During the data visualization lab I explored multiple visual tools. I am so thankful for having this wiki as a resource. I am teaching a digital arts course in the fall for the first time, and this wiki has so many "FREE" tools I can incorporate. I spent a lot of time playing on the drawing tools such as Odosketch. This is an awesome online drawing tool. This features tools for drawing in pencil and colored pencils allowing the artist to experiment with shading and value. Along with the drawing tools I spend time on the website creater Wix. I am in love with this website creator. It is a free Flash web-page developer. It has multiple templates and easy to use. I looked into Google Fusion Tables, I was unaware of the application in Google Docs. I thought this was a very useful application for visually representing data, you can upload data from a previous Google Doc or another file on your computer. I then decided I should stop playing and actually create a data visualization for the assignment. I have opened this lab multiple times and never seemed to get to this point, I was too distracted by all the awesome free tools, did I mention they are FREE!
In my data visualization I decided to create a graphic organizer. I used the program bubbl.us. It is an online brainstorming program to track and organize your information. I immediately started using the program without any help or tutorials, which makes me believe my students will easily be able to use this application. I decided to focus on color theory. The have created a flow chart divided the colors of the color wheel into their color groupings. This would be helpful for students to develop as a review before the color theory test or quizzes. The students could elaborate and include visualizations for the color schemes as well. I would like to use this program for students to use as part of the pre-project brainstorming as well. Students can begin with the topic of the project whether it's cultural identity or Surrealism, to plot their ideas.
I love the notion of visual representation. It is my life! How can you present this visually? That is always a question in my mind. I love the aspect of animated graphic organizers to keep the students interest. I have experienced in the past, that students do not like diagrams and charts, or any preliminary work. They want to do it and be done. I think incorporating a variety of the FREE online tools listed on this Wiki will further engage our students in pre-thinking activities and data representation.
I did not view bubbl.us, but it looks like a resource I will be going back to view. Teaching writing, I struggle with new ways for students to represent their pre-writing using something other than pencil and paper. I think this resource could be beneficial to my students. Thanks!
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