The Best Online Resources for Creative Teachers

When I was growing up, there were two kinds of kids: kids who could draw and kids who couldn’t draw. Unfortunately, kids who couldn’t draw stayed away from art activities.

The world is different today, with pictures becoming a new language on to themselves. Our students probably have entire conversations with their friends using mainly emojis and teachers seek out online resources for remote classrooms! The global multi-language society puts us in a situation where we all can better communicate and express ourselves through virtual spaces and pictures. Teachers teaching across physical and distance classrooms can better reach students when lessons are rich with images. Not only that, online resources that include visuals in learning are even more relevant today with the shift to even more virtual classrooms. When it comes to teaching online, many students may have a hard time concentrating on Zoom. Distance learning can be greatly enriched if it’s filled with vibrant and relevant images.

The process of communicating with pictures is becoming super convenient and easy. We no longer need to pull out our art supplies every time we need to make something.  With a quick Google search, stock images are a readily available online resource for remote classrooms to communicate almost anything. A variety of graphics software options make it easy to create and customize images even if you are not an expert. And displaying digital creations has become even more convenient with computer technology, smartphones, tablets, and smartboards.

Here are some of my favorite quick and easy online resources for creative teachers:

• Unsplash provides free online stock images for download
• For some quick editing, removebg allows you to remove a background of an image
• The Adobe Color Wheel can help you find complimentary colors for a beautiful visual design

Some food for thought:

• How are you incorporating online images and graphic resources into your curriculum? And what are your favorites?
• Do you find it easier to use pictures in a virtual online classroom or a face-to-face classroom? Why?

Online resources for creative teachers can help facilitate a vibrant and engaging learning environment. Learn more in the online continuing ed course for teachers: Visuals in Learning.

About the Author
Ellen Paxton is a respected expert in education and best known as the Chief Learning Officer of Professional Learning Board. As a two-time National Board Certified Teacher, Ellen has successfully published and customized online professional development courses and Learning Management Systems for 20 years to help teachers meet their state continuing education renewal credit requirements. Through ProfessionalLearningBoard.com, RenewaTeachingLicense.com, and ConnectedPD.com, Ellen has established solutions and maintained partnerships with several accredited universities, higher education institutions, teachers’ unions and state Departments of Education while setting strategic direction that makes a difference and overseeing implementation of popular online PD.