Ideas Sparked by ThingLink: How to Create an Interactive Guide to Digital Resources for Teachers

Kyla Ball December 3, 2025

This teacher training resource for students on the PGCE course (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) demonstrates how ThingLink can be used to create interactive collections of resources and information around a specific topic for course elements and professional development.

The guide includes multimedia to introduce AI tools, learning resources, and digital classroom tools, along with how they can be used for digital skill development. Additionally, the self-exploration aspect lets students engage freely with resources that match their interests and gradually branch out into new areas.

Tools and Techniques

This learning experience was created using ThingLink’s AI-powered image integration for the 360 room interiors, then uploaded to create interactive 360 rooms. These training materials are ideal for providing additional resources for students when skills and experience may vary widely, and students are free to choose which resources to explore, to what depth, and have the ability to access and explore the tool’s own website via direct links. 

Experience Title: PGCE Student Digital Support Rooms 

Theme or Subject: Technology, Digital Resources and Skills, Professional Development

Age or Stage: Teacher training 

Experience Length: Variable

Keywords/tags: Digital Skills, EdTech Tools, AI Tools

Hook / Entry Point

The “front door” (2D image) sets the stage for a free choice between five rooms with different themes. Each room is accessed via a hotspot that take the user to and between rooms (via a Transit Tag). 

Exploration (Icon or Hotspot Placements)

• Each room then contains a selection of custom hotspots to dive into tool related information and resources:
  • Digital Support Guides room: Short video tutorials give an overview on creating and carrying out surveys, AI, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote, Canva and infographics. 
  • AI Tools room: A selection of general and education-focussed AI tools with general explanations about the concept and application.
  • A Guide to Hwb room: An interactive guide to the digital platform ‘Hwb’, which is provided by the Welsh Government for Welsh state schools.. 
  • Online Tools for the Classroom room: A blackboard shows tools divided into four groups —Computing, Numeracy, Literacy, and Tools & Fun, each with a named tag containing a brief explanation and a link to the tool.
  • Teaching and Planning Resources room: A collection of some of the most useful teaching resources websites, including a brief explanation and link to the tool. 
• Grouping and labelling of the hotspots: The creator has used ThingLink’s text label function to clearly label and group the tools within each room, as well as Static labels (instead of icons) and tag anchor lines to make the groups even clearer.
• Custom icons: Include logos from the specific online resource.
• Cursor icon: Use as doorways to move between the rooms

Challenge / Deepening

PGCE students are often very short on time, given that they have to balance completing their course with teaching in school. The videos were therefore designed with brevity in mind, to give a very short, snappy introduction or overview for each tool. Via the links to external sites for each tool, the user can then choose which they would like try out and experiment with, to increase confidence and explore classroom applications. 

Reflection / Exit Point

There is no defined exit point to this experience as each student can move between the resources and rooms as they need, according to prior knowledge and experience. 

However, possible reflection/exit points may be: 

• Students submit a reflective summary of explored tools to explain use in their profession. 
• Students submit a work example that demonstrates the use of one or more explored tools. 
• Students are encouraged to try out one or more tools in the classroom. 
• Students reflect on the experience through question hotspots, for instance, ‘What tools seem most useful for you’.

Support & Flexibility

Resources Needed: 360° images (can be provided by the ThingLink library, ThingLink’s Pano to 360° tool, or own media, AI generated 360 images from eg Skybox)
Support: Use easily recognizable and consistent icons, colors, and naming conventions.

Asynchronous learning and study: A ThingLink like this could be shared as an open educational resource via URL, accessible on any device, at any time. No log ins or learning management system required.

Self-selection – working at their own pace, using the content to suit their needs and professional subject area gaps.

Experience Extensions
Informal self-assessment: Add quizzes to the rooms for an informal knowledge check on students’ learning and to add further interactivity and engagement.
Learner-centered activity: Students can use this template to create “rooms” and “suites” of information and resources on any topic. 

Creative Extension: Encourage resource creation or improvement using the featured tools and resources. 

Real-world: Applying the new skills and tools to required tasks on the PGCE curriculum.

Outcomes

Confidence and preparation – for the course and for the first teacher placement and role.
Digital Skills – knowledge and broad understanding of each tool and how it could be put into practice.

Experience Outcome

At the end of the activity, PGCE students will be able to demonstrate a general understanding of the selected tools and their functions. This particular resource was created for PGCE students at the Open University, a pioneer of distance learning. It was designed so that the students on the fully part-time course (many of whom were upskilling from Teaching Assistant roles) could have a thorough grounding in the basics of common digital tools such as the Microsoft suite, as well as introducing them to newer AI tools. The resource is now shared on the subject website, within powerpoint during the Digital seminar (the Open University’s online lectures) and as links within student forums.

Acknowledgements

This example was created by Gemma Zeeman, Research Assistant in the School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport at the Open University in Wales. With grateful thanks to Gemma and the Open University in Wales for allowing us to share this example.