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About Powtoon
About Powtoon
Powtoon is an online platform launched in 2012. With this tool, users can create and edit videos, whiteboard doodling, animated videos, screen recordings, custom characters and visual presentations that can be downloaded as videos. It allows users to customise their presentations with pre-created objects as well as add imported images, music and user-created audios. According to the Powtoon website, people usually use it “for business presentations, product launches, digital and broadcast ads, explainer videos, education materials for the classroom, and much more.”
There are three available plans to this tool: the PRO plan, the PRO+ plan and the AGENCY plan, which offer users many benefits and access to more features listed in the website. Nonetheless, the free version of Powton is quite complete and can help you create attention-grabbing and creative presentations.
Tutorial
Tutorial
To use Powtoon, users must sign up, either with their email address, Google or Facebook account.
Once you’ve signed up, Powtoon takes you to its main page. Users can choose from many ideas of what to create as well as different templates for their presentations based on their purpose.
On the left, users have the Create button, the Home button that will take them back to the homepage whenever they want, the Templates button, the Imports button in case you want to edit a presentation or a video from a folder in your device, and the Blank button, for users to work with a blank canva if they feel like creating something from scratch.
By pressing the Create button, users can select what they want to work on by clicking on it. After they’ve selected the option, they are provided with a huge variety of unique templates and animations from where to pick. The repertoire will be less limited if you have upgraded your account.
By pressing the Create button, users can select what they want to work on by clicking on it. After they’ve selected the option, they are provided with a huge variety of unique templates and animations from where to pick. The repertoire will be less limited if you have upgraded your account.
To start using the template selected, just click on Edit in Studio. Powtoon will then automatically open up the Studio on a different page.
On the left side, the user can see all the slides. Each slide will be approximately five to ten seconds long, and then it’ll move over to the next slide. It is possible to take or add more seconds to a slide as well as by clicking on the plus + symbol or the minus - on the right end of the bar indicating the time.
To add objects, you have to come over to the right side of the screen where you’ll have text, characters, props, shapes, images and videos you can use to customise your slides. For the text, many fonts are available and you can change the size of the text to your liking. Characters, images, shapes can be moved freely. The user can also decide how much time the object will appear on the slide by looking once again at the time bar below the slide.
It is also possible to add music to accompany your presentation. Users can also decide to record their voice and upload the audio; that way, each slide will be orally elaborated on in one audio. For the free version of Powtoon, the audio cannot be longer than 3 minutes long.
To share your presentation, you can either share the link to the Powtoon, download it as a GIF, as a picture, or upload it directly on Youtube.
Catering for students with SEN
Catering for students with SEN
When it comes to fostering diversity in the language classroom, it is important for us teachers to consider our SEN students; that is, to plan lessons that cater for their needs. Apps like Powtoon can be quite useful for educators for the promotion of an inclusive classroom given the wide variety of ways of presenting information they offer. These tools can enhance learning of individuals with special needs such as:
Students with a disorder marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity. Working on a video presentation may help them visualise knowledge and understand abstract concepts that wouldn’t sink in simply by writing its definition. By thinking of ways of explaining such concepts on a slide, students may be driven to uncover new language items with the authentic purpose of communicating something to an audience, making the task more engaging and attention-grabbing than e.g. writing a paper.
Students with speech difficulties. Powtoon offers many ways of conveying meaning. Students who struggle when speaking may feel more comfortable creating a visual presentation about a certain topic than having to give an oral presentation on it. Besides, they can record their voices explaining their work and thus be able to work at ease at home, knowing they’ve got time to practise and the possibility to record it again and again until they feel satisfied with the final product.
Students with reading and writing difficulties. As it was said before, the variety of formats in which information can be presented may come handy for students who struggle when reading and writing. If they have motor skills difficulties, working on a video with a digital device can lead to more positive results as well as showing students they needn’t use pen and paper to complete all assignments for a change; instead, they can resort to these visual tools to work more efficiently and feel motivated. If there are students with dyslexia, using Powtoon can help them with their spelling and writing by providing instant feedback on mistakes.
References
Baglama, B., Yucesoy, Y. & Yikmis, A. (2018). Using Animation as a Means of Enhancing Learning of Individuals with Special Needs. TEM Journal, Vol. 7.
Ledesma, P. (2019). Useful digital tools for the inclusive classroom.
Moats, L. C. & Dakin, K. E. (2020). Dyslexia Basics. The International Dyslexia Association (IDA).
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