For this project, I used the app ThingLink to create a biography and introduction to Gary Paulsen. This app is free, available on iTunes, the Thinglink Website, and it is fairly easy to use. I had a little trouble using it at first, but I figured it out quickly. I can see myself using this in my future classroom. This would be a good get-to-know-you tool at the beginning of the year. I can make one and have my students create one. I like this as an alternative to standing in front of the class and talking about yourself for a couple minutes. Students can add photos and videos of themselves, family, friends to show everyone. They can also use this to show what they did over the summer and give a short biography of themselves.

I do like the fact that the app is free because I don’t see myself paying for it. It is good for short introductions, whether that’s at the beginning of the year and I have students make them, or if I make one to introduce a topic. I made this one to introduce Gary Paulsen because he is a popular young adult author. If I teach middle school, I will probably have students read one of his books, or at least present them with that option. I thought the app worked well for this purpose, the students will know who/what I am talking about and I can use the links and image to introduce our next topic. I am honestly not sure what else I would use the app for besides an introduction. I know it can be used for other purposes, but I think there are better apps out there for bigger projects and presentations.

I found a tutorial for teachers to use, so they can use ThingLink in the most efficient way in their classroom. This comes straight from the ThinkLink website and it teaches you how to create accounts, how to use the app, and how to manage your students’ accounts, among other things.

The second tutorial I found is a YouTube video on how to use ThingLink.  in under five minutes. This video goes step-by-step to show you how to use the app and all the different things you can do with it.

One way to use ThingLink is to have an interactive book talk. You take a picture of one book or a group of books, with similar topics/themes. Then add links to recorded booktalk. You can also have the students create audio ads or video booktrailers for each book and then link it to the cover. I like this because it allows students to learn more about each genre of book and it is an interactive project. Another idea was to take a photo of your classroom and send it to parents/students. They can get a peek at what your classroom is like. I think this is a good idea because it is important to keep parents involved and showing them your classroom can help get them involved. You can also provide a virtual tour of your school, which can be put on a school website. This can come in handy if a student decides they might transfer to your school; they get a tour before they actually arrive in person.

Overall, I think this is a good app to use and I will use it in my classroom. It does engage students and is a creative alternative to some projects. I think it is definitely worth researching and viewing some tutorials to see everything the app can do.