You might be thinking, thing what??
Well if I had had to describe it in one sentence it’s online software that allows you to visually link things together.
I’ve been using it off and on for quite a while and the more I use it the more applications I see for it. So when I saw the course they had as an opportunity to learn what other features they have I jumped at it.
Let me show a little bit of how I’ve used it to demonstrate the possibilities.
My first project I used it for was a way to dress up a PDF map of our college. I could highlight different areas of the map to say a little bit about what to expect in each building and in some cases take a virtual tour of the facility.
The next application was to create a poster presentation for a data coach program I was involved in. I had the typical abstract/summary, then conclusions and results from a marketing survey I ran. With ThingLink I was able to make it interactive so I should expand various sections to show a deeper dive into the results.
Then I used Thinglink to teach a visual concept of the process of web design thinking that I call the 5 D’s of web design. Using a graphic created in Canva I used the linkup feature and then created a information graphic as to what is involved in each step of the process.
I also utilized a new function of Thinklink for creating a quick survey. This allowed me to start off a zoom presentation and ask a quick two question gauge of my audience.
Lasty, in the same session I used Thinglink o create a powerpoint style presentation but with greater visual interactivity with animation and embedded google slides from another presentation. This allowed me expand on details when I was presenting on the subject I was talking about.
Finally, it also has the ability to present content that can be viewed and interacted with in an accessible way with built in screen readers and the ability to break up content in a logical flow. The trick is you must design with accessibility in mind because it’s not going magically create it if you don’t have the end user in mind.
It’s not a free program but it has some very specific uses in the future of the whole metaverse concept of a virtual immersive world. Thinglink helps to give a little understanding to the application of this use for education and presentation.
I hope to next make a virtual visual walk through of our art gallery where you can control what you want to view. Stay tuned!