Creating Interactive Infographics for Student Projects

Are you looking for some new tools to spice up student projects? Students can use ThingLink to create interactive infographics.

ThingLink is an interactive media platform that empowers publishers, educators, brands, and bloggers to create more engaging content by adding rich media links to photos and videos. Use ThingLink to create interactive news photography, maps, posters, family albums, infographics, and shoppable product catalogs in minutes! – ThingLink

Convey information with digital media — use ThingLink for creating interactive infographics in the classroom.

The concept behind ThingLink is simple. First, choose an image to use as your background. It could be anything… an image of a person, the night sky, or a map of the United States. Then tag additional information to the image — text, video, audio clips, images, or other elements. This additional information will appear on screen as viewers mouse over that part of the image. Using the examples listing above, students could create ThingLinks labeling parts of the human body, identifying features of the sky, or providing information about each state on a map.

To walk through a step-by-step example of the creation of a ThingLink for classroom use, watch this video, Digital Storytelling with Interactive Images and Videos. Technology Trainer Susan Oxnevad goes through how to create your own ThingLink, and shares a bunch of different ideas for how you might use one in your classroom.

If you're interested in more free tools for student projects, take a look at this online training session, Amazing Digital Projects for All Students. Learn from experienced trainer Matt Bergman as he shares how you can combine the power of Google, images, and videos to develop powerful learning experiences for all students. In addition to discussing free Google tools and add-ons, Matt shares examples of how they can be used in the classroom.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words… is that sentiment true in your classroom? Share your favorite tool for student projects below!

Kimber Thompson is a Lead Moderator for SimpleK12 webinars and a Contributing Editor for SimpleK12.com. She writes frequently about education topics, and is passionate about tools and techniques that inspire young learners. You may reach her with ideas and comments at editor@simplek12.com.