TouchCast - A great teacher tool!

In essence, the app TouchCast is all about making videos interactive.

I first came across this app a few months ago and was impressed by how useful it could be in the classroom. I have been meaning to share this app for some time but with so much going on I have only had chance to share it now.

I would expect some confident upper KS2 children to be able to use this app however I feel it is more suited as a really useful teaching tool to use to set tasks or create interactive tutorials for their class.

There are different interactive elements (vApps) that you can add such as pictures, youtube links, votes, questions, quizzes, maps, twitter and news feeds, polls and websites. The app also allows you to add a title as well as a whiteboard, which lets you annotate all the interactive elements. There is also the option to use greenscreen within your recording.

The only restriction is that you can only record for 5 minutes. At the minute, you are only able to record on your iPad and upload to your channel on the TouchCast website.

How can the app be used?

Well here is an example of a TouchCast I made and shared at a number of recent teachmeets sharing the work we did relating to the film - Blackfish


Now by clicking the picture, it will take you to the channel with my TouchCast. If you watch and interact you can see how, as a teacher, you can utilise this app in many different ways. 

  • You could set homework for your children with links to websites and videos that you have approved. 

  • You could use a video from the LiteracyShed.com and ask the children some questions from within the app.
  • As a pre learning task you could direct children towards a particular video or website for them to read about before starting a new topic.
  • You could set up a stimulus for a discussion topic by guiding the children to different opinions on a certain topic. Showing links to arguments before and after.
  • Looking at a famous traditional tale, you could put together links of different versions of the same story for children to analyse, discuss and write about their favourite.
  • You could guide the children through a reading paper by using the annotating tool to highlight particular parts linked to different comprehension aspects - Literal, Deductive, Inference and Study Skills. Through the app you can demonstrate how to develop these skills using different media such as text, a photo or a video.
  • The same could be done for Numeracy related SATs word problems. 


If you do use TouchCast in the classroom in a different way to ones mentioned, please tweet me a link - @ICT_MrP and I will add a link on this post.

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