Thinglink

VideoVirtual RealityConstructionismMultiliteraciesMultimedia

ThingLink is a tool for creating interactive images and videos by adding tags. Tags can link to websites, social media pages, videos, maps, images, and audio. Interactive Thinglink images can be shared on social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. There is an option to embed the Thinglink image on other websites as well.

Another feature that Thinglink offers is 360 degrees tours with tags. Users can upload 360 degrees pictures and add audio and video tags for a 3D virtual reality experience. This feature is only available with a Professional or Premium subscription.


Watch on YouTube


Tool Snapshot

PriceFree trial version. Professional Teacher License: $35/year. Premium & Academic Enterprise plans as well. 
LearningConstructionism
Ease of Use★★★✩✩
Privacy★★★✩✩
Accessibility★★★★✩
Class Size60 for professional teacher license plan; Unlimited for upgraded plans
ISTE*SKnowledge Constructor, Creative Communicator, Global Collaborator
COPPA/FERPARequires teacher/school official to provide consent on behalf of parents.

ThingLink Overview Video

Watch on YouTube

ThingLink & the SAMR Model

Here is an example of how Thinglink might fit within the SAMR model:

Thinglink browser view
Screenshot of the Thinglink database

Learning Activities

Thinglink can be especially useful for science, geography, history, language, and visual arts.

Science

Students can create an interactive image to develop or demonstrate their knowledge about a scientific concept or topic.  Check out this example of the solar system:

Thinglink Solar System activity
Thinglink Solar System example

English/Language Arts

Students can make their own vocabulary mind map and tag related words and images. Students can also annotate images of their favorite authors and texts. See an example in which the image links to Edgar Allan Poe’s birthplace, major works, and related websites.

Thinglink Poe
Thinglink for Edgar Allen Poe

Geography

Students can pinpoint the names of places and landmarks. They can also include definitions or annotate historical facts on maps.

 Geography Example ThingLink
Thinglink geography example

Arts

Have you ever wanted to show your students a virtual tour to the Louvre? Better yet, your students can create one by tagging paintings to artists, times, and movements. See an example here.
 

How to Use ThingLink

  1. Go to https://www.thinglink.com/.
  2. Sign up by creating an account using an email or sign up using your Facebook, Twitter,  or Google account.
  3. Explore or follow popular users or topics.
  4. Upload an image from your hard drive, the Internet, or Facebook.
  5. Select a position on the image and tag it to a website, video, or map.
  6. Share your interactive image on Facebook, Twitter, or Gplus, or obtain a code to embed it in your website.

Resources

More ideas for how to use ThingLink

Research

Appasamy, P. (2018). Fostering Student Engagement With Digital Microscopic Images Using ThingLink, an Image Annotation ProgramJournal of College Science Teaching47(5).

Nakatsuka, K. (2018). Making history come to life: ThingLink virtual museumsSocial Studies Review57, 47-52.

Roslan, N. N. A., & Sahrir, M. S. (2020). The Effectiveness of ThingLink in Teaching New Vocabulary to Non-Native Beginners of the Arabic LanguageIIUM Journal of Educational Studies8(1), 32-52.

Image Sources

All images sourced from https://www.thinglink.com/ 

This content is provided to you freely by EdTech Books.

Access it online or download it at https://edtechbooks.org/onlinetools/thinglink.