In the same way that the technological world is constantly evolving, so is the way in which we teach and learn (Frey & Sutton, 2010). Without a doubt, a growing trend in today's classroom is to utilise multimedia tools to meet the varying levels of student ability. Learning can be more engaging, interactive, and effective by using multimedia, such as videos, images, and animations (Guan et al., 2018). One of the many tools available that has proven useful in the classroom is Powtoon, for both developing and presenting multimedia.
Powtoon is a web-based platform for creating animated videos and presentations. Powtoon is easy to use, even for those who are not tech-savvy. There is a range of free pre-designed templates, characters, audio and animations available on the platform, making it easy for students of all abilities to create engaging and visually appealing content.
Below is an example Powtoon that I created from editing a template while researching the usability and accessibility of the program for this blog. It was created in less than 30 minutes, while still providing a polished product.
Boring and monotonous lessons are likely to disengage students and result in poor retention of information, and off task behaviours. However, teachers can create animated videos and presentations that capture students’ attention and help them to understand the material on a deeper level, providing more opportunities for retention. Academic performance is likely to improve as a result.
Differentiation tailors instruction to meet the individual needs of each student. Powtoon lets teachers modify the pace, detail level, and difficulty of a presentation to fit the learning needs of varying ability levels in their class.
Regardless of the student's learning style or ability level, this can help them stay engaged and challenged. For those who need further instruction, Powtoon has self paced 'how-to' instructional videos available (Powtoon Academy, n.d.).
Powtoon can improve creativity and critical thinking. When students are tasked with creating their own Powtoon presentations, they must think critically about the material, identify the most important points, and find creative ways to convey that information (Djonov et al., 2021). This can help to develop important skills that are valuable in many different areas of life.
Powtoon is a mostly free platform with several premium collections available as part of a subscription service. As a free animation tool it would be accessible for all students in a classroom that has internet connectivity. Allowing students to learn about creativity through discovery and collaborating on projects is easy with Powtoon!
References
Djonov E, Tseng CI, Lim FV. (2021). Children’s experiences with a transmedia narrative: Insights for promoting critical multimodal literacy in the digital age. Discourse, context & media. doi:10.1016/j.dcm.2021.100493
Frey, & Sutton, J.M. (2010). A Model for Developing Multimedia Learning Projects. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 6(2), 491–
Guan N., Song J., Li D. (2018). On the advantages of computer multimedia-aided English teaching. Procedia Comput. Sci. 2018;131:727–732.
Powtoon (n.d.) https://powtoon.com
Hello Lee,
Your blog is very engaging and visually pleasing! I really like your use of images and videos as they helped me understand how to use Powtoon and what the application has to offer teachers and students. I like how you uploaded your own Powtoon video as this encourages other teachers to create their own and even better, it was created in such a short amount of time! You have provided great examples that convey how Powtoon benefits a range of students at different academic levels. Your use of references is excellent as it strengthens your arguments which will without a doubt, be appealing to teachers.
Although your blog provides excellent student benefits related to Powtoon, I would have…