DS4OERS/Repository/diagram remix/Tips

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:

• 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:

1. Learn and practise these skills before you start the learning challenge, or
2. 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.

Learning offline

If you don't have regular access to an internet connection, we recommend that you practise these skills offline.

1. 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
2. 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