Featured Chrome App: PowToon

When I first started teaching, PowerPoint was all the rage, but over the years, many of us have died a slow death from boring PowerPoint presentations in which presenters have read every bit of text on their slides to an audience that has already read ahead. I have been guilty of this crime myself and have learned to abide by Guy Kawasaki's 10-20-30 rule for presenting information. I have also moved away from PowerPoint, using Prezi and Google Slides as an alternative.

Recently, however, PowToon has caught my attention. PowToon is Web-based animation software that allows you and your students to create animated presentations by manipulating text, scenes and objects from the PowToon gallery, imported images, background music, and user-created voice-overs for an engaging, animated video with a professional look and feel. It is easy to get started as PowToon will allow you to sign up for its service with your Google account. Further, PowToon has an outstanding support page with helpful video tutorials. Click here to learn more.

Check out PowToon in action and get inspired with 11 Quick & Amazing Ways to Use PowToon in Your Classroom.

Learn how to create your own PowToon in a few easy steps:

PowToon 01: Getting Started
PowToon 02: Start from Scratch and Add/Edit Text
PowToon 03: Add and Animate Characters
PowToon 04: Add and Animate Objects
PowToon 05: Add Sound and Export 

View the video below as I create and publish a PowToon from scratch.