Make images interactive, free

There are an astounding number of places for students to go to get information they want. However, while the online universe can be a rich source of information, the educational potential of the internet is not in what can be consumed. The greatest power of online learning lies in what students can create.

One of the most useful free tools for useful, creative student projects is Thinglink. The idea is simple. Upload a picture, then make it interactive. See the example below.





The site designers had students in mind when they created it. You have the option of creating student groups and registering your students so that they don't have to. Once you have a log in set up for your students, they can go in and start annotating images as a way of explaining what they know about a given subject.

This tool has an amazing number of uses. Here are a few ideas:

• K-12
• Elementary- Students can label the pictures they take themselves. 
• Middle- After completing a poster, students photograph it. Then they add tags explaining what it all means. 
• High- Students create online reports for history, literature or science. They include interactive pictures. 
• Professional development- Upload images of items your team needs to learn about. Add relevant information in the form of text, video or links to other pages.