Tag: Student Project Ideas

Google Tour Creator

The Google Tour Creator tool is similar to ThingLink in that you are combining the concept of creating a hyperlink but doing it within a 360 degree image that you can view in VR. In fact, you could also look at it as an interactive slide show in VR where you can string together scenes while narrating overtop, or embedding text, photos, links and more. You can essentially guide where someone is looking while in your tour. IMPORTANT NOTE Google is going to be phasing out this platform so while it will work until late June 2021, it will no longer be accessible after that. Google will be incorporating this platform into Google Arts and Culture, as well as building in similar functionality within Google Earth.

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There is also a ton of pre-existing content created and shared by other users so it is a great resource for just experiencing guided tours that already exist, before creating your own. You can also upload your tour to Google Expeditions where you (or others) can view it in virtual reality.

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Explain Everything

Explain Everything is another resource that is both an app and a site. We have a school  account so if you are interested in taking advantage of features not offered on the app (available on all library iPads) we can help you to get logged on.

Explain everything has been around for a while and it keeps getting stronger with constant updates and new features. It is similar to other platforms like Educreations where you can create interactive lessons, presentations, or “how-to’s”, but it is even a little more robust than the other options whose advantages are simplicity of use for younger students.

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Educreations

Educreations is an app and a site. We already have the app available on iPads so there is no need to create an account. However, if you end up wanting to use this resource often, we can create an account where you can keep track of your projects. Educreations is similar to Explain Everything and other platforms that let you create “how-to”s, presentations, etc…, though its simplicity and clean interface make it a great option for younger grades as well.

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DoInk

DoInk is actually two separate apps. One is for animation and the other is for creating green screen content. They can be used interchangeably though and you can really get creative with app smashing here to create virtually anything you can imagine.

Here are a couple of examples of projects that have used DoInk as a primary tool for their creation:

Book Creator: Online

Book Creator has been a familiar resource for a few years now, but constant updates to the program have now really begun to unleash possibilities. The online platform allows our students to really tap into the ease with which they can create e-books and organize them on a digital bookshelf. It could even be a viable alternative to websites for housing and publishing their research projects.

Book Creator has also added a major update this Fall; the ability to embed content from

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Embed from other sites and apps with a click of a button!

other sites and applications!

Explore some samples of ways our students have used Book Creator below!

designer.io (Formerly Gravit)

designer.io is the multifaceted vector designing and graphics program that has evolved from its earlier version known as Gravit. It is one of the more commonly used design tools in our EurekaLab because it communicates well with multiple “making tools”.

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There are tons of tutorial videos online such as those found on their official youtube channel below:

WeVideo

WeVideo is a great alternative to iMovie, particularly for students and teacher who use PCs. Even for MAC users, it provides one key feature that sets it apart. Because it is a platform that is online, students can collaborate together on the same project from home without having to sit in front of the same device that began the iMovie project. It also is very similar to iMovie in its layout so students who are used to working with Apple’s video editing platform will have no trouble making the transition. We have a school account that allows us a certain number of videos to be created and stored, though there is also a free version that has some limitations. There are other movie making resources listed on this site that are worth comparing, but WeVideo is a solid option.

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Google Drawings

I would include Google Drawings in the “swiss army knife of digital resources”. On its own, it is easy enough to create stand alone projects, though it is most powerful when it is incorporated into other aspects of a larger project. Because of its consistencies with other Google publishing platforms, it is extremely easy for students to use independently. It is also beneficial to have students be able to share their work as they would with any other Google doc, make a copy of a template teachers could send out, or whatever else you can think of with using a digital canvas.

Below is one example of how teachers used Google Drawings to create a map that they had student partners duplicate and complete.

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Padlet is still one of the more dynamic resources you will find today for teachers and students. We have a school subscription to the EDU version so your options for using it are not limited (though the free version is very strong). Padlet basically exists as a digital bulletin board that an entire class can access and collaborate together on at the same time. The most recent updated versions allow you to embed video, documents directly from Google Drive, audio, text, and and more. You can customize backgrounds, sort posts in a variety of ways, and can easily clone existing Padlets so many people can personalize their notes. As a note-taking tool, it is a fantastic option and you can customize fonts and features as you would in any other digital document. Students as young as third grade have had success using it, though obviously the older the grade level, the broader the possibilities. Check out some of our own student and teacher examples below!

CLICK HERE to see how 3rd grade student group used Padlet for taking notes:

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CLICK HERE to explore a 4th grade note-taking Padlet

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CLICK HERE to explore how 3rd grade teachers have used Padlet to present a lesson:

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Apple CLIPS

CLIPS is a relatively new app (also a site) that was released late last year. It is a FANTASTIC alternative to iMovie, especially for our lower school students as it allows for an engaging, visual project but can be condensed into a one-off lesson. It is simple in its layout and can be used in a variety of ways. From narrating and animating a story or poem, to labeling parts of the ecosystem, to breaking down the cause and effect of a moment in history, it is all very easy and engaging for our students. It can also be a powerful tool for our youngest learners because of its ability to show the words you speak in “real time”. The possibilities for students to be able to narrate and illustrate their own books with words that fly out on the screen in any style they choose is really exciting. Clips is available on all school iPads (including the Library if students would like to check one out for a project).

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Check out a student-created example below!

 

 

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Scribble Maps

Scribble maps is a site that lets you draw, label, zoom, rearrange, etc… maps of every nook and cranny of the earth. You can change the view to be terrain only, include roads, and more, just like you would in any map app.
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POWTOON

Powtoon is an interactive presentation format that is vastly more engaging that google slides or powerpoint. The free version still has enough features to allow it to be more visually appealing and engaging than traditional presentations.
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EMAZE

Emaze is a super visually appealing platform for creating presentations. Because it contains such a robust catalog of templates and tools, it probably is more powerful in older grades. However, it can be made simple for those who are more comfortable sticking with the basics. For those who wish to pursue extended enrichment opportunities, they can dive into a deep well of features.
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Adobe Spark

Adobe Spark has been a popular free program for creating multimedia presentations for a while now. There is a “video” version and a more text-heavy “pages” version. Watch the video below to get a sense of the options available, even just in the free version.

 

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FLIPQUIZ

FLIPQUIZ is a resource for making Jeopardy-style games. It doesn’t link you to student responses, in the same way, some of the other platforms like Kahoot or Quizlet do, but it is a good option to have on hand, particularly for students that want to use this as a component to a presented lesson.
Click HERE try out a live demo template
Click HERE for a video overview
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FLIPGRID

Flipgrid is a popular platform for sharing and valuing individual student voice. As the teacher, you “proctor” in a sense and students submit responses to lessons, homework, discussions, chapters, videos etc…
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Click HERE for a quick video overview.
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EDpuzzle

EDpuzzle is a program that lets you easily create lessons/mini-lessons and quizzes that incorporate video clips that you and/or students can annotate. It is a solid tool for both teacher designed and student created lessons.

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Fantasy Map Generator

This is a map making resource where students can create their own fantasy world. It is one way to incorporate coding into a project where you want students to create a utopia/distopia and establish a government or teach about the flow of a planet’s resources. However, students can also just edit within the map and options menus without coding if it makes more sense for your lesson. To take it a step further, students can first generate and re-name a map here, and then import it into another mapping program to mark up, or even beyond that, bring it into coSpaces to get a “virtual view”.
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Click HERE for a few additional helpful resources you can adapt from a project some of our students used to create their own.
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Google Tour Builder

Google Tour Builder continues to become more powerful in its ability to create interactive maps and presentations, blending a multimedia map-making platform within Google Earth. Virtual reality is at the forefront of some of the biggest additions to the latest version. NOTE: The Tour Builder platform will be discontinued and merged into Google Arts and Culture in June 2021

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Tiki-Toki Digital Timelines

This site is a powerful way to help students gain perspective of time and space. There are multiple views that you can toggle between and many students can collaborate to create a master timeline
Click HERE to check out a timeline created by 4th graders during their study of explorers.
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2D View
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3D View
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ThingLink

ThingLink is another option for independent student projects, or unit wrap-ups for students to show what they have learned. There are unlimited possibilities for using this platform either in teaching, student learning, assessment, and lesson enhancement.

Click HERE to check out how some of our middle school students used ThingLink when reading Lord of the Flies in a 7th grade English class

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Click HERE to examine the picture below to see how one could embed info into an animated gif.

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CoSpaces

CoSpaces could actually live anywhere on this menu as it is more a platform whereScreen Shot 2018-08-07 at 10.32.32 PM can create a 3-D world embedding any content they wish. One particularly powerful possibility is having students create a virtual museum, either collectively or individually.
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Students wishing to code may do so as it can use drag and drop for the non-coder, block-based coding for the novice coder, and java for the advanced coder. As a cherry on top, students can explore their world, museum, etc… using a virtual reality headset. 
 
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