Thinglink – Making Infographics Interactive

Freemium!

Thinglink is a website designed for creating interactive infographics. To begin, users must first launch the website, click the “Get Started” button, and then register with Thinglink. A video overview of Thinglink will then play, which users can view to learn about its basic functionalities. Next, the dashboard will load, and users can click the “Create” option to begin making their own Thinglink.

To start designing their Thinglink, users must first select a picture stored on their computer. (If users wish to upload a picture from online, it is recommended they take a screenshot of the image and upload it.) Next, users can add a title to Thinglink by typing it into the box at the top of the screen. To add additional content to their Thinglink, users can click on the image where they wish to place the content, and options will appear on the left side of the screen.

If users wish to add an image or video, they can paste the its link or address in the top box and add text that describes it below. When finished adding text, users can click the “Save” button and the content will appear as dot on their Thinglink. Users can repeat this process to add additional content. When finished adding content, users can click the “Save Image” button and their Thinglink will then appear on their dashboard.

From the dashboard, users can click the “Three Dots” icon to edit their Thinglink; share it using an embed code, over social media, or with a link; post it to channel hosted by Thinglink; and/or delete it. If users wish to view Thinglinks made by other users, they can click the “Explore” tab at the top of the screen and scroll. When users come across a Thinglink of interest, they can click to view it. If users are interested in a specific topic, they can click the “Magnifying Glass” icon on the top right of the screen and enter the term they wish to search. Thinglink will then report images related to the search term.

Please Note: This review was based on the free version of Thinglink. To access its advanced features, such as 360-degree photos, icons, and more, users will have to purchase an upgrade.

Instructional Ideas for Thinglink

1. After reading a text, teachers can have students create a Thinglink that represents a main point, conflict, figure, or other part of the text. Teachers can require students to include a certain number of images and text to be part of the Thinglink. When finished, students can share their work by posting a link to it on a class website.
2. When studying a location, such as a city, country, ocean, etc., teachers can have students load an image showing the entire location. Next, students can add content to the image that represents specific aspects of the location. For example, if the image is a map of the United States, students can add content that denotes the five most polluted areas, the 10 largest cities by population, or the three areas with the highest quality of life. For each piece of content added, students can include an image and text that explains why they marked it.
3. When studying an animal, car, house, or other object, students can upload an image of it to Thinglink and then label the different parts of the object by adding content. For each piece of content added, the image can show the part in detail and then add text to further explain it. When finished, students can share their work by adding a link to it on a class website or uploading it to a real-time collaborative tool, such as Notebook Cast, Padlet, or Dotstorming.
4. After conducting a research project, students can create a Thinglink about the topic of their research. Students can then add interesting facts, details, and other information they identified while looking up information about their topic. Students can then share their work on a class website using the link feature.
5. When brainstorming ideas for Thinglinks, teachers can give students a guided tour of the website and view previously made Thinglinks posted to the “Explore” tab. Teachers can allow students time to look at the Thinglinks and search them by keyword. Next, teachers can facilitate a conversation about the Thinglinks by asking: (1) Which features did you like included in the Thinglink?, (2) Which features did you find to be distracting when viewing a Thinglink?, and (3) Which was the best Thinglink you saw? Students can then respond to the questions by sharing their thoughts and offering examples of Thinglinks.

Screenshots of Thinglink

Screenshot of Thinglink