ThingLink has achieved ISO 27001 certification, the international standard for information security management. This is a significant milestone that demonstrates our commitment to not only providing a cutting-edge immersive learning platform, but also ensuring that all learning experiences take place in a safe and secure environment. ISO 27001 certification is more than just recognition. It means ThingLink has undergone rigorous verification that it meets the highest standards in information security. This demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting our customers’ data and privacy, and ensures that educators and learners can use our immersive tools with confidence. This certification not only highlights our commitment to security, but also reaffirms our commitment to providing a safe environment for instructors, educators, and learners to explore and innovate. Your trust is at the heart of our business, and ISO 27001 certification clearly demonstrates our commitment to upholding that. Take a look at some real-world examples of ThingLink in action! These easy-to-build immersive experiences provide an effective way to learn about places, spaces, and even equipment operation procedures. Plus, these immersive scenes can be used as part of risk-free learning simulation activities, and they can be accessed on any device.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the agency that protects Scotland’s history, is making exciting changes using a digital tool called ThingLink. From staff training to tourist guidance, we take a closer look at how HES is using ThingLink in a variety of ways. What is HES? HES is an organisation established in 2015 to look after and protect Scotland’s historic buildings and sites. Some of the most famous places you’ll see on your trip to Scotland are Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle and Urquhart Castle, all of which are managed by HES. What is ThingLink? ThingLink is an online tool that allows you to add information to images or videos. For example, you can click on a specific part of a picture of a castle to display a description of that part. HES started using this tool in 2021 and surprisingly, they are using it in four different ways! HES's ThingLink Use Case 1. A fun learning tool for employees HES's 'Engine Shed' teaches students how to refurbish old buildings. They use ThingLink to teach, using real castles as examples to help students apply what they've learned. For example, you could create a ThingLink for a picture of a castle called Castle Campbell, and have students click on different parts of the picture to examine the condition of the castle. When they click on a part where a brick has collapsed, they might be asked, “How do we fix this?” and the students can answer based on what they’ve learned. This way, you can learn vividly without actually going to the castle. In addition, it is very convenient because you can study at any time on a computer in the classroom or on your smartphone at home. 2. Interesting online learning materials for the general public HES has created a 360-degree virtual tour using ThingLink to showcase traditional Scottish building materials. What does that mean? An online experience that allows you to walk around as if you were actually there. For example, there is a tour that introduces the grass used for roofing traditional Scottish houses. The tour takes you around a 360-degree view of the grass fields in an area called Comrie Croft. Clicking on a specific part of the screen will show you information about how the grass grows, how it is harvested, and how it is used to make roofs. In this way, we also introduce other building materials such as wood and slate, providing an experience similar to learning about traditional architecture while traveling in Scotland. 3. Smart Guide Map for Tourists As tourism reopens post-COVID-19, HES has created smart maps using ThingLink, which are being used at two historic sites: Bonawe Iron Furnace and Blackness Castle. How does it work? There is a QR code at the entrance to the tourist attraction. When visitors scan this code with their smartphone, an interactive map opens. Clicking on a specific location on the map will give a description of the location and provide guidance on what order to visit. For example, if you click on the walls on the Blackness Castle map, you'll see a description that says something like "These walls were built in the 16th century and were among the best defensive structures of their time." This map is so popular that over 14,500 people have used it! 4. Fun virtual tours for kids HES has also created a virtual tour of Edinburgh Castle for children, which is designed to be a fun way to explore the castle, much like a treasure hunt. Clicking on the icons hidden in various parts of the castle will reveal interesting stories or quizzes about the place. For example, clicking on the crown-shaped icon will reveal a question like, "This is the room where the kings of Scotland stayed. What was the name of the last king of Scotland?"

Education platform ThinglinK today announced a major update to its AI tag generator. The centerpiece of this update is a new feature that allows users to directly upload PDF files to provide additional context. This innovative feature allows educators to directly integrate their own teaching materials or curriculum into the AI tag generation process, which is expected to significantly improve the accuracy and relevance of AI-generated tags. “This update significantly improves the performance of the AI tag generator, allowing educators to easily reflect their unique teaching context, resulting in a more personalized learning experience,” said the ThinglinK development team. A video showing how to use the new feature has been released on the official ThinglinK channel. The video details the PDF upload process and the improved results of AI tag generation through it. ThinglinK asked users to actively try out this new feature and share their feedback, which seems to reflect the platform’s philosophy of continuous improvement and user-centric development. This update represents a further advancement in the use of AI in education technology, which is expected to greatly contribute to providing personalized learning experiences.

Skybox AI is a groundbreaking service that automatically generates high-quality 360-degree images using artificial intelligence technology. The latest version, Model 3.1, introduces 8K resolution and an improved upscaler to create industry-leading, photorealistic images in just 30 seconds. It also has a variety of creative features, such as a variety of style options and a remix mode that can be applied to user images. The 360-degree images of Skybox produced in this way can be further enhanced in their usability by linking them with the ThingLink platform. This is because ThingLink allows you to easily add various interactive elements such as information tags, links, images, and videos to 360-degree images. The combination of the two services enables the creation of content with an immersive experience close to virtual reality. By connecting product information and related videos through ThingLink to a realistic virtual space implemented with Skybox, a realistic showroom can be created. For educational purposes, you can insert learning materials and quizzes that match the background to create interesting and effective learning content. The synergy between Skybox and ThingLink is also enormous in the virtual tour sector. You can provide a vivid tour experience where you can walk around a 360-degree background reminiscent of a real space and interactively check the information you want. Visitors can explore the space and acquire information as if they were there. Content created with ThingLink can be directly inserted into the web, so it can be used on various channels such as social media and websites, and its marketing effects are also expected. With highly immersive content that is accessible and interactive, it will be able to effectively attract the interest and response of potential customers. Skybox AI and ThingLink also offer free plans. Why not try linking the two services to create interactive 360-degree content right now? You will be able to create differentiated content that combines realistic backgrounds and immersive elements to create a powerful impact.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way teachers engage with their students. We asked teachers around the world via LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook which AI platforms are having the biggest impact in their classrooms. The results were surprising, and a second exploration of the topic is coming soon. While many teachers are using leading AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, platforms designed specifically for educators and students are offering more specialized features. Here are six AI tools that are gaining traction in classrooms around the world. Brisk Teaching Darren Begley, who teaches modern studies and history at Fernhill School in Scotland, explained that Brisk was a great way for students to understand complex material. “Brisk has been very useful in increasing political literacy and engagement by allowing young people to study a wider range of topics.” Brisk Teaching offers an AI-powered Chrome extension for teachers to help create curriculum, provide feedback, assess student writing, adjust reading levels, and translate. It integrates with Google Docs and Slides to efficiently create quizzes, lesson plans, rubrics, and presentations. SchoolAI Alyssa Faubion, a teacher in El Paso, Texas, says she uses SchoolAI to provide personalized learning experiences for her students. “SchoolAI provides a personalized learning experience by providing content tailored to each student’s unique needs and preferences. The pre-built spaces make it easy for teachers to navigate without additional prompts.” SchoolAI is an AI platform designed for K–12 classrooms, providing personalized tutoring, guidance, and support. Teachers can create custom AI bots to help students learn, monitor student progress, and adapt AI to the task. Diffit Bonnie Nieves, a science teacher in Dudley, Mass., explains that Diffit allows her to “create differentiated thinking and writing activities from any resource, website, or prompt.” “It’s translated into multiple languages and reading levels, and the pre-made graphic organizer templates enhance logical thinking, collaboration, and student self-efficacy.” Diffit is a platform that helps teachers create learning materials quickly and easily. It creates customized content tailored to the reading ability of students. Curipod Aileen Wallace, a teacher in Scotland, says Curipod “allows me to create engaging lessons that build the confidence of even the most introverted students.” “With AI-generated feedback and personalized rubrics, I’ve seen a huge improvement in student response.” Curipod is a tool that increases classroom engagement through interactive lesson plans powered by AI. Teachers can use AI to create lessons by topic and include elements such as quizzes, personalized feedback, and word clouds. Skybox by Blockade Labs in ThingLink Christoffer Dithmer, a teacher from Denmark, says the Skybox image creation tool allows “students and teachers to vividly express their thoughts and ideas through a 360-degree AI universe,” whether it’s visualizing scientific phenomena or visually telling stories and fairy tales. It is ideal for: " ThingLink is a platform for creating interactive experiences with images, videos, and 360° media. Integrate Skybox to create and annotate custom 360° images for interactive learning experiences. Ideogram Matt Miller, a teacher and author from Indiana, says Ideogram “is a dream come true because it allows you to create custom images for specific vocabulary words.” “When studying animal and sports vocabulary in my Spanish class, the custom images of animals doing sports have been a huge hit and have been very effective for vocabulary repetition.” Ideogram helps teachers visualize concepts and ideas by providing tools to create images based on text descriptions. These six tools are just a few of the many platforms that teachers have shared. Many teachers use the AI Educator Tools repository to find other AI platforms. It is important to follow your organization’s procedures for data protection before integrating any digital platform into your classroom. AI, when integrated securely, has the potential to transform teachers’ practices. You can be the protagonist of this change.

Optimize your user guide or product marketing strategy with interactive product demos using ThingLink Capturing the attention of your target audience is harder than ever. Traditional product demos often fall flat, failing to engage or clearly inform your prospects. Then comes ThingLink. ThingLink is a powerful suite of tools that transform static content into interactive product demos, creating memorable experiences. With ThingLink, businesses can create dynamic, interactive product demos that showcase key features, functionality, and use cases, especially for SaaS products. Why should I use ThingLink? It can be difficult to highlight the unique capabilities of a product with a digital interface or multifaceted use cases. Whether it’s for the sales team or end users, a quick, easy, and accessible product demo is a must. Specialized demo software can be expensive, complex to use, and difficult to update. Especially when product capabilities are evolving to keep up with the pace of AI today! ThingLink adds interactive elements, including text, links, video, images, and audio to images, videos, 3D objects, and 360-degree media. These interactive layers not only make your content more engaging, but also help you effectively communicate your product’s value proposition and solve customer problems. Demo assets can be shared or embedded wherever needed, and ThingLink even offers augmented reality (AR) solutions! Real-time updates - If you have a product that is regularly updated and improved, you need to make sure that you can update your product demos quickly. This is where ThingLink is the tool for you. You can update your product assets instantly, regardless of where they are shared or embedded. Check out a demo of TextHelp's Read and Write for Work product! Steps to Creating an Interactive Product Demo with ThingLink Identify key features and use cases Start by identifying the key features and specific needs you want to highlight about your product. Consider common pain points for your potential customers and how your product solves them. This will be the basis for your messaging. Media Selection Choose high-quality media to use in your demo. This could be a detailed image of your product, a comprehensive product demo video, or an immersive 360-degree view. High-resolution media ensures that interactive elements enhance the user experience. Add interactive elements Add interactive elements to your media using ThingLink's intuitive editor. Tag ideas include: Text tags: Describe product features and key characteristics. Video Tags: Insert product demo videos or customer reviews. Link tags: Guide users to landing pages, detailed articles, or case studies. Call-to-action tags: Add CTA buttons customized to your brand. Image Tags: Show different product angles or related images. Audio tags: Provide narration or user reviews. Insert tags: Insert third-party tools, such as forms or maps. Survey Tags: Add surveys for quick feedback and insights. Improve user experience by using practice features For digital tools, create detailed walkthroughs that guide users through the software. Use a combination of screen recording and interactive tags to explain each feature and its benefits. This approach not only educates users, but also demonstrates the usability and effectiveness of the product in real-world scenarios. Highlight unique features with animation Use animation to draw attention to your product’s unique features. For example, if your product has a distinctive design element or innovative feature, create tags that detail these aspects, including animation. Benefits of Using ThingLink for Interactive Product Demonstrations Improved engagement Interactive content is more engaging than traditional formats. Users are more likely to spend time exploring and interacting with your demo, which improves information retention and makes your demo experience more effective. Improved user experience By providing interactive, hands-on experiences, you can help users understand how to use your product more effectively. This is especially useful for complex SaaS tools that require a bit of a learning curve. Increase conversion rate Interactive demos can drive higher conversion rates. If users can see exactly how your product works and understand its benefits, they are more likely to buy, shortening the sales cycle. The Versatility of Product Marketing ThingLink’s versatility allows you to create content that fits the different stages of the customer journey, from initial awareness to detailed onboarding. You can also reuse the same interactive content across multiple platforms to maximize reach and optimize your marketing strategy. Summation Integrating ThingLink into your product marketing strategy can dramatically improve the way you present your products. Making your content interactive and engaging can help you deliver a richer user experience, educate your audience more effectively, and ultimately drive more conversions. Embrace the power of interactive product demos and see what a difference it can make to your business. Creating interactive product demos with ThingLink can be a game changer for businesses looking to stand out in a competitive marketplace. Start transforming your product demos today and give your audience the engaging, informative, and memorable experience they deserve. From demo automation, live demos, and personalized demo creation, ThingLink gives you the tools you need to optimize your sales process and improve your customer experience.

00:00 - 00:59: Webinar start and introduction This webinar will feature a variety of educators from around the world sharing their immersive storytelling and learning methods using ThingLink and Book Creator. The presenter will welcome the participants and briefly explain the purpose and expected outcomes of this session. In particular, the webinar will focus on how ThingLink and Book Creator work together and how they can be utilized in educational settings. 01:00 - 02:39: Webinar Participants Introduction The webinar features educators from a variety of countries. Participants from Germany, France, Italy, and Morocco are using the chat function to ask questions and share their thoughts. The webinar also features keynote speakers David, a community manager at Book Creator, and Christopher, a digital learning expert from Denmark, who will explain in detail the features and use cases of ThingLink and Book Creator, respectively. 02:40 - 03:46: ThingLink meets Book Creator The central theme of this webinar was the combination of ThingLink and Book Creator. The presenters explained how these two tools can be used together. For example, adding 360-degree images and interactive elements from ThingLink to a digital book created in Book Creator can enrich the learning experience. This combination can greatly help create a more immersive and engaging learning environment for students. 03:47 - 05:21: Introducing ThingLink ThingLink is a tool that provides immersive learning experiences through 360-degree images, videos, and interactive images. Users can enrich their learning materials by adding various tags and links. One of ThingLink’s key features is its AI-based image generation feature. This feature allows users to create 360-degree images based on prompts they provide. This allows students to create their own creative environments and use them as learning materials. 05:22 - 06:27: Introducing Book Creator Book Creator is a tool that allows you to easily create digital content in various formats, including text, images, audio, and video. This tool is very useful for students to express their ideas and create creative content. In particular, it is easy to access for students who speak different languages, thanks to its multilingual support and automatic translation function. Book Creator also provides a function to collect students' work and manage it as a portfolio, helping to track and evaluate students' learning progress. 06:28 - 07:47: A Case Study of Combining ThingLink and Book Creator Christopher demonstrated how ThingLink and Book Creator work together using a real-world educational case from Denmark. He showed how students create their own creative 360-degree images and integrate them into Book Creator to create an immersive learning experience. This process is a great way to help students develop their ideas and develop their ability to express them using digital tools. 07:48 - 09:06: AI-based 360-degree image generation ThingLink’s AI-powered 360-degree image generation feature allows students to create creative environments through a variety of prompts. For example, students can input a specific topic, see an AI-generated image, and iteratively modify it to complete the final image. This process greatly helps students unleash their creativity using digital tools. 09:07 - 10:16: Immersive Storytelling Project Christopher introduced an immersive storytelling project he worked on with third graders. The project involved students creating their own stories and then digitizing them using ThingLink and Book Creator. The main steps of the project were: Developing analog ideas : Students first draw or write their ideas on paper. This allows them to have a clear plan before working digitally. Using Digital Tools : Students create 360-degree images using ThingLink. Leverage ThingLink’s AI-powered 360-degree image creation capabilities to create creative environments. Book Creator Integration : The generated 360-degree images are integrated into Book Creator. Students use Book Creator to insert ThingLink images into each page of their book, and add additional text and multimedia elements. Use Guided Mode : Use ThingLink's Guided Mode to guide users through a set path of learning. This helps users systematically understand the learning content.

Publisher: Christoffer Dithmer Role: Teacher, EdTech Director, Digital Learning Lead, Apple Professional Learning Specialist, Apple Distinguished Educator Project and Learning Objectives Objectives and Learning Contents : Analog Process and Personal Expression : Emphasizes idea development and personal expression. Iterative process learning in technical work : You can learn through an iterative process using technology. Expression tasks that support the story and theme : Develop representations that visually support your story and theme. Provides multiple communication options : You can communicate in a variety of ways, including text, images, videos, drawings, and notes. Learn how to give, receive, and implement feedback : Learn how to give and receive feedback and act on it. Creating exploratory and engaging presentations : Create more open, exploratory, and engaging presentations in the classroom. Storytelling for 3rd grade students Key Advantages : Original Ideas : Students can generate their own unique ideas.

All ThingLink accounts now include AI-powered tools (with controls) to help educators and learners create base images for use in the ThingLink editor. Effective immediately, all ThingLink schools, universities, higher education, and business accounts will have access to AI-powered image creation tools (with controls) that empower educators and learners alike to unleash their creativity and enhance their visual storytelling abilities within the ThingLink editor. The generative process provides two new ways to create images: create 360-degree media with text prompts using Skybox AI, and create 2D images through integration with DALL·E 3. Controlled Access for Education Plans Admins can control access to this feature and decide whether to enable it for both teachers and students, or only for teachers. By default, all AI features are available to teachers only. AI-powered training and onboarding materials Bringing Literature to Life with Skybox AI The balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet (courtesy of Rob MacRae) Learning about AI with AI We understand that educators around the world are looking for the most effective and appropriate way to introduce AI to their learners due to the novelty and rapid advancement of AI. Using ThingLink’s AI tools to create native media/images provides a solution for those who struggle to find or capture the perfect native image when conceptualizing ideas such as digital escape rooms or projects. By allowing learners to create their own images with AI, ThingLink makes it easier for beginners to get started and see their ideas come to life quickly. This approach not only removes common barriers, but also opens the door for learners to explore creativity, prompt creation, vocabulary, and bring their own unique concepts to life. Skybox AI for 360 image creation Skybox AI from Blockade Labs is a revolutionary AI tool that allows anyone to create unique, high-quality, detailed 360° visuals with simple text prompts and a variety of style choices. Creators can create annotated, immersive 360° visuals in seconds, without coding. Create 2D images DALL E is OpenAI’s AI image generation system that allows anyone to create detailed 2D images from simple text descriptions. ThingLink uses the latest version (DALL E 3), which takes additional steps to prevent users from creating potentially harmful or offensive content.

Learn how to create a 360° virtual art gallery using Canva templates and ThingLink. People often think that you need to have a professional tool like Adobe Photoshop to create a 360° image using graphic design. However, images with a 2:1 pixel aspect ratio can be created with other, less sophisticated presentation tools, and stitching the images together is possible, although a bit tricky. The ThingLink team has come up with a quick and easy way to create 2:1 panoramic gallery images. You can use them to create virtual art exhibitions, various virtual events, or online exhibitions. You can copy the templates created in Canva and create your own! Now you can show off your art in your own online exhibition space. You can embed, link, share on social media, or even share it through a VR exhibition experience in VR mode. A real-life example of a virtual 360 exhibition – Explore a snow-covered art gallery! Here's what your blank copy looks like: Now it's your turn – create your own copy here! How to Create a 360° Image Using Canva Templates: A Simple Tutorial Copy the template from the link above to create your own copy. Upload your image to Canva and get it ready to be inserted into your copy. Now you can place the image in the placeholder of your own 360° image. Download new gallery images as JPEG files. Convert to ThingLink now! -Click the blue Create button in ThingLink and upload to your ThingLink account page. Uploaded files will appear in 'My Media'. -Click the edit pen icon and add tags! -Share ThingLink with your audience, embed it on your site, or share the link! Various ways to use 360° images Create a Top 10 gallery on a topic your students are studying. The rotating style of this “digital art gallery” is great for starting a discussion without having to define a Top 10 or hierarchy. Use the built-in tags to conduct research and collect data. Use the carousel to create a timeline or demonstrate an ongoing cycle or process. Let your learners create their own online galleries to share with their groups or classes. You can provide images or ask them to curate their own. Create a virtual space or showroom for your products as part of your marketing campaign. Create a gallery of world-class travel destinations in each window or explore new places by adding tour tags under the images. Create a universe to explore from the cockpit of your spaceship!