Registration

In the dynamic world of learning, magic often happens when we combine the tools we know and love, creating experiences that are both immersive and interactive. It’s in this spirit of innovation and collaboration that we are delighted to announce a special partnership for our upcoming webinar, “Interactive Storytelling & Learning: Exploring ThingLink and Book Creator.“

We are delighted to invite you to our latest free webinar. ThingLink host Louise welcomes special guest stars David Hotler from Book Creator, along with Christoffer Lindved Dithmer, Head of Digital Learning from Denmark, for a fun discussion and live demonstration. Together, they’ll showcase how to leverage the unique features of ThingLink and Book Creator to create multi-modal immersive learning experiences.

What You Will Gain

• Enjoy hands-on demos of ThingLink and Book Creator together, turning lessons into captivating, interactive and immersive experiences.
• Learn about the accessibility features of both, by default and design. 
• Join in the discussion about learning in the era of AI as well as new AI features and media generation.
• Learn from Christoffer Lindved Dithmer’s innovative classroom examples, blending creativity with technology for impactful learning.
• Receive a certificate of attendance as recognition of your commitment to embracing the latest in educational technology!

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is ideal for educators at all levels who are interested in leveraging technology to enhance learning experiences. Whether you’re a seasoned appsmasher(!) or new to digital learning, you’ll find valuable insights and ideas to build into your learning and teaching methods.

Join Us!

Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the combined power of ThingLink and Book Creator Register now for the free webinar and take the first step towards creating immersive, engaging, and effective learning experiences for your students and with them as creators.

If you’re unable to join the live webinar, don’t worry we’ve got you covered! Sign up anyway for the action replay.

Andreas Fischer pursued his Master’s in Pedagogy and Teaching for Sustainability at the University of Eastern Finland, where he first learned about ThingLink. The platform was used to conclude a research module in an interactive format. Captivated by the engaging interface, he quickly began creating pedagogical content and course assignments with his classmates to discuss various sustainability-related topics, such as the environmental impacts of EV-vehicle production.

As part of a traineeship at the university’s escape room facilities (Sm4rt LOC), Andreas further expanded his skillset with the platform by enhancing course infographics designed on Canva through the integration of vibrant icons and pop-up windows using ThingLink. Together with his supervisor, he also held a workshop about escape room pedagogy and the value this technique entails to education at the Sustainable Science Days (SSD) conference in Helsinki last year. ThingLink was the ideal platform to transfer the physically introduced escape room version into a digital use case while enhancing the learning experience and interface as well as storing the activity for future sessions.

Context Immersion

Digital tools have distinguished potential to support students in growing a profound understanding of different contexts through immersive experiences that represent real-world scenarios. One key objective of sustainability education is to promote a vast set of competences touching upon aspects, such as global understanding, systems thinking and collaborative action. With ThingLink, educators can facilitate the growth of numerous competences in learners and widen their worldview by generating virtual 360° environments using panorama images designed to illustrate sustainability challenges people face around the globe. Within those digital worlds, students have the possibility to freely explore and discuss impressions.

Widen Perspectives

One glove doesn’t fit everyone! With teaching experience at multiple international schools, Andreas realized the need for educational tools to globally connect learners on accessible platforms and allow them to share their immediate knowledge from local settings. ThingLink helps to transfer real-world impressions into digital environments where learners and educators can effortlessly embed information to articulate experiences. This makes different sustainability challenges more graspable and facilitates a profound understanding of individual needs. Students build concrete knowledge around challenges to weigh feasible solutions and sympathize with locals through the immersion into digital environments simulating real-world examples. ThingLink, as a digital space, bridges the gap between learners on a global scale and helps showcase the complexity of sustainability matters and their root causes.

Systematic Thinking

Sustainability education encourages growing an understanding of factors that drive and impact the global system. In other words, knowing the extent of primary pillars, like the economy, and how these interact with each other positively or negatively. With Thinglink, educators can create digital scenarios to allow learners to enter various worlds (environment) and learn about local contexts (economy) while working with others (society) and benefiting from the exchange of perspectives (culture and heritage). This advances global consciousness and builds a comprehension of different circumstances which define sustainability matters. Additional applications, such as the AR-function, amplifies experiences further, merging digital and physical worlds.

Promote Sustainability Education Using Gamification 

Gamification is a pedagogical method that shows strong evidence in supporting learning holistically through engaging and vibrant material in fun-packed individual or social experiences. Learning processes are often not directly perceived by the students but become most evident in the reflection phase. A popular application of gamification in education is through escape rooms, with ThingLink being an excellent platform to create virtual versions and provide access to implement a broad range of riddles and digital tools. A gamified approach to complex topics, such as embodied in the sustainability concept, supports students’ process impressions suitable to their age and learning stage as well as fosters a seamless development of competences.

Valuable Opportunities Andreas Found with ThingLink

• Immersive and captivating learning experiences.
• Generate subject-oriented digital environments while accommodating learner specifics.
• Transfer and storage of physical activities (e.g., escape rooms) into digital versions.
• Create global connections and exchange perspectives.
• Project/material longevity and ease to modify.
• Embed multiple websites and online tools in one engaging environment.
• Amplify user experience through VR, XR and AR applications

Closing Thoughts

Sustainability comprises multiple aspects which challenge educators to tangibly compact and deliver the concept into a learning environment. In Andreas’s opinion, ThingLink offers a unique escape route to support this process with its versatile interface and possibility for context immersion. The platform provides worlds for students to connect, collaborate and sympathize to fight for a better future.

Registration

ThingLink is absolutely thrilled to present an exclusive webinar titled “From EdTech to PedTech: The Pedagogical Power of an Immersive Experience.” This free event offers a landmark discussion, shedding light on the potentially transformative effects of immersive experiences in education when combined with research based approaches to digital learning and teaching.

Louise from ThingLink along with our esteemed guests, including Dr. Fiona Aubrey-Smith, a pivotal figure in educational technology research and co-author of From EdTech to PedTech, and Cheryl Shirley, the visionary Director of Digital Learning at LEO Multi Academy Trust, will delve into the profound impacts that the digital approaches they have taken are having on enhancing learning outcomes.  

Read Ahead: The LEO Academy PedTech Impact Report!

“ThingLink gives children complete choice and control over their learning. It is a powerful tool that helps them to engage with a variety of content without any stigma that may be attached to a physical resource in the classroom”
Cheryl Shirley Director of Digital Learning, LEO

Throughout this webinar, our panelists will explore firsthand accounts and research findings that underscore the efficacy of immersive and interactive learning environments. We will also provide a Certificate of Attendance for your own records.

Key Outcomes for Participants:

1. Understanding the Shift from EdTech to PedTech: Gain insights into how the focus is moving beyond the technology itself and placing pedagogical intentions in the driving seat.
2. Impact on Learning: Learn about the specific ways in which immersive experiences can positively affect students’ engagement, understanding, and critical thinking skills.
3. Practical Strategies for Implementation: Discover actionable strategies for integrating immersive learning experiences into your teaching practice, ensuring that technology serves as a bridge rather than a barrier to deeper learning.
4. Evidence-Based Benefits: Hear about the tangible benefits of immersive learning experiences from case studies and research, including improvements in dialogue quality, questioning, and classroom interaction.
5. Future of Education: Engage in a forward-looking discussion about the potential of immersive learning to shape the future educational landscape, preparing students for a world that values creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability.

Unmissable! Our webinars are always eventful and we warmly invite everyone to attend. As always, we would love you all to join in and ask questions throughout the webinar.

– From #EdTech to #PedTech.

The Challenge in Nursing Education: Nursing students must master a mix of theory and practical skills and be ready to make quick decisions in ever-changing situations. Part of their training takes place in real-world healthcare settings, which is crucial for their learning.

Since nursing programs across Europe share core elements, students have the chance to study and train in different countries. However, before starting their clinical practice abroad, they need a thorough orientation to adapt to new work environments and cultures.

Introducing the Care for Europe Project: The “Care for Europe Erasmus+ KA2” project aims to make it easier for nursing students from abroad to fit into their new clinical placements. The project focuses on creating digital tools to help these students get used to their new country and healthcare settings.

This initiative is led by the French Red Cross’s IRFSS Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, with partners from universities in Hungary, Spain, and Finland. Together, they’ve developed materials in collaboration with educators, nurses, and students themselves.

A Breakthrough Digital Tool: One of the standout creations is a 360° immersive learning resource built with ThingLink. This learning resource is designed to introduce students to the concept of cultural competence and prepare them for their clinical placements in various countries. It offers virtual tours of actual nursing locations, like hospitals and educational simulation rooms, allowing students to explore and learn about their upcoming work environment before they even arrive.

Learning Modules Offered: The learning resource is divided into four key areas:

1. Cultural Competence: Helps students reflect on their own cultures and understand others better.
2. Understanding Local Nursing: Offers insights into the nursing field and education in the participating countries.
3. Mentoring and Clinical Practices: Guides on mentoring and how to navigate clinical placements.
4. Local Culture and Country Info: Provides a peek into the local culture and practical information about the host country.

Positive Feedback and Future Possibilities: The feedback from both students and teachers across Finland, Spain, France, and Hungary has been extremely positive. The ThingLink platform is praised for being innovative, engaging, and user-friendly. The project has sparked interest not just for educational purposes but also as a potential tool for orienting new healthcare staff or patients in different settings.

Conclusion: The “Care for Europe” project showcases how digital innovation can enhance nursing education and support students in adapting to international clinical environments. By leveraging immersive experiences and collaborative efforts, it offers a forward-thinking approach to preparing nursing students for global opportunities.

With many thanks to case study authors,

Niina Glerean, Senior Lecturer, Laurea University of Applied Sciences

and

Mika Alastalo, Principal Lecturer, Laurea University of Applied Sciences

Breathe life into the ordinary with ThingLink’s brand new Augmented Reality Solution! Easily create an overlay of hotspots containing multimedia information on your images of real-world objects, then share as AR experiences to view via any mobile device. 

What is the ThingLink AR Solution?

ThingLink has always offered the easiest and fastest way to create interactive and immersive experiences for viewing on screens or in Virtual Reality. Now you can add Augmented Reality viewing to the list of easy-to-create interactive media.

The ThingLink AR Solution consists of the new AR Mode in the ThingLink suite (for creating), and the ThingLink AR Viewer App (for viewing).

How does the ThingLink AR Solution work?

Creation:

Using advanced AR technology, ThingLink allows you to upload any image of a real-life object, and then add hotspots to it via the super-simple and intuitive ThingLink interface. The interactive hotspots can contain any combination of multimedia content: images, videos, gifs, text, links, 3d models and much more! Add your hotspots, then add the content you would like to share with your viewers. After creating your AR resource or ‘Collection’ ThingLink generates a share code for you, which you can also convert to a QR code for sharing if you wish.

Viewing:

Your viewer then:

1. Downloads the AR Viewer App from the AppStore and opens it.
2. Enters the share code/scans the QR code.
3. Points their phone camera at the object. 
4. Interacts with the hotspots that appear on their screen!

Both the ThingLink creator interface and the AR Viewer App are very easy to navigate. Our intuitive interface ensures that everyone can enjoy a simple and seamless user experience, without any specific technical expertise.

You can read full instructions, account limitations and details at our Support Article here.

Video above shows the AR solution being used at Savonia University of Applied Sciences’ WaterLAB – a dedicated space for development and testing.

What are the benefits of ThingLink’s AR Solution?

For learning and training

More impactful training with Mixed Reality 

Instantly engage learners with your training by adding augmented reality experiences. From educational institutions to corporate training, the app provides an opportunity for experiential learning. Make complex topics, physical processes or even machinery easier to understand and more engaging through interactive, hands-on experiences that guide learners through processes step-by-step.

Increased accessibility

Providing accessible content is essential. ThingLink is designed to break down barriers and open up new opportunities for exploration for everyone. We’ve built an AR training solution that’s not just easy to use but also makes learning fun and inclusive. No matter their age, training needs or tech skill level, your viewers can dive right into augmented reality training on demand with the ThingLink Viewer App, on a device that’s familiar to them. 

Keep training costs down

Create interactive employee training experiences that don’t rely on expensive AR headsets or training software and can be instantly updated at no additional cost. Create a variety of different overlays for different event simulations and training scenarios. Reduce the training process from two steps (theory, then practical) to one, saving time and money.

For cultural venues:

Clear and accessible information for visitors

No more dealing with cluttered information signs or panels on each object. With the ThingLink AR Viewer App your viewers simply point their device at the image, tap on the hotspot, and access information seamlessly. A whole catalog of objects or artefacts can be accessed with one short code. Retain the original aesthetic integrity of your location, no need for ‘out of context’ information panels that disrupt the experience. Providing information via your visitors’ own devices rather than providing audio guides to visitors keeps your exhibition costs down.

Drive engagement 

Engagement is the key to a memorable experience, and the ThingLink AR Viewer App excels in this area. By adding interactivity to your exhibition or display, you’re not just looking at artefacts – you’re truly experiencing them. Dive deep into historical contexts, gain artistic insights, or even share personal stories attached to objects – the possibilities are endless.

For business:

Increase safety and efficiency and lower costs with optimized troubleshooting 

With the ThingLink AR Solution, you can be sure that whatever the problem, your operators and agents can deal with it swiftly, safely and efficiently. You can reduce potentially costly and hazardous errors with interactive AR product guides that demonstrate correct processes. 

How can you use the ThingLink AR Solution?

The AR Solution has multiple applications in learning, training, industry, marketing, retail, art and culture, tourism and more. In fact its applications are almost limitless!

Add multimedia tags to paintings, structures, products, machinery and technical equipment, production lines or in fact any workplace object, unlocking layers of information and insights in an instant. Here are some key use cases by sector.

1. Galleries and Exhibitions

Augmented reality can transform the traditional gallery and exhibition experience into a truly immersive one. This application can add an extra layer of interpretive content to artworks, bringing them to life with interactive, animations, audio descriptions, artist interviews, 3d objects or historical contexts. Visitors, equipped with the AR app on their smartphones or tablets, can point their devices at an artwork and watch as the static display evolves into an interactive multimedia experience. This not only boosts visitor engagement but also offers an exciting new way to delve deeper into the stories and ideas behind each piece.

In the example below, you can watch how the solution was used to create AR guides for an exhibition in Columbus, Ohio. You can read the full case study blog here.

2. Onboarding and Impactful Training

The use of augmented reality in onboarding and training programs can revolutionize the way companies educate their new hires or existing employees. By incorporating AR features into their training, companies can make complicated training materials interactive and engaging. For example, employees could scan a machine with their phone to see a step-by-step AR guide on how to operate it, minimizing risks and facilitating a faster learning curve. This hands-on learning approach helps improve the understanding and retention of information, making training more effective.

3. Troubleshooting, Maintenance and Product Guidance 

Provide detailed visual guides to instruments, machines and appliances for your field operators, agents and customers. Reduce costly errors and the time taken to resolve issues by providing clear and sequenced instructions in multimedia format, including videos to show processes and functionality in action. Increase accuracy and confidence, avoid potentially dangerous and/or expensive mistakes from incorrect use and procedures and reduce hazards to employees and customers. Step-by-step walkthroughs with videos, images and even 3D models can guide them independently through the correct actions when products and machinery display a fault. These AR applications work across a wide spectrum of industries – from those as diverse as manufacturing, utilities, healthcare and hospitality.

ThingLink’s AR solution is one of the best AR apps for use in environments where information or guidance needs to be regularly updated. Any changes that you make to your content in ThingLink are updated in real-time, meaning that whenever the viewer opens the app, their material will automatically be the most up-to-date version. In the example below, the AR solution is used to troubleshoot complex instruments in a water network.

4. Escape Rooms and Treasure Hunts

Augmented reality can bring an innovative twist to traditional escape rooms and breakout sessions. With AR technology, you can design thrilling scavenger hunts or gamified experiences in any location or space. For instance, clues or puzzles could be placed in real-world environments, but only visible through the AR app, making the challenge more immersive and engaging. You can also incorporate educational content in these AR games, turning any location or learning experience into an interactive adventure. This can be especially impactful in settings like museums, educational institutions, or corporate team-building exercises. Popular experiences such as Pokemon Go have made the concept of an AR treasure hunt familiar to everyone, and now with ThingLink AR solution, it’s incredibly easy to make your own! In the video below, educator Christoffer Dithmer has used the AR solution to add additional layers of information to a history book for his students.

5. Information Panels and Directions for City Guides and Trails

Augmented reality applications can provide interactive information or direction panels in a variety of spaces, from public parks to buildings and tourist attractions. Users can simply point their AR-enabled device at a location or object to view a layer of digital information – this could include historical facts, architectural details, or even directions to nearby points of interest. This provides an innovative way for visitors to interact with their surroundings, making navigation easier and experiences richer.

6. Historical Education and Tourism

Historical sites and museums can adopt augmented reality to provide immersive tours and educational experiences. Users can view re-enactments of historical events, see how historical figures looked, or visualize how ruins and buildings looked in their prime, all by downloading the augmented reality app. This application of AR makes history more accessible and engaging, and helps users develop a deeper appreciation for cultural heritage. 

Device and Platform Compatibility

ThingLink’s AR Viewer App is available as a mobile app for iOS (for iphone/ipad/other Apple devices) and for Android devices/operating systems.

Experience the ThingLink AR Solution 🌐💼: Transforming everyday tasks into seamless and efficient experiences!

Registration

We are delighted to invite you to our webinar! ThingLink Host Louise Jones welcomed special guest star Jon Neale from Quizizz for a fun discussion and live demonstration of how to leverage the unique features of ThingLink and Quizizz to create multi-dimensional immersive learning experiences.

This session has been designed to immerse you in the synergistic potential of integrating ThingLink’s immersive learning experiences with Quizizz’s dynamic lessons, quizzes, and assessments.

What You Will Gain?

Participants of this webinar will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to leverage the unique features of ThingLink and Quizizz to create multi-dimensional learning experiences. ThingLink’s platform allows users to create interactive visual content, transforming images, videos, and virtual tours into engaging educational materials. By embedding these immersive learning experiences into Quizizz’s engaging platform, educators can offer students a rich, interactive learning environment.

Quizizz, renowned for its interactive range of over seventeen quiz types, brings an element of fun and engagement to assessments and learning checks. The ability to embed quizzes into ThingLink’s immersive experiences using the versatile ‘Embed Tag’ opens up new avenues for creating interactive learning modules. This integration not only enhances student engagement but also aids in the retention of knowledge through interactive, hands-on learning.

Why Attend?

1. Enhance Engagement: Learn how to use ThingLink and Quizizz together to make your lessons more interactive and engaging for students.
2. Boost Creativity: Discover new ways to infuse creativity into your lesson plans and assessments, making learning a more enjoyable experience.
3. Practical Insights: Gain practical insights from case studies and examples on how to effectively integrate these tools into your teaching.
4. Free Resources: Get access to a wealth of resources and ideas that you can immediately implement in your classroom.
5. Receive a Certificate of Attendance!

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is ideal for educators at all levels who are interested in leveraging technology to enhance the learning experience. Whether you’re a seasoned technology user or new to educational technology, you’ll find valuable insights and ideas to transform your learning and teaching methods.

Couldn’t Join Us!

If you were unable to join the live webinar, don’t worry we’ve got you covered! Sign up anyway for the action replay and email with all the resources we shared in the webinar.

Join the conversation

Get inspired by some of the content shared by our creative communities!

• ThingLink LinkedIn Page 
• LinkedIn Community 
• X / Twitter ThingLink Page 
• X / Twitter ThingLink Edu Page
• X / Twitter Creative Learning Design Community 
• ThingLink Education Facebook Group. 

• ThingLink Facebook Page 
• Instagram ThingLink

Registration

What a webinar! “Discover Immersive Learning with ThingLink and Adobe Express,” draws upon insights from the recent BETT Education Technology Show. This event spotlighted AI’s pivotal role in shaping future educational ‘Pedtech’ practices and earmarked Immersive Learning as the trend to watch in 2024.

Webinar Highlights:

• BETT 2024’s AI and Immersive Learning Insights: Unpack the latest trends and innovations in AI-driven educational technology, with a special focus on BETT’s prediction of Immersive Learning as a defining trend for 2024.

• Hands-On Demonstrations: Witness firsthand how ThingLink and Adobe Express use AI to easily create content, making it more immersive, interactive, and impactful.

• Interactive Q&A Session: Pose your questions to our experts and delve deeper into the integration of AI tools in education and education in the era of AI.

“Immersive learning can take textbook lessons and build extraordinary worlds for students to explore and learn, hands-on.”
BETT (4 of the Biggest EdTech Trends in 2024)

Hosted by Louise Jones from ThingLink, along with Dean Stokes from Adobe Express, this session is a deep dive into leveraging AI-powered tools to craft immersive learning experiences effortlessly.

Featured Speaker:

Dean Stokes, Adobe Express (Special Guest Star): Well known and much-loved in the edtech community and a long-standing colleague of Louise, Dean will illustrate how Adobe Express’s AI capabilities can empower educators and students to create captivating narratives through visuals, videos, and web pages.

Post BETT Bonanza!

Louise and Dean will also cover some of their thoughts from their presentations on the panel for the Google for Education ‘Creativity Session’, where Louise focussed on the fact that Immersive Learning is ‘not just about headsets’ and Dean demonstrated the ease of creating images fit for purpose for both teachers and learners.

What is Adobe Express for Education? 

Adobe Express for Education is a free offer for K-12 schools and districts. It gives students and educators everything they need to confidently create standout graphics, photos, presentations, webpages, and videos. Adobe Express lets students and educators express themselves in unique and beautiful ways inside and outside the classroom.

Missed it?

Sign up anyway and we’ll send you the action replay with links and resources!

By participating in this webinar, you will:

1. Leverage AI for Immersive Content Creation: Learn to use ThingLink and Adobe Express to craft AI-enhanced images, videos, and virtual tours, offering students a rich, hands-on learning experience.
2. Innovate with AI in Visual Storytelling: Discover how to utilize Adobe Express’s AI features to produce compelling educational content that inspires  and resonates with students.
3. Adopt AI-Driven EdTech Tools: Acquire actionable insights and strategies for incorporating AI into your teaching; enhancing engagement, and elevating learning outcomes in the AI era.
4. Receive a Certificate of Attendance!

Other Ideas for learning about ThingLink you’ll love!

• Free ThingLink Certified Creator Course
• Previous ThingLink On Demand Webinars
• Search Support Articles or Request Support

Connect and Collaborate

For more ideas, use cases and inspiration on content creation, join our communities on social media! LinkedIn Community, Twitter Creative Learning Design Community and ThingLink Education Facebook Group.

We’re thrilled to say the team will be returning to the BETT show in London January 24th and 25th. We had such a great time last year winning the Best Digital Learning Product Award we couldn’t stay away!

We’d love for you to join us, it’s a great opportunity for us to meet you in-person and chat about all things learning and ThingLink. We would especially love to see our valued community members, educators and students, so please do leave us a message to connect with you or drop by the stands where we will be!

Connect with us at BETT London!

24th and 25th January 2024

Registration

Interactive Demonstrations: Throughout the Bett Show, our team will offer interactive demonstrations at both stands. You’ll get to see how ThingLink’s versatile platform can transform educational content into engaging, interactive and immersive experiences, suitable for educators and learners from K-12, Higher Education through to employee development.

Discover Immersive Learning Made Easy! Louise Jones will be presenting on the Google for Education Teaching Theatre Thursday 25th 4.25 p.m Experience the simplicity and impact of creating interactive and immersive learning experiences with ThingLink. Dive into into how students and teachers are effortlessly merging real-world contexts and scenarios for essential skills development in the era of AI. Louise highlights innovative projects from around the world that demonstrate the impact of integrating interactive technology for digital fluency.

Immersive Learning with ClassVR: Over at the ClassVR stand NJ30, we’ll demonstrate the power of ThingLink in creating unique and in-context immersive learning experiences which can be viewed in ClassVR Headsets. Explore how our platform enables mixed and virtual reality experiences in education, discovering new worlds or making complex concepts easier to understand and more engaging for learners.

Discover ThingLink at Google for Education: Visit us at the Google for Education stand SE40 Wednesday 24th January 3-5pm, where we’ll be showcasing how ThingLink seamlessly integrates with Google’s educational tools and admin management console with our new App Licensing integration. Experience firsthand how our interactive and immersive media tools can enhance learning experiences on Chromebooks, in Google Classroom and other Google for Education Workspace tools, bringing a new dimension to digital learning environments.

Networking and Collaborative Opportunities: Join us to discuss how ThingLink can be integrated into your strategies for learning and teaching and to explore a whole host of collaborative possibilities.

We can’t wait! See you there 🙌

Background to the project

Erin has taught in elementary education for 11 years. Her broad experience includes special education, pre-K, kindergarten and second grade, but the majority of her career has been in third grade math and science. Over the last few years she noticed huge differences socially, emotionally and academically between her students pre-covid and post-covid. The difference was particularly pronounced in the group that missed kindergarten – especially in the key skills of social and emotional interaction that are normally developed at that stage. Erin’s observations led her to explore how the shift to online learning had impacted this cohort. How had their enforced home-learning experience, and in particular the use of technology (educational and otherwise) impacted them?

In January Erin began a Master program of Educational Instructional Technology at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. Her capstone project for the course “Advanced Media and Application” was focused on “The Impact of Screen Time on Child Development: Balancing Benefits and Risks”. She chose ThingLink as the platform to present her findings given that it ticked all the boxes for the type of content that her assessors ideally wanted included in the final piece. Her base media, the presentation slides with text and graphics, were created in Canva, then uploaded into ThingLink. You can explore Erin’s ThingLink in full below. Notice how she has incorporated different types of media in her tags, from text, to audio, external links and embedded videos.

Why ThingLink was the ideal presentation tool for the project

Ease of use was the overall standout feature for Erin as content creator:

“From the creator’s standpoint, being able to add those features – links to other websites, images, audio and YouTube – and having it all in one place was really convenient. It was a super smooth transition from the storyboard of how I envisioned to actually implementing it ThingLink.” 

Easy functionality and navigation for the audience:

“Presentation-wise, it’s really accessible and easy to manoeuver. Go through the pages, access the additional information by clicking those simple links, and have audio in there to just listen to information being read to you instead of having to go in and read a lot of fine print.”

Accessibility features:

“Coming from a SPED (special education) background, I appreciate those features which help with accessibility.”

Ease of sharing and updating:

Erin’s final report was submitted as a link, although she was also able to share it in Facebook, from where users were able to directly explore all the features and elements. Erin also plans to provide her research as a resource for fellow educators and families. 

“If you ever want to go in and make those quick edits, you still have the foundation there. It’s just such an easy tool to use and get to know.”  

Flexibility and versatility to fit your needs and content

“It’s a creative platform – a tool to do whatever you envisage, so you can manipulate it to fit your needs.”

Thank you to Erin Kinucan and Sul Ross University for allowing us to share the project.

Unleashing the Power of Visual Storytelling in Research

Interactive Presentations: A New Dimension to Data

ThingLink enables anyone to create interactive presentations that are not just visually appealing but also informative. By embedding interactive elements in images, videos, and 360-degree environments, researchers can offer a deeper dive into their data. These tags can link to external sources, additional details, and multimedia content, providing a comprehensive and immersive understanding of the subject matter.

With ThingLink, any visual media – charts, graphs, infographics, images, animations, 3D objects – can then be enhanced with additional text, images, videos, links, and embedded web pages and apps. This approach not only creates a more engaging presentation but also allows readers to explore the content at their own pace, focusing on areas that interest them the most.

Pro tip: Canva is a great platform for creating your base media. They have an enormous range of templates for presentations which you can edit and adapt before uploading to ThingLink.

Benefits of creating interactive presentations:

• Increased Engagement: Interactive elements and pop-ups keep readers invested and curious to explore more. Interactivity has also been shown to increase information retention which is important if you need your viewers to remember key points and takeaways.
• Flexibility: Viewers can navigate through the content in a non-linear presentation, focusing on what interests them rather than progressing through a slide deck format.
• Accessibility: Enhance the power of data visualization with accessibility features such as Immersive Reader and a web view accessibility link for every ThingLink you create.
• Share and update with ease: Unlike sharing a PDF or a Microsoft powerpoint presentation, when you share a link to your ThingLink, or when you embed it, any updates you make will be made in real-time wherever your content is shared or embedded.

Further inspiration

For more interactive presentation ideas, see our post

How to Create Interactive Infographics with Canva and ThingLink and explore further uses of ThingLink in higher education here.

Connect and Collaborate!

For more ideas, use cases and inspiration on content creation, join our communities on social media! 

• ThingLink LinkedIn Page / LinkedIn Community 
• X/Twitter ThingLink Page / X/Twitter Creative Learning Design Community 
• ThingLink Facebook Page 
• Instagram ThingLink
• ThingLink YouTube – where you can catch up with our webinars as well as watch how-to video clips and quick tutorials.

The industry expert judges were impressed by ThingLink’s evidence-backed submission. It demonstrated that ThingLink is not only a trusted solution but has also evolved with emerging technology, guiding their customers to develop impactful training experiences.

“We’re thrilled for this honor and the recognition of the bridge we built from the 2D internet to the Metaverse with the easiest suite of immersive eLearning and content creation tools available for businesses, brands, and educational institutions.”

Ulla-Maaria Koivula ThingLink Founder & CEO

ThingLink – Top XR Firm

XR or Extended Reality is the perfect term to conceptualize what ThingLink is and offers. A fast and easy way to create Interactive and immersive learning experiences that can be delivered in highly impactful ways, and accessible on any device. Whether in-person or in synthetic spaces, on-site or off-site, ThingLink provides the tools to enable organizations to tailor content for every training scenario.

Customers consistently express their trust and confidence in ThingLink’s ability to enable them to deliver impactful training.

The platform has notably transformed education and elearning by reshaping how learning and training is created and consumed. ThingLink has made it incredibly easy for everyone and anyone to do this, from creating 360 photospheres of environments to creating real world contexts for scenario based learning with interactive content.

Think you know ThingLink? Think Again!

ThingLink’s Suite of Products in 2023 includes essential features for creating impactful employee training and essential assets for processes and information. 

1. Advanced Multimedia Editor for adding interactive hotspots with layers of information on your images, videos, 360 media and 3D objects. 
2. ThingLink Scenario Builder for creating branching scenario based learning experience, perfect for decision making in high risk situations, includes learner data and analytics. 
3. New! Guided Tours, for creating virtual tours with single click with built-in narration. 
4. New! Augmented Reality AR App for an in-person onsite experience to gain essential information by overlaying info on machinery or objects.
5. Panoramic Images to 360 Photospheres converter, enabling anyone to create 360 images with their mobile device.
6. AI Assistant Tools Via text prompts in the ThingLink Editor or through our 360 image generator with Skybox AI partnership

Three Essential Resources

• Build Scenario Based Learning and Training with ThingLink’s New Templates
• Create Powerful Moments of Insight: A Masterclass in Creating Immersive Scenario Based Learning Experiences
• How to Create Immersive Online Employee Training in 5 Days Using AI

Looking for more training and elearning inspiration?

For more inspiration, make sure you’re following us on social media. In particular, please do join our LinkedIn Community.