Featured image by FoYu / Pixabay
In this week’s class we’ll explore a variety of apps that foster collaboration and creativity: Google Drawing, FigJam, Adobe Express Video, Loom screencasting, EdPuzzle, FlipGrid.
Students will work in a small team to explore and compare apps, come up with a lesson idea, and then share with the class.
Drawing / White Board Apps
Google Drawing
Google Drawings provide a “canvas” for users to place a variety of content. Like all Google tools, content can be saved in your Google Drive. Drawings can be used as a browser version or as a Chrome plugin.
FigJam
FigJam is a collaborative whiteboard app, free for all education users. Start by going to Figma’s Education page and opening an account.
Video Creation Apps
Adobe Express Video
Video Maker– Part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite. Built in storyboards allow you to integrate images, video, sound. Choose public domain images and soundtrack
Loom screencasting
Loom is a free screencasting tool that allows users to capture their computer screen and record themselves with their camera. Loom can be used on both Mac and Windows computers. Loom will “host” the video on its server and you can share the screencast or embed in a website. To get Loom open your Chrome browser and get the Loom extension here. Or download a desktop versions here
Video Interaction Apps
EdPuzzle
EdPuzzle. It’s a free web-based tool that you can use to pick a video, add your magical touch and track your students’ understanding. It allows you to add questions, audio and notes to existing videos from Y ouTube, Khan Academy, Crash Course and more. If you’d rather record and upload your own video, go for it!
To start, first create a free teacher account at EdPuzzle.
Flip
Flip – Flip is a free app from Microsoft where educators create safe, online groups for students to express their ideas asynchronously in short video, text, and audio messages. (Formerly known as FlipGrid