Educational Technology Usage Within a Classroom: Educator Perspective
Genially is a web-based app that is used to make interactive and engaging content for all demographics. After creating an account (which takes approximately 3 minutes, requiring only basic information such as name and email), you will be prompted to answer a brief list of questions about why you are using Genially. On the sidebar of the Genially page, there are seven tabs.
However, out of those seven, the most important for the free account are: templates, activity, and my space. In the template section, the website opens to a page where you can view premade templates and create your design. The website also features a search bar where you can type in precisely what you are looking for within the pre-created templates.
Next, the activity section is designed to track the number of users who complete the interactive task that was created. This feature seems particularly helpful for educators who want to see how many students completed the task and the overall level of engagement. Lastly, the my space section allows the user to access their creations and projects they have been working on. For educators in the classroom, Genially is an exciting tool. There are some fun and engaging templates to explore with (for the most part) clear features. The templates are adaptable to any age group and are completely interactive, keeping students engaged and facilitating their learning. Because there are many templates, the website can be used for any subject and any lesson within the topic.
Usefulness in a School Library
What I particularly like about this website compared to other similar websites is the accessibility of templates and the variety of projects that can be created. For example, other similar platforms’ features are not as interactive or diverse. Certain websites excel at creating presentations or infographics, while others may excel at making videos. On Genially, I can complete all those tasks in one space, creating presentations, infographics, videos, web-based games, etc. Additionally, Genially works well in a school library because, like the library, the templates available adapt to virtually any subject and or content. Thus making the website available to all students’ needs for both creating projects and using teacher-led designs.
Implications
While I have overall positive remarks about Genially, there are two significant implications. Firstly, like many similar websites, Genially has premium features. However, this is understandable, given that a website like Genially offers numerous pre-created features. Secondly, the templates range in difficulty when editing them. For example, templates that are more straightforward in terms of content and experience are easier to edit. However, with more complicated and multifaceted templates, editing is a bit more challenging. While this is expected, I wish some features directly told you how to resolve the editing issue. Genially does have a section of the website where you can search for frequently asked questions, but that wasn’t the most helpful when trying to figure out a specific feature in a particular template. It took quite a bit of trial and error, which is part of the learning process and something I don’t mind. Still, for the general public, it makes the website less accessible to those with less technical knowledge.
Accessibility
Genially was accessible overall, aside from the aforementioned information in the previous paragraph about premium and some user issues. The website itself is mostly free, and what it offers for free is unique when compared to other similar platforms. For example, a website like Canva has identical features. Still, often, the user experience on Canva diminishes (at least for me) because most of the components are premium. Genially is not like that. Yes, there are premium features, but they do not detract from the options to create. There was not a second while using the website where I found a template and thought I couldn’t use it because it was premium. Everything I needed while using the website was free, which I appreciated.
Overall
Genially is an app I will use again; the features and templates are exciting and, in my opinion, better and more accessible than other similar websites (canvas, slides, PowerPoint, Powtoon, etc.). Maybe I have been living under a rock, and Genially is a tool that everyone uses (this is possible); overall, Genially is a more well-rounded tool. While I stumbled upon the website accidentally while trying to create an online escape room, I am very pleased that I found it, and it is another website I will keep in my tool belt.