OK, so here it is: A brand-new year that brings with it a new opportunity to adopt a super cool, multi-dimensional tool that can transform teaching and learning in your classroom. With so many choices on the market today, it’s important to choose one that has the potential of being a game changer—one that…

Deepens & enhances the learning process; Supports curricular goals; Refines analysis & problem solving skills; and challenges students while providing them with a realistic snapshot of what the modern workplace looks like—all in an effort to help students acquire skills they need to survive in a complex, highly digital knowledge-based society.

My vote for an all-in-one resource that achieves these goals? Thinglink, a Web 2.0 tool and mobile app that allows users to add interactive, media-rich links to any photo and turn them into dynamic web experiences that drive engagement. And that’s why I give this edtech gem two thumbs up!

In case you need a little more motivation to get into the Thinglink groove during 2016—here’s the intro slide I will be utilizing in an upcoming professional development session I am facilitating in my District.

You can also check out my PD presentation regarding additional rationale for the use of Thinglink that includes six ways this tool can be integrated into various educational activities. The slideshow is packed with lots of cool examples and a “Just for Fun” section as well!

You can also view this presention via SlideShare here: Tech-knowledg-y Rocks with ThingLink.

And last but not least, if you needs some additional info—resources, examples and/or tutorials—to get started with your new tech crush, then take a look at my Thinglink about Thinglink shown below. Be sure to hover over the image to reveal the interactive “hotspots”.

Classroom Connection:

Since visual literacy is such a crucial component of teaching and learning at all grade levels, Thinglink would be the perfect tool to integrate into any classroom!  As for the possibilities this multimedia resource provides?  Your imagination is the limit!

Students not only love being engaged, but they also appreciate having the opportunity to discover new content, so why not use Thinglink images as a means to explore info and/or extend learning related to a particular topic or concept.

Besides the interactivity of Thinglink, one of the main reasons it has become one of my favorite “cool tools” is that it can be incorporated in a way that allows everyone in the classroom to become a teacher and a learner!