Application and Features

I experienced ThingLink for the first time actually through this course. One of the students used it as a way to introduce themselves using an interactive image created on ThingLink. ThingLink allows user to blend multiple forms of media in one comprehensive experience for students. Whether it’s making reading more accessible, adding audio clips on top of images, using 360 pictures to create virtual field trips, and more, ThingLink is a learning tool to help make the learning more student-centered. While similar platforms such as Google Slides can provide versions of these creations, the animations and visual aesthetics help set ThingLink apart.

Integration Model

The SAMR model is similarly aligned to Bloom’s Taxonomy in that as students move up the levels and layers, they are being challenged more with technology, engaging in more student-centered activities, and ultimately learning more through the technology. Substitution involves making the same assignment digital. The assignment can be done on paper or on technology. Augmentation enhances the assignment or learning experience by creating it on a digital platform and adding in functional change to improve the learning experience. Modification begins to transform the traditional assignment in its form, application, and collaboration possibilities. Reaching the redefinition levels means incorporating the technology in such a way that it would be inconceivable to achieve with just paper and pen. This could mean multimedia integration, worldly connections, and real-time data tracking to name a few.

SAMR and ThingLink

Depending on how you use ThingLink, it could fall on any of the layers of the SAMR model. For example:

• Substitution: Have students label a diagram on paper or have students label the same diagram on ThingLink. With this, the technology simply takes the assignment and presents it in a digital manner.
• Augmentation: Students could create and review each other’s diagrams and provide feedback through the collaborative features on ThingLink. Although students could pass around their paper diagrams, using the collaborative feature on ThingLink is helpful for students to see multiple examples quickly and see the different features students use on the site.
• Modification: Instead of labeling a diagram, students could use 360 images to create their own diagrams, and they could add in audio overlay, so that instead of it being just a picture diagram, it becomes a virtual tour.
• Redefinition: Students can create and test VR experiences related to the same diagram, previously inconceivable without technology and ThingLink.

Ultimately, ThingLink takes the mundane and makes it magnificent. While substitution is easy, the true value of ThingLink is with its features to modify and redefine traditional learning. There’s also a mobile app for phones and tablets, so to continue redefining traditional learning can go a long way with different technologies being used.

Personal Use

I can think of so many uses for ThingLink. I’m currently teaching my mystery unit in my Young Adult Literature course, and I immediately thought about designing some kind of hidden object game in which students have to explore a crime scene and solve the mystery. This could even serve as a creative writing opportunity for them. Better yet – they could use ThingLink to design their own interactive crime scenes and have other students navigate and guess the crime! I also think it would be great for annotating model and mentor texts. Students could click on the parts of the mentor texts that are highlighted to see more information about why that part of the writing is important to include.

Limitations

One of the major limitations is that although teachers can have a free account to share their creations with, if you want students to also be able to create, you have to purchase student seats. They offer three different levels of memberships, and the Premium Education License and Academic Enterprise License would likely be a leadership purchase rather than an individual classroom teacher. The Professional Teacher License is $35 a year but only includes 60 student seats with extra student seats for $2. At the high school level, many of us have 150 students, so that could easily add $180 to the cost per year.

In addition, all accounts have a maximum number of views allotted per month, and the free teacher accounts have a maximum of 1,000 views per month. This view count increases every time the web page is loaded, so if 150 students were to view it 10 times, the views would be exceeded.