast-O-Matic

Screencast-O-matic
This software allows you to record a video of your computer screen, while you click on areas on the screen. The viewer will see your screen, and your cursor or mouse pointer move about, as you complete the task. You can record audio at the same time, explaining what you are doing, for further clarification, or add subtitles if you do not want to use audio. It's great for instructional videos. Just go to the site and start recording. Easy

Image Banks

Don't just rely on Google Images for cool visuals. And remember that not all Google images are copyright free. Here are some examples of image banks that have thousands of gorgeous photos and illustrations that you can explore and use.

Pixabay
Pixabay has thousands of free images for you to use. Be aware that the top row of image results are sponsored content to help the site's running costs. Below that the rest of the images are free.
Flickr
Flickr is a photo sharing website with tons of great photos you can use. Be aware that not every image can be used, but if you search Flickr using Creative Commons you'll get loads of free images to use.

Wordle

Wordcloud
There are lots of Word cloud generators out there to use, here is just one of them. Create your own Word Clouds, design your own layout and use the text that you want to emphasise or minimise as needed