This is a guest post from Beth Holland (@brholland) from EdTechTeacher – an advertiser on this site.

Recently, I stumbled upon Sketch Toy – a web-based drawing tool and Chrome App that allows you to quickly create and share drawings from any browser. What makes Sketch Toy different from other tools is the ability to not only draw, but also automatically convert your drawings into step-by-step animations that can be shared with a link. Additionally, anyone who accesses your drawing can then add on to it and generate a new link to share, allowing students to quickly iterate on each others’ drawings WITHOUT needing an account!

Sketch Toy also lets you rotate your drawings as 3D models and includes a “vibration” setting which makes your drawings appear slightly animated – much like Squigglevision. You can also drag any image from your desktop onto the screen and incorporate it into your drawing.

Uses in the Classroom

Because of the quick learning curve, I could see Sketch Toy being a great prototyping or quick illustration tool. Students could illustrate a story or a poem, draw out a math problem, or even use it as a graphing tool. As illustrated in the video below, another great option could be to use Sketch Toy in conjunction with a screencasting app like SnagIt or Screencastify in order to tell at story.

Beth Holland will be a Summer Workshop instructor for EdTechTeacher. You can learn more from her and the rest of their group in 5 cities across the country.