Tech Review: PowToon Video Maker

Let me start with a great big HUGE disclaimer that I am not a tech person. I'm one of those people who when daylight saving time begins, their digital clock remains at standard time for months... Maybe even until the next time change when it loops back around to the right time. Being in college, I have had to change my analog thinking and enter the digital world. Though tech can be a huge struggle for me, I am learning so much, and some of the things I've learnt, will be useful for years to come.

Enter PowToon.

PowToon is a video maker app. The name PowToon is a combination of the words PowerPoint and cartoon, so that should give you a basic idea of what the app does. Simply put, PowToon helps its users create animated PowerPoint presentations.

Starting a project on PowToon is easy enough. You can choose a pre-made template, if you need help generating ideas, or you can start a blank project, if you prefer. The templates include a variety of customized options for presentations, instructor videos, animations, advertisements, invitations, and so much more. Seriously, the list of things that can be done with this app is endless.

Please note, the functions I used in my video do not demonstrate the full capability of this program. I know that PowToon has even more to offer than the functions and benefits that I've listed below, but from my limited experience, it's pretty great!

Here is my video:

As you can see, PowToon has a variety of character, prop, and text options to choose from.

Some of the main functions of the application include:

- customizable backgrounds, characters, props, and text

- customizable length

- customizable timing for each item you add to your video (you decide when it will enter and exit the screen and how it will do that ie. fade, pop, slide, etc.)

- music selection

- voice over

Again, I emphasize that this review is a general opinion of he app based on my limited experience while building my short video. PowToon offers many functions that I haven't tried; however, I plan to discover more of what this app has to offer in the (near) future.

With my future as a teacher in mind, I put my grade three son to work on a video. I wanted to know if an eight-year-old could navigate the program easily. Although I knew he would love making videos, I worried about how finicky aligning the timing of each slide could be and if he would get frustrated when he tackled that function. I couldn't have imagined better results. Because his class is currently learning about rocks and minerals in Science, he decided he would make a teaching video about rocks. The following video is not my work, but rather, the artistic genius of my eight-year-old son. The only part I helped him with was the timing on the metamorphic rock because he had the idea in his head but couldn't quite make it work.

A user-friendly program like PowToon opens so many doors for teachers. The opportunity for students to EASILY compile their knowledge into a teaching video, allows them to reach those higher Bloom's levels that are sometimes hard to incorporate into classroom learning. In my opinion, PowToon is appropriate for grade three and up, and while younger students may enjoy making videos, they will require a lot more guidance to complete a cohesive product. To make things easier, students can be directed to choose their characters, props, and text in the order they would like for them to appear because the program will reveal those items in that order. Another modification is to have students set the timing for each item to span the entire length of the slide. That way, they are learning how to use the timing function, but it won't be overwhelming, and the final product will resemble an animated PowerPoint presentation.

As you can see, I'm definitely a fan of PowToon. Most of all, I'm excited about how easy it is to use, and I plan on using it in my future teaching practice. This app was a breath of fresh air that has boosted my tech confidence to the point that I may even be empowered to tackle the digital clock in my car.