Canva for Education: Get Started for FREE
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We all know how solid visuals can light up a classroom. They grab kids’ attention and break down the tricky stuff into digestible bits. But finding easy-to-use, budget-friendly tools to craft those visuals can be really difficult.
Here’s where I wave my magic wand and present you Canva’s FREE education account. It’s built specifically for educators with everything needed to jazz up lessons with attention-grabbing visuals. Let’s walk through how to get a free Canva education account and the awesome perks it comes with.
What is Canva for Education?
Canva for Education is a free online design tool that teachers adore because it’s straightforward and loaded with tons of pre-made templates and resources. It’s used by a whopping 60 million active users every month all over the world. That includes teachers, students, and schools alike. Canva for Education has all the same features of Canva Pro, but with a bunch of extras just for teachers.
A peek at what you get:
Hundreds of ready-made educational templates that cover every topic, subject, and grade.
Copyright-free photos, animations, videos, fonts, and features to craft engaging lessons and activities.
Chat tools to discuss comments or suggestions with your students from wherever, giving them instant feedback. Share their work, review it, and give them some pointers.
You can even add text or sticker comments to show some love for a student’s work.
Canva also works with popular classroom tools like Google Classroom, Schoology, Moodle, D2L, Blackboard, and Microsoft Teams.
Who can apply for a Canva for Education account?
Any teacher or staff member at a Qualified Educational Institution can apply for a free Canva for Education account. Canva does have some rules about who can actually have an Educations account, so I’ve broken them down below:
Teachers
- A certified K-12 (primary or secondary) teacher from a formally accredited school, who is currently in a teaching position
- A certified K-12 (primary or secondary) school librarian
- A certified K-12 (primary or secondary) learning support assistant or teacher
- A certified K-12 (primary or secondary) curriculum specialist
- A certified teacher at a technical or vocational school, serving primary or secondary students (or equivalent)
- Google Certified Educators (GCEs), Google Certified Trainers (GCTs), and Microsoft Innovative Educators (MIEs) who are teaching at a K-12 (primary or secondary) level
Organizations (Government recognized, formally accredited):
- K-12 (primary, secondary, or pre-college) schools
- School districts
- Departments of education
- Other global school systems
Canva for Education’s free edition is only for primary and secondary (K-12) educators and institutions, not higher-level schools.
Verification Guidelines
If you don’t already have a Canva account under your current school email address, you can create your own Canva account.
In order to do this, you must supply evidence of valid teaching credentials, such as:
- A snapshot or scanned copy of your license or certification that proves you’re qualified to teach
- A picture or scanned document showing you’re currently employed at a school, like an employment letter
- A snapshot or scanned image of your school ID that shows you’re a teacher
- Some official document that shows your organization is a government-approved, formally accredited K-12 (primary, secondary, or pre-college) educational institution
Step-by-step guide for getting a Canva for Education account
If you join Canva using an education domain on their list of accepted domains, you’ll be immediately moved to Canva for Education. Canva may still request that you provide proof of your teaching credentials.
- Open the Canva for Education sign-up page on your computer.
- If you have access to an email provided by the school, Department, or Google-certified email domain, be sure to use that email to create your account. If not, create a new account using your email. You can also create an account through Google, Microsoft, Clever, etc.
- Fill out the signup prompts and select your profession as a “Teacher”.
- Fill out the needed information and make sure to include proof of teaching certification and employment.
They will email your application result typically within 48 hours. You can always use the free version of Canva while you wait for your application to be approved.
Why pick Canva for your classroom?
On top of all the fantastic perks that come with a Canva for Education account, there are plenty of reasons why Canva should be your go-to for crafting class materials.
Harness the Power of Design Thinking
When you bring Canva into your classroom, you’re also ushering in the beauty of design thinking principles. This concept doesn’t just make lessons visually appealing—it also pushes your students to understand how problem-solving can be a creative process. It’s like teaching them to tackle challenges from different angles and encouraging them to see solutions where others only see problems.
Empowering the Designer in Every Student
Canva’s strength lies in its simplicity. Its intuitive drag-and-drop tool lets everyone, yes even the tech newbies, become a designer. Imagine the thrill your students will get when they create their first eye-catching poster or infographic. And the best part? They learn to communicate visually while having fun, which is a vital skill in today’s world.
Ignite Creativity Like Never Before
Canva can be your students’ canvas, where they express their creativity without constraints. It’s not just about making pretty designs—it’s about thinking creatively, exploring different aesthetics, and even understanding the impact of color and typography on communication. Your students’ minds are filled with brilliant ideas, and Canva is the perfect tool to let those ideas shine!
Learning That’s Fun and Engaging
Wave goodbye to the yawns and the bored expressions. Canva’s gigantic library of templates, illustrations, and videos (over 60,000!) turns learning into an exciting journey. Whether they’re creating a comic strip to understand a historical event or designing an infographic to explain a science concept, students will be totally engrossed. Plus, they get to see their own creations come to life, which boosts their confidence big time!
Presentations and Videos Made Easy
Remember the dread you felt when you had to create your first presentation or video? Your students won’t have to feel that, thanks to Canva. It’s packed with professional-grade templates that can make slideshows and videos look like they were done by a pro. What could’ve taken hours now takes just minutes, giving you and your students more time to focus on the content rather than fretting over the design.
Classroom Branding Like a Boss
Want your classroom to stand out and radiate its unique vibe? Canva’s library of templates, illustrations, and videos makes it simple to create a distinct brand for your classroom. You can customize everything to match your classroom’s personality and create materials that will make your students feel like they’re part of something special. And let’s not forget the impressed parents at the next PTA meeting!
Teamwork at Its Best
Canva isn’t just about solo projects. Its design tools are perfect for group activities. Students can collaborate on projects in real-time, which teaches them the importance of teamwork and communication. Plus, you can use the Commenting feature to provide feedback and guide the students, fostering an environment of continuous learning and improvement. It’s not just a design tool—it’s a tool for life skills!
FAQs on Canva for Education
Is there a fee for Canva for Education?
Canva for Education is totally free for teachers in primary and secondary (K-12) schools. And if you’re part of a higher education institution, you can grab a free trial of Canva Pro.
Do students get Canva Pro for free?
Canva has joined forces with GitHub Education to help students level up their design and graphic skills. The awesome part? Students get to enjoy all the benefits of Canva Pro for an entire year, totally FREE. That’s $119 worth of design awesomeness!
What can you do with Canva for Education?
You can use Canva for Education for all sorts of stuff in your classroom. Think creating striking presentations, crafting engaging visuals for your lesson plans, or designing worksheets and activities that make learning fun. You’ll also get access to a mega library with over 60,000 top-quality educational templates.
What if I already have a Canva or Canva Pro account?
If you’re already on Canva, no problem! You can upgrade to a Canva for Education account super easily by logging in with your education email address. And don’t worry, you’ll still be able to access all your previous designs.
How do students get a Canva for Education account?
Right now, Canva for Education is only available to K-12 students. To get an account, a teacher needs to invite them. And students can keep their Canva account for as long as they’re students, as long as they’re using it under the guidance of a registered teacher.
Summary
Canva for Education is a free online platform (open to K-12 teachers and staff from accredited educational institutions) packed with design templates and resources, making it loved by teachers and students globally. It’s got all the nifty features of Canva Pro, but with some bonus extras for educators.
Inspire creative problem-solving, empower every student to become a designer, and spark creativity to make learning a fun journey with Canva. As a teacher, you can create pro-level presentations and videos and Canva even helps you make your classroom stand out with unique branding and encourages teamwork with its collaborative tools.
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