It never fails. I make a video of how to navigate an interface or take screenshots of how to do something, and the developers immediately push out a new update. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the world of Edtech over the years, it’s to be adaptable. Change is inevitable, so let’s teach students and teachers how to embrace it. My recent bout of insomnia made me think about all of the current tools, ideas, pedagogy and leaders in the field of Educational Technology that teachers should know about. I put together an interactive Thinglink image that will probably need to be updated every year. Some of the resources I tagged are here to stay, such as robotics, virtual reality and the 4Cs. I must admit, I’m looking forward to seeing how this image will change in 2018. Let me know what you think should be added or removed.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know I obsess over certain tools I love. Thinglink is probably number 1 on my list and it just got even better! Last year, I participated in the Thinglink Summer VR Challenge and was introduced to their new 360° tag editor for making 360° images and VR content interactive. This particular feature of the platform is only available if you have a Premium Educator account. When I provide professional development opportunities for my teachers, I usually do not recommend purchasing individual subscriptions because I know that the money comes out of their pockets. This is one exception.

Thinglink is not just a tool. It is a supportive community designed to provide teachers with rich, interactive experiences that engage learners and immerses them into worlds they may not possibly be able to experience otherwise. When I see teachers and students using Thinglink to annotate content that demonstrates understanding of concepts, they are giddy. Seriously. Giddy. One of my favorite bloggers, Richard Wells (@EduWells), recently published a post about the impact of virtual reality in the classroom and how it can encourage empathy.

Below are the Thinglink current pricing options.

 

I recommend starting with the free 14 day trial so you can see for yourself how easy it is to navigate the interface. If the out of pocket cost is not an option, try approaching your campus administration or PTA/PTO for funding. Many campuses have even used allocated grade level or department funds.

One thing I struggled with as a new user of this feature was learning about 360° images, specifically where to get them and how to make your own. I’ve tried several apps and continue to go back to the same one: Google Street View on my iPhone. Here are the simple directions:

Create photos with an iPhone (Won’t work with an iPad because it won’t save to camera roll)

1. Open the Street View app .
2. Tap Create +.
3. In the bottom right, tap Camera .
4. Take a series of photos.
5. At the bottom, tap Done .
6. Your 360 photo is stitched together and saved in the “Private” tab on your phone. The photo is also saved on your phone (unless you turned this setting off).
7. Publish your 360 photo on Google Street View (you can blur faces or identifying information if needed)

Upload Image to Teleport 360° app on your iPad

1. Open Google Street View on your iPad.
2. Navigate to your public image and save to your camera roll.
3. Open Teleport 360 and tap on Upload Media
4. Tap Photo Library and tap on your 360 image
5. Tap edit and start tagging using text, images, audio, video, embed html, or transitions

 Here’s a quick video to show how easy it is to use:

 

If you would like to take your class on an immersive learning adventure to a specific destination, check out the photo pool from the Flickr 360 Equirectangular Group. Many photographers have given permission for their images to be used. Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) also has a wealth of information and resources on the subject of virtual reality. Also, within the app itself is a growing collection of their own 360° image library.

Check out the Spotlight Speakers 17 Channel created by Susan Oxnevad (@soxnevad) to see examples of how educators are using this tool to support instruction.

Happy Tagging!

 

 

Last week I attended TCEA 2017 in Austin and am currently working on a blog post to share my reflections. In the meantime, I stumbled upon this amazing resource created by Ron Burke (@MistaB10). His Twitter pic alone is worthy of its own blog post. Ron curated a plethora of technology challenges that allow teachers to explore new tools, choose tasks that are of interest, and provides examples of authentic integration. Where has this dude been all my life? Seriously. Check out his other interactive images here.

It’s summer! This time of year always gives me the opportunity to learn new skills, explore new tools, and collaborate with new people. Once again, I am participating in the Thinglink Summer Challenge. We will be exploring a new feature they recently added that allows you to upload and annotate 360 images. This is a great way to create engaging and immersive experiences for students. My first attempt was a virtual field trip to the Alamo that provided students with a guided tour and interactive activities that taught them about the significance of the battle during the fight for Texas Independence. I’ve created a channel to showcase the submissions from various Thinglink Expert Educators and teachers from around the country. I will continue to add on a weekly basis, so please check back often for more Thinglink inspiration. Make sure to join the Thinglink 360 Facebook page and visit the #Thinglink360 feed on Twitter. As Susan would say…Happy Tagging!

Talk about immersive experiences… The new Thinglink VR editor gives you and your students the opportunity to interact with 360-degree images and (coming soon) video. I thought I would give you a sneak peek of the image I will be discussing during the Interactive 360/VR Image Slam on Thursday, June 2nd. Sign up to view live at 8:00 pm EST or to receive a copy of the webinar in your inbox. You can also participate in the ThingLink Summer VR Challenge that begins on June 26. 

*Update*

Click on the video below to view the webinar that walks you through the image above (51:00). Check out all of the other great panelists for even more ideas on how to utilize 360 images. 

Explore this updated Bindr collection for even more inspiration.

 

You could say I have a slight fondness for Thinglink. I’ve spent the past 2 summers participating in the Thinglink Teacher Challenges facilitated by Susan Oxnevad. One of my professional goals this year was to try and replicate a similar challenge for our NEISD students and teachers. Last year we implemented the District Verified Organization offered by Thinglink Edu and have had great success in recruiting more users. This past winter we introduced our first ever district wide challenge. The goal was to create an interactive image explaining a winter tradition celebrated from anywhere in the world. It was open to all K-12 students and the grouping options included individual, pair, small group or whole class entries. We were hoping for a diverse group of submissions and that is exactly what we received. 5 interactive images were chosen from over 70 total entries. Before Spring Break, Cindy Gregory and I showcased the winning images by sharing screencasts of students explaining how the image was created and what they learned through this experience. The webinar can be viewed below.

View the channel below to see all of the great interactive images that were submitted for this challenge. We hope to have future Thinglink challenges, so please contact your campus ITS if you would like assistance getting started.