Month: February 2024

 We were challenged this week to try out a new digital tool or app we have never used before.  As I scrolled through the list,, one app popped out right away, Piktochart, an online app that claims to be the  latest AI powered infographic maker.   With my learning project focusing on teacher AI programs this felt like destiny and I signed up for the free version.  I also knew I would need a screen capture tool to document my exploration and initially settled on Lightshot, a google extension and that is where I encountered my first problem.

I have downloaded several google extensions and they work like a charm but while the Lightshot feather is in the toolbar it does nothing. I closed down all my browsers, tried again and nope.  Even restarting had no effect so I turned to the web where I discovered this extension has a very low rating with everyone encountering the same issue, it doesn’t work.  Rather than waste anymore time, a quick google search turned up several other options where I settled on Greenshot and oh man what a difference!  Quick download complete with directions on how to use it, literally just press the Print Screen prompt and a toolbar appears that is identical to the snipping tool on most PC’s, works exactly the same but with better quality images. After using it today I am saying sayonara to the snipping tool forever!! Now Piktochart on the other hand, not so much.

Initially I was excited about the program and chose to focus on the AI tool located in the upper left of the home screen. When you click on it, a new screen pops up prompting you to describe the topic of your infographic below which I did and clicked the generate button.

It instantly brought up several templates for me to choose from with AI generated content about teacher AI.  The template options were very limited (10) and the info generated was extremely vague and repetitive so it quickly became clear that I would definitely need to expand on it quite extensively.  

Once in the edit screen I noticed that the layout was very similar to Canva which again got me excited.  Ya that was short lived.   While editing text and images was just like using Canva, it quickly became apparent that the options for images and graphics were extremely limited without upgrading to the pro version.  What was available was very cheesy and depending on what you were looking for there were next to no good options to choose from. 

I managed to work through my infographic design highlighting the features of a new AI tool for my learning blog.  Once finished, I went to download my project and discovered you only get 2 free downloads.  If you need more than that, you need to upgrade so out of curiosity I had a look at the prices and oh my!! $177 USD ($233 CDN based on today’s rate)  if you sign up for a full year and pay up front compared to Canva’s $150 CDN.  YIKES!!

I wanted to check out some of the program’s other features and consider possible applications for the classroom to see if the cost would be worth it.  It does offer a variety of templates from presentations to newsletters, charts and graphs to worksheets.  But here’s the thing, the AI tool only works for infographics and you can only preview 5 templates before…you guessed it, you have to upgrade so my ability to really explore classroom applications was limited.  While there is some potential this tool could be used in the classrooms to take activities and lessons to the augmentation level and possibly even the beginnings of modification, in my opinion there are much better options out there that can take our teaching easily to the modification level and beyond.  This experience was a good reminder that as much as an app might remind us of another one, they are definitely not all created equal.

Infographic I created using Piktochart AI Infographic Generator

Growing up, we lived several provinces away from my Grandparents and if we were lucky, we would get to see them every few years.  Computers did not yet exist let alone Facebook and YouTube, so we had to rely on the telephone and photographs of our dance recitals and school plays in order for our grandparents to participate in our lives and learning about other places and cultures involved reading about them in books.  The whole new world we live in has made staying in touch and actively participating in each other’s lives so much simpler..

As Wesch described in his lecture, now with just a few clicks of a mouse or touch of a screen we can collaborate and participate with total strangers halfway across the world.  We have access to information and to people that before would have been unimaginable.  During the pandemic these platforms gave us a way to feel connected and to be with people when physically doing so was risky and at times, illegal.  In our classrooms, software such as Kahoot or learning activities such as digital escape rooms provide an opportunity to use students’ fascination with participatory culture to our advantage as a tool to engage them in learning, but not all aspects of this new culture that we see in our schools is positive.  

The ability to share information or snap a photo in seconds is all too present in our students’ daily lives and school culture..  When I was in school, if you did something silly or embarrassing it would be talked about for a bit and quickly fade, but now these events are immortalized on cell phones, posted to instant messaging apps and internet sites there to be seen by people around the globe for all time.  One mistake can follow someone and affect their lives for decades, all because of the desire to fit in and contribute to this participatory culture in a digital world.  As a parent of a young daughter, there is so much about the digital age and participatory culture that terrifies me.  I don’t know how to protect her because even if we teach her about responsible use, some parents are not and so we will never fully be able to protect ourselves or our children.  I can’t help but ask myself, are the positive aspects worth the risk?