Create Unique Experiences

With Interactive Images

ThingLink

 @LisaBerghoff/@MrKimDHS

Brain science tells us that being able to experience something helps with working memory, thereby creating a stronger connection in the brain which can lead to improved comprehension and a greater chance of transference of skills.*  But sometimes the thought of creating lessons that involve students getting to be hands-on or experiential feels daunting on a day to day basis. Not every day can be full of experiences, right? 

In my opinion, there are lots of ways to provide experiences for our students. Some experiences will be long and involved, while others can be small and not really require tons of prep on the back end. 

The digital tool ThingLink can be one of those small but mighty ways our students get to explore in an experiential way. You can make it as small or as involved as is needed for the lesson. How you use it is up to you, but it will allow your students to be in the driver's seat for at least part of their learning and they will need to do some interacting with the material, which is often the goal.

ThingLink allows you to make an image interactive. Think about a display you might see in a museum. There is an image of something that would otherwise be very difficult or cost prohibitive to see close up.  Let's say it's Reykjavic, Iceland and it's iconic sculpture located on the waterfront. The image presented in front of you has icons indicating that if you press on them, there will be more information. The information can be in the form of another image, a video, some text information, or a link to a website. It might look something like this.

Click here to view the accessible version of this interactive content

This was created by me using the 360 library housed within ThingLink.

You can also use images that you have, OR you can create your own using Canva. Imagine that you create an amazing infographic for your students. Then what? They just look at it while you talk about it? How about if you share it with them and they explore it themselves by clicking on the tags you have created in Thinglink. You can even record your voice to give instructions.

Here is one I created about using Universal Design For Learning In The Classroom. I plan to use this with my Peer Mentoring class. Go ahead and give it a try. 

Click here to view the accessible version of this interactive content

This can be a new way to mix things up in terms of how your students get information. You can also offer ThingLink as an option for students to show you what they know. Instead of having them create Google slides presentations, again, why not have them create an infographic in Canva and then use ThingLink to highlight and extend their knowledge.

Here is one that I did not create but that I especially like. It's 110 women composers and ThingLink is used to connect each one to a YouTube video of their music.

Five other quick ideas for using ThingLink to make dry content more interactive and interesting:

1. Have vocabulary students need to learn? Make an infographic with the terms and use ThingLink tags for the definitions and examples.

2. Want students to understand a timeline? Make it using Google Drawings, download as a jpeg or png and then add ThingLink tags to the relevant dates and events. 

3. Have a map students need to learn? Add ThingLink tags to the various locations and incorporate videos so students can experience different places in context to the map. 

4. Have a complicated multi-step problem that you just can't explain one more time? Put it on a Google Drawing and download as a jpeg or png and add it to Thinglink. You can create tags for each step and explain what is going on and why. You can even upload audio of you talking through the steps. 

5. Want students to notice a specific piece of artwork? Upload an image of it to ThingLink and then add tags for the information you want them to know. Let them click and explore on their own rather than listening to a lecture about it. 

Getting started with ThingLink is simple and quick. 

• Just go to ThingLink.com and sign in to get started. In order for your students to interact with your ThingLinks they do not need to log in which makes it totally SOPPA compliant. Also, the steps to begin are clear and easy to follow. Check it out here.
• You will upload your image and then add "tags" which will be those interactive elements for students to click on. You can even customize the icons used which can help your students quickly identify when there is more information to view. 
• Once you're done, click the share button. You can add the link to your Schoology page or use the embed code and add to a Schoology page so students can see it right there without leaving Schoology. 

Want some help getting started with ThingLink or not sure how you could utilize this tool for your class? Reach out via email or book a time with me. I'm always happy to help.