Drawing for Poor Artists

While browsing the Cult of Pedagogy Blog this week, I came across a blog titled 6 Ed Tech Tools to Try in 2018. Jennifer Gonzalez highlights 6 tech tools that educators should try out in their classrooms this year. I was particularly interested in a tool called AutoDraw. AutoDraw is a predictive tool that will guess what you are drawing. It provides you with a variety of professionally drawn images to insert that may match your doodle. There are a variety of easy to use tools including text, shapes, fill, and select. Gonzales points to the power of images in helping us remember things. Using a tool like this could be very helpful in helping students learn new content. 

While trying out this tool, I found several pros for using it within the classroom. 1. It is easy to get started. There is no registration and sign-in. When you go to the website, it allows you to start doodling right away. 2. The tools of AutoDraw are very simple and allow for little instruction on how to use. 3. Drawing doesn't have to be perfect or anywhere close for the predicting to be accurate. 4. It is fun to see what images will be given to you. Each of these pros make me very excited about trying it out within the classroom.

AutoDraw can be used for a variety of things within the classroom. Here are a few ideas:

1. Brainstorm: Students can brainstorm ideas to write by drawing on the page and seeing what items are predicted. They can then write a story about these images.
2. Knowledge Dump: Students draw pictures to show what they know about a topic. 
3. Newsletters: Students could draw and write about a topic they are learning about in school. 
4. Story Elements: Students can draw pictures of elements within a story they are reading. 
5. Field Trip Reflection: Students can draw and write about what they learned while attending a field trip. 

These are just a few ideas of how to use this awesome tool within the classroom. AutoDraw is an easy tool to use, and would be easy to implement within the classroom. Let me know what ideas you have for using this tool within your classroom.