This is a partial cross-post from my other blog, iPad Apps for School.

Shadow Puppet Edu is a free iPad app that students can use to create audio slideshow videos. The app offers an integrated search tool that students can use to find pictures from the Library of Congress, to search for images from NASA, and to find Creative Commons licensed images from Flickr. Students can also import pictures and videos from the camera roll on their iPads.

After selecting a set of images students can arrange them into any sequence by simply dragging and dropping them into order. Then to create a story students press the record button and talk while flipping through the images. Shadow Puppet Edu allows students to add text and stickers to each image too. When they’re happy with their work students can share their Shadow Puppet Edu projects through a variety of methods including YouTube and email. Shadow Puppet Edu projects are automatically saved to the camera roll on a student’s iPad. Students do not have to register for an account or have an email address to use Shadow Puppet Edu.

Applications for Education
The integrated image search tool makes a Shadow Puppet Edu a winner in my book. I would have students use the Library of Congress image search to find images of historical figures, like George Washington, to create a short biographical video. You might have students use the NASA image search to find images to help them tell a story about space exploration. Of course, you could just have students take pictures of their own to tell a story about things that they observed on a field trip.