Monday Made It - ThingLink

 My big project this week was to continue working on getting my blog up and running. I've been linking up to other sites, posting about products, and finding others to follow too. But I realized that I had not done anything to the other pages of my site (besides the home feed). 

When I visit other blogs, I read a post or two and if I am interested I next click on the "About Me" page. WHY did it not occur to me that other readers would do THE SAME THING when they came to my blog? Ah, live and learn. So I finally got myself in gear and began brainstorming what I would share on that page.

I'll let you in on a secret:

I actually googled "unique about me pages".

It didn't take me long to hone in on this article in my search results.

21 Creative Blogger Bio Pages

Some of the ideas shared were so creative! But I obviously didn't want to just copy something. Also, I know from teaching my fifth graders, that the more interactive something is the more engaged people will be. Suddenly I remembered something my son had done while he was dog-sitting at our house over Christmas break.

Check it out here.

So I sent Jon a quick text message and asked him if he would be willing to help me make my own ThingLink. He agreed, since he is superbly awesome. :) His main job was to set up all the "stuff" I had gathered, take a picture that I was willing to share, and do a bit of photo editing. It took about an hour, but here's what he sent me!

I know you just can't stand the suspense any longer, so go ahead and click on the "About Me" tab at the top of this page and you can see what I did with this picture. Just be sure to come back to this post so you can learn all about how to make one of your own because I just KNOW you'll want to!

Okay, you're back! 

It's pretty darn cool, isn't it?!?

Ready for a mini tutorial?

Here goes...

 The website I used to make my interactive image is called ThingLink.

You'll need to visit the website and set up a FREE teacher account.

There is an option to upgrade to a paid account, but I honestly don't know that I would need the features for what I plan to use it for. I might change my mind later.

Anyhow, make yourself an account. It's pretty quick and easy.

 Once you've confirmed your account and logged in, click on the red plus sign at the top that says CREATE to get started on your very first ThingLink.

 Choose an image to use. I uploaded the picture my son took from my hard drive. You can practice with any picture, or you could plan in advance what you'd like to do.

 Once your picture is uploaded to the site, a pop-up window will appear. This is where you will have the chance to add text and clickable links. Start by renaming your project (the default is My Interactive Image). Then decide which objects in the picture you want to highlight. Click anywhere on the picture to add a tag. A black circle will appear.

The box on the left side of the screen allows you to edit your tag by adding text or changing the color of the dot. You can also add a link if you'd prefer. After typing your caption, be sure to click on the green save button. If you make a mistake or change your mind about a tag, simply click on the circle and use the edit tag box to make changes or delete the tag altogether.  When you are happy with the tags you have added, click on the Save Image button. 

Now all you have to do is decide how and where you'd like to share your interactive image.

For my About Me page, I clicked on the Share icon and copied the embed code. Then I added that to my post on Blogger (be sure you have it under HTML rather than Compose).

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand, you're done!

Time for a happy dance!

I was so stinking excited!

I was literally jumping around my kitchen shouting that it was exactly what I wanted. 

(Then my silly husband pretended to call Ripley's Believe it or Not to tell them a woman said something was "exactly what she wanted" and ACTUALLY MEANT IT! What a goof!)

So now are you ready to try it out?

Wanna use this to introduce yourself?
If you make your own interactive image, post a link in the comments so I can see the results!

Thinking about using it as a great back-to-school activity?
Check out THIS POST for some tips for using ThingLink in the classroom. 

Have more ideas for using ThingLink in the classroom?

I'd love to hear about how you integrate this technology into other lessons. Share your link in the comments so I can check it out!