Fall in love with form and function

Andrew Turner and I spend a lot of time having informal PLC's before and after school and they usually end with one of us adding something new to a lesson coming up or spending too much time tinkering with a new technology when getting home from work. Since he took ThingLink and blogged on it already, I figured I would return the favor and talk about Adobe Slate, an aesthetically pleasing way of creating a flowing document and innovating the user experience while making you look like a creative genius.

Adobe Slate defines itself by stating, "Slate lets you turn your next newsletter, report, invitation or travel adventure into a gorgeous visual story that delights readers on any device. Simply tap to select a unique look — beautiful fonts, color, and magazine-style design are automatically incorporated. Fluid movement and elegant motion are applied instantly." I decided to mess around with it and it was so user-friendly that I had to tinker with it for a couple of hours.

Adobe Slate is both iOS and web-based friendly, allowing us to use this technology often in a 1-1 setting and allowing students to get away from doing simple, boring Google Doc reflections. This allows photos to come to life and the writer to control the reader's experience. I also felt like I wanted to continue to scroll and read because you never knew what would come next. Here is one that I did in a few minutes time: Girls Track XC and Solsberry Hill Service Trip

Free to sign-up for and easy to use on any apple and internet device, I think it is an awesome option for the high school classroom and could make some very cool lesson plans. Check out the sample gallery for inspiration.