Explain Everything

Explain Everything

Explain Everything is an app (IOS, Android and Windows)

Cost – £2.29 in the Apple appstore.

You can read about it at this link Explain Everything

It is a very flexible presentation tool allowing you to:

  • import and insert documents, pictures and video
  • draw and annotate
  • move and animate
  • zoom and pan
  • record and play
  • export and share

There are some useful video tutorials available at the link above and some help pages within the app.

So far I have used Explain Everything in three different ways.

I have made a presentation that consists of a sequence of slides that I have added spoken commentary to. This was to introduce an assignment to students and remind them of where the supporting resources are. It was useful to be able to record the commentary with each slide and it was very easy to stop and rerecord small sections without having to record the whole thing in one go.

It can be seen here:

http://youtu.be/01rkBYdUHNQ

I have also narrated a short guide for students showing them how to get from the opening page of a NILE module to their discussion board and then how to access and use the discussion board. It was so useful to be able to click on the sequence links and show students where to click and what to expect live in the website.

It can be seen here:

Finally I have used it construct two page by page views of collaborative sketchbooks that I have been working on this year. I was able to add the sequence of photos, add annotations and export the presentation to YouTube, Dropbox, imovie and ibooks and email it to myself. I would like to have added music but couldn’t quite work out how to do this.

One of these can be seen here:

I think this app has got a huge amount of potential for use with and by students and I am looking forward to exploring it further.

Skitch

Skitch

Cost – free

Skitch is an iphone / ipad / Android app that allows you to annotate photos or images with text, arrows and highlights. It is also available to use on a computer (Windows or Mac).

There is some useful guidance about how to use the features available at this link – Skitch guidance

and a video tutorial here – Skitch video tutorial

2014-05-25 22.48.37Skitch can be used as a way of adding words, captions and sentences to images found or taken by the learner.

English

Write descriptive sentences about can be seen in the image.

Annotate an image with questions.

Annotate an image with descriptive words to later use in writing about setting, character etc (a way of developing a word bank).

Label a diagram or photo using boxes or arrows.

2014-05-25 22.59.02Other subjects

Use labelling to teach, learn, extend subject specific vocabulary.

Use as a visual word bank.

Use as a way of noting thoughts or description on a visit – immediate reaction.