Bringing Research to Life with ThingLink Interactive Presentations

Kyla Ball November 27, 2023

Regardless of subject, presenting your data and findings in an engaging and understandable way can be a challenge! Fortunately, ThingLink provides you with the tools to present research or information in an almost limitless combination of media, transforming static data into dynamic experiences that capture your audience’s attention. In this case study we showcase the work of educator Erin Kinucan, who summarised her research this way using ThingLink.

Background to the project

Erin has taught in elementary education for 11 years. Her broad experience includes special education, pre-K, kindergarten and second grade, but the majority of her career has been in third grade math and science. Over the last few years she noticed huge differences socially, emotionally and academically between her students pre-covid and post-covid. The difference was particularly pronounced in the group that missed kindergarten – especially in the key skills of social and emotional interaction that are normally developed at that stage. Erin’s observations led her to explore how the shift to online learning had impacted this cohort. How had their enforced home-learning experience, and in particular the use of technology (educational and otherwise) impacted them?

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In January Erin began a Master program of Educational Instructional Technology at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. Her capstone project for the course “Advanced Media and Application” was focused on “The Impact of Screen Time on Child Development: Balancing Benefits and Risks”. She chose ThingLink as the platform to present her findings given that it ticked all the boxes for the type of content that her assessors ideally wanted included in the final piece. Her base media, the presentation slides with text and graphics, were created in Canva, then uploaded into ThingLink. You can explore Erin’s ThingLink in full below. Notice how she has incorporated different types of media in her tags, from text, to audio, external links and embedded videos.

Why ThingLink was the ideal presentation tool for the project

Ease of use was the overall standout feature for Erin as content creator:

“From the creator’s standpoint, being able to add those features – links to other websites, images, audio and YouTube – and having it all in one place was really convenient. It was a super smooth transition from the storyboard of how I envisioned to actually implementing it ThingLink.”

Easy functionality and navigation for the audience:

“Presentation-wise, it’s really accessible and easy to manoeuver. Go through the pages, access the additional information by clicking those simple links, and have audio in there to just listen to information being read to you instead of having to go in and read a lot of fine print.”

Accessibility features:

“Coming from a SPED (special education) background, I appreciate those features which help with accessibility.”

Ease of sharing and updating:

Erin’s final report was submitted as a link, although she was also able to share it in Facebook, from where users were able to directly explore all the features and elements. Erin also plans to provide her research as a resource for fellow educators and families.

“If you ever want to go in and make those quick edits, you still have the foundation there. It’s just such an easy tool to use and get to know.”

Flexibility and versatility to fit your needs and content

“It’s a creative platform – a tool to do whatever you envisage, so you can manipulate it to fit your needs.”

Thank you to Erin Kinucan and Sul Ross University for allowing us to share the project.

Unleashing the Power of Visual Storytelling in Research

Interactive Presentations: A New Dimension to Data

ThingLink enables anyone to create interactive presentations that are not just visually appealing but also informative. By embedding interactive elements in images, videos, and 360-degree environments, researchers can offer a deeper dive into their data. These tags can link to external sources, additional details, and multimedia content, providing a comprehensive and immersive understanding of the subject matter.

With ThingLink, any visual media – charts, graphs, infographics, images, animations, 3D objects – can then be enhanced with additional text, images, videos, links, and embedded web pages and apps. This approach not only creates a more engaging presentation but also allows readers to explore the content at their own pace, focusing on areas that interest them the most.

Pro tip: Canva is a great platform for creating your base media. They have an enormous range of templates for presentations which you can edit and adapt before uploading to ThingLink.

Benefits of creating interactive presentations:

Increased Engagement: Interactive elements and pop-ups keep readers invested and curious to explore more. Interactivity has also been shown to increase information retention which is important if you need your viewers to remember key points and takeaways.
Flexibility: Viewers can navigate through the content in a non-linear presentation, focusing on what interests them rather than progressing through a slide deck format.
Accessibility: Enhance the power of data visualization with accessibility features such as Immersive Reader and a web view accessibility link for every ThingLink you create.
Share and update with ease: Unlike sharing a PDF or a Microsoft powerpoint presentation, when you share a link to your ThingLink, or when you embed it, any updates you make will be made in real-time wherever your content is shared or embedded.