Thinglink is a wonderful app (and is also available for use on PCs: https://www.thinglink.com/) as it enables you to bring pictures to life by making them interactive; displaying and making information accessible. Notes, music and videos can be added to a still image. This is a completely free app and is very easy to use. You simply choose an image (from the sample, or your camera roll) and add interactive tags by tapping the image. The interactive tags can be photographs or videos from your camera roll, YouTube videos or text including web links. Children could create their own Thinglinks; taking their own photographs or videos and adding labels. Teachers could use these for a variety of purposes: to introduce a new topic, during main teaching, left out on the IWB for children to freely access which would also enable children to use the IWB pens to write free hand onto the image as apposed to having to type. I tried Thinglink out with the Topic idea of The Hungry Caterpillar in mind. I took a photo using the ipad and made this interactive by putting on prompt questions which may be used during story writing, and I also attached some videos: The Hungry Caterpillar story and a video of a caterpillar hatching and another of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. This app could be used across the whole curriculum e.g. interactive information about different countries, cultures, food, animals, traditions, history, problem solving. I think what is missing from this app is the ability to draw your own pictures, however, used on an IWB this can be achieved!
