One of the most exciting applications of education technology is its potential to turn the long, one-dimensional, wordy school projects of yesteryear into multimedia-filled, action-packed, graphic-illustrated masterpieces!
With all the tools available to students online, what once had to be a vast handwritten tome can now metamorphose into a video diary or a blog project, an animation or a slideshow presentation. And it doesn’t have to mean giving up all text either – here are 6 fantastic tools for adding to and enhancing student presentations…
EdTech Tools for Student Projects
1. Add an animation…
Thanks to the simplicity of brilliant, easy-to-use online animation websites, the moving image can replace the old-fashioned diagram or hand drawing in school projects with relative ease. Take a site specially designed to be used by youngsters, like Domo, which also allows the user to embed their animation into blogs, wikis and other sites, and get started!
2. Get a professional page layout…
Now that great programs like Scribus are available online, students can turn their projects into seriously snazzy looking finished products. Scribus is a modern and user-friendly interface, but supports professional publishing features and leaves student’s projects, from academic reports to school newspapers and magazines, looking as polished as possible.
3. Embed your research…
For students looking to create a research-based project, toiling around the school halls with a clipboard is a thing of the past thanks to a wealth of brilliant online tools that allow quizzes and surveys to be designed and embedded into their own websites. Try Quiz Revolution for a great tool where quizzes are easy-to-make, interactive, and can be embedded into any website.
4. Insert a mind map…
A mind map is a fantastic illustration for complex ideas and interconnected concepts. Students can use a great online tool like Spicy Nodes or MindMeister to guide visitors on a visual online journey through their project, clicking on different links and topics and being able to see how they all fit together in the grand design.
5. Jazz up your photos…
Inserting photos into a school project used to mean finding sticky backed corners to secure them to the page. But thanks to new edtech tools like Be Funky, students can modify, touch up and adapt images before inserting them for even greater effect. Turn images old and sepia looking to add atmosphere to a history project, or jazz up landscape snaps for a more artistic style!
6. Present in style…
Rather than handing in a linear, written presentation, students can get really creative with projects thanks to brilliant new presenting tools – and none is more loved or better trusted than the brilliant, rule-breaking Prezi. Use it to create fluid, dynamic presentations that move around the page and take the viewer on a real journey, zooming in and out and literally travelling from one idea to the next. A+ practically guaranteed!
Image courtesy of Flickr, Nita J Y.
Thanks for compiling these resources, Laura. I’d also like to add QuizPoo – an easy way to instantly assess your student’s comprehension. And it’s free – get started at QuizPoo.com
Hi Laura,
This is Stephanie from GoAnimate. Thank you for including Domo Animate in your article!
If educators are looking for a school-safe version of Domo, they should look at GoAnimate for Schools (goanimate4schools.com), which is like Domo Animate, but with more features, and privacy measures to protect students’ PII.
If you have any feedback or questions, we would love to hear from you.
Please feel free to email us at schools@goanimate4schools.com.
Happy Animating!
Thanks Stephanie!