In this course, we do not expect you to become a superior graphic designer or an advanced user of graphic design software. However, being able to generate simple diagrams is a valuable skill when producing teaching resources, and knowing how to include SVG graphics will add visual value to your creations, while also saving you time.
In this learning challenge, we recommend that you know how to:
- Draw and manipulate basic shapes (rectangles, circles, triangles, etc.) using pre-selected shape options provided in the graphics software
- Edit colours of the objects you draw
- Insert, edit, and move text objects in a graphic
- Draw lines
- Group and ungroup collections of objects
- Align a group of objects with a vertical or horizontal line
- Distribute a group of objects so the spacing between them is equal
If you already know how to complete these tasks, you can skip this page.
Choosing a learning approach
If you need to develop these introductory graphic skills, there are two ways to do this:
- Learn and practise these skills before you start the learning challenge, or
- Use a ‘learn-by-doing’ approach, learning the specific skills as you need them to complete the challenge
If you are worried about having enough time to develop these skills, don’t worry! The course materials will remain open for you to study at your own pace. The time you spend now is an investment in your future in becoming a more proficient educator in a digital age.
Resources for learning these skills in advance
Learning offline
If you don’t have regular access to an internet connection, we recommend that you practise these skills offline.
- Make sure that you have a copy of LibreOffice installed on you computer. You will use the LibreOffice Draw component to practise these skills offline
- If you haven’t already downloaded a free copy of the LibreOffice Startup Manual (PDF – 18MB), now is a good time to do so (see details below). Using the Pre-knowledge requirements above, search for the relevant sections in Chapter 7 of the manual and practise these skills.
Download PDF (18MB)
Learning online
There are a lot of online resources available to help you use LibreOffice Draw, but this will require an internet connection while you are studying. We provide recommended links which cover the relevant Pre-knowledge skills below.
Resource link
|
Pre-knowledge skills covered
|
Drawing basic shapes
|
- Drawing lines and changing line properties (eg width, colour, style)
- Drawing rectangles, squares, and other shapes, and changing their properties (eg line width, colour, adding shadows)
- Adding text to shapes
- Adding text boxes
|
Editing drawing objects
|
- Moving objects
- Re-sizing objects
- Rotating objects
- Aligning objects
- Distributing objects
|
Grouping and combining objects
|
- Temporary grouping
- “Fixed” grouping
- Ungrouping
|
In this course, we do not expect you to become a superior graphic designer or an advanced user of graphic design software. However, being able to generate simple diagrams is a valuable skill when producing teaching resources, and knowing how to include SVG graphics will add visual value to your creations, while also saving you time.
Preknowledge
In this learning challenge, we recommend that you know how to:
If you already know how to complete these tasks, you can skip this page.
Choosing a learning approach
If you need to develop these introductory graphic skills, there are two ways to do this:
If you are worried about having enough time to develop these skills, don’t worry! The course materials will remain open for you to study at your own pace. The time you spend now is an investment in your future in becoming a more proficient educator in a digital age.
Resources for learning these skills in advance
Learning offline
If you don’t have regular access to an internet connection, we recommend that you practise these skills offline.
Download PDF (18MB)
Learning online
There are a lot of online resources available to help you use LibreOffice Draw, but this will require an internet connection while you are studying. We provide recommended links which cover the relevant Pre-knowledge skills below.
Drawing basic shapes
Editing drawing objects
Grouping and combining objects
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