Create a Newsletter – explaiined

First and foremost, Canva is a graphic design tool. It’s easy to use and doesn’t require any prior knowledge of graphic design. You can create graphics, presentations, and so much more. It has a completely free version and a paid pro version. But wait, it gets better! The pro version is free for qualifying K-12 educators upon verification. (See eligibility requirements here.)

And what does Canva have to do with AI? Great question! They’ve recently added quite a few AI-powered tools to their site. If you already use and love Canva, now you’ll love it even more.

Now we’ll guide you through creating a classroom newsletter using some of Canva’s AI tools.

*Please note that the following guidance is based on Canva’s desktop website. The navigation and tools may differ on a mobile device.

First, you’ll need to make a Canva account if you don’t already have one. We recommend going ahead and setting up the educator version if you’re eligible! (You’ll be able to complete this activity with the free/non-educator version. You just might not be able to use certain graphics without watermarks.)

Once you’re all logged in, you should see a menu going down the left side of your screen. Click “Magic Studio.” (This is Canva’s new AI-focused portion of their site! For Canva, magic equals AI, and we can’t disagree!)

Screenshot of Canva's Homepage when Logged In

This page goes over all of the new tools, but we’re going to try out the very first one! Click “Try Now” in the “Magic Design” section. A popup will appear telling you all about it! Click “Try Magic Design.”

Now you’ll be prompted to “Use 5+ words to describe your design” in the search bar. We’re going to search for “easy to read classroom newsletter.”

Canva will then show you multiple templates that fit your description for you to choose from!

We selected this one. Now you can play around. Add your text, change colors, and move things around!

Wouldn’t it be great if your newsletter was an easy read for both your English-speaking and non-English-speaking families? You can go right on to the navigation bar across the top and click “Magic Switch.” You’ll see an option to translate your entire file! Just select what language you’d like and click “Translate.”

Now all you have to do is make some minor formatting adjustments and download in your preferred file type.

And just like that you have your newsletters ready to send to parents. This is a quick and easy way to improve communication with parents by making it more accessible to all of them.