Few strategies can get students more engaged in the classroom than creative projects. Teachers can embrace the Information Generation’s learning preferences by integrating these video-creation apps below into their assignments, which can really amp up classroom engagement! Plus, differentiating classroom projects that include videos allows students to demonstrate their learning in unique ways– teaching an important process, making an interactive video focused on classroom content, or explaining findings as a newscast — instead of a traditional paper-and-pencil report.

Remember, each and every app reviewed by App Ed Review is analyzed against a comprehensive rubric in a consistent, informative manner by a panel of state-certified teachers. In addition, each review includes 3-5 instructional ideas for how to integrate the app into your teaching!

1. Touchcast is a top-notch video app that allows students to record themselves making a report using an on-screen teleprompter. Plus, this app records students’ faces in tandem with on-screen YouTube videos, showcases interactive documents and hyperlinks, or explains processes on a whiteboard. Touchcast offers users all these tools in one package to create highly interactive, near-professional broadcasts. Users can add webpages, videos, live social media and polls, pictures, and other hotspot “vapps” that add an interactive and cutting-edge spin to typical student videos. The vapp hotspots allow users to sequence their videos and link to material being explained, and viewers can select these hotspots and pull up the material on-screen while staying with the original Touchcast video. One of our personal favorites here at App Ed Review, Touchcast has garnered a 9.7 for Instruction and an 8.9 overall on our comprehensive rubric. For the full review, instructional ideas, and more, click here!

2. Stop Motion Studio is a “Gumby”-style stop motion video creation app your students will love to use. Students tap the shutter button to snap sequences of stills that incrementally create a film as the students move the characters and props around the video’s setting. Audio can be added to the video from students’ music libraries, or students can record an original song. With an assortment of camera options, students can control frame speed to pace their videos. Completed videos can be shared via YouTube, Dropbox, iTunes, email, and more! An easy to use app, Stop Motion Studio scored an 8.3 overall. For more detail and instructional ideas, follow this link.

3. 30 Hands is one of the easiest apps to use for creating movies. With 30Hands, students have to first pick a title for their movie, and then 30Hands allows students to import images and text from their online storage cloud or camera roll. Each imported image creates a new slide, which students can then narrate. Once multiple slides are added, students are able to edit the narration. After creating their entire movie, 30Hands saves it automatically. Students are also able to publish their video for free and save it to an online cloud, the 30Hands website, or to their camera roll. With high scores for its design and engagement, students will definitely be able to use this app for creating movies. For a complete review of 30Hands, click here!

4. ScreenChomp is a screencasting app. With it, students are provided a workspace that they can illustrate, import images from their Dropbox or Library, and narrate. To narrate, students simply have to tap the “record” button, and ScreenChomp will capture their audio explanation of the illustrations and/or images they placed on their workspace. Plus, students can add illustrations to their workspace as they go, which allows students to explain complex ideas. After students have completed their screencast, they can upload it to the ScreenChomp website. Once uploaded, users can access their video’s link and share it. With its easy-to-use design and high score in engagement, students will most likely find ScreenChomp to be a must-have app. For the complete review, click here.

That’s all for this month’s Roundup. If you would like more information about any of the apps mentioned in this Roundup or that are on the App Ed Review website, please contact us at info@appedreview.com. And remember, the potential to use apps is only limited by the users’ creativity!