10 Ways Students Can Create Content Using Tech

I recently read an article that talked about how Chromebooks were being underutilized.  Instead of being the creation machines that they can be, many teachers were using them simply as an extension of paper.  Most of the work being done on Chromebooks was work involving Google Docs, such as writing.  

Such was the case in an iPad classroom I visited recently.  The students had written a short essay on a piece of paper and were typing the report into the Pages app on the iPad.

Chromebooks and iPads can be so much more!  Now, that's not all bad.  Of course, there are times when students need to write that essay or report.  

So the article got me thinkin'.  What are some great apps students can use to create content and be creative using a Chromebook or iPad?  What follows are a few suggestions of how Chromebooks and iPads can be the creation machines they were meant to be:

1. Canva:  Ask students to create posters, infographics, or stories using Canva.  Canva has an iOS app or can be used via a web browser.  

2. Adobe Spark Suite: video, posters/infographics/collages, websites:  The Adobe Spark Suite can entice students to create work where they can show off what they know.  The Spark suite offers apps for iOS and can be used via a web browser, perfect for the Chromebook classroom.  Let the students choose how they'll express themselves by presenting them with the suite.  They can create a web page, a poster, or a video showing off what they’ve learned.  Simply point them to the suite and let them choose the app.

3. Book Creator:  Ask your students to write a book.  Well, we’re not talking a novel, but a short book with pictures and everything.  Book Creator can be used on iPads or via a web browser.

4. Voicethread: Students can use Voicethread to narrate a story using pictures and voice.  Ask students to explain a concept or teach an idea.  Students can use Voicethread to debate an issue, discussing the pros and cons of an issue.

5. iTunes U: Specific to the iPad, iTunes U is an Apple education app where students can take a course.  But, you can turn it around and ask the students to create their own course about a specific topic.  Ask the students to create readings, review exercises, and tests around their topic.  

6. Google Sites: Ask students to create a website about a topic or person.  The site can serve as a sort of website biography of a famous person or students can use it to post information about a topic.

7. Garageband/Soundtrap: Ask students to create daily podcasts about a particular person or topic.  Have students create a theatre of the mind project where they perform an audio play about a person or topic.

8. Comic Life 3: Ask your students to create a comic book using their iPad.  Have students collaborate on a single comic, have them work in small groups, or ask them to go solo.  Instead of simply writing an essay or a report, take it to another level and have your students use Comic Life to incorporate graphics and pictures into their report or essay.  Students can use Comic Life to bring their writing to life using their creativity and imagination.

9. WeVideo: Ask students to use WeVideo to edit their created video.  Available for both iOS and as a web-based app, WeVideo is a great and easy way to upload a video, edit it, and then download it back to your Google Drive or show it.

10. Clipchamp: Before using WeVideo, Clipchamp is a very good option for students using Chromebooks to shoot their video.  It’s easy to use and easy to export your video to Google Docs or WeVideo.