{"id":8908,"date":"2017-08-16T14:16:18","date_gmt":"2017-08-16T12:16:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/blog\/?p=8908"},"modified":"2020-08-27T16:55:00","modified_gmt":"2020-08-27T14:55:00","slug":"edu-quick-tip-use-powtoon-introduce-tough-topics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/blog\/edu-quick-tip-use-powtoon-introduce-tough-topics\/","title":{"rendered":"EDU Quick Tip \u2014 Use a Powtoon to Introduce Tough Topics"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Read Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes <\/span><\/span><p>One of the most amazing things about animation is its power to take the sting out of controversial or daunting subjects. As with so many things, first impressions matter. That&#8217;s why teachers tell us every day that they use Powtoon to introduce tough topics to their students.<\/p>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.com\/embed\/medias\/j3d1odizjh.jsonp\" async=\"\"><\/script><script src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.com\/assets\/external\/E-v1.js\" async=\"\"><\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"wistia_responsive_padding\" style=\"padding: 56.5% 0 0 0; position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"wistia_responsive_wrapper\" style=\"height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;\">\n<div class=\"wistia_embed wistia_async_j3d1odizjh videoFoam=true\" style=\"height: 100%; width: 100%;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Tough Topics Can Derail You<\/h2>\n<p>Teachers are always thinking about the overall dynamic of their classroom. Keeping that dynamic moving in a positive direction, no matter what, is a major challenge. And that enthusiasm and positive group dynamic you need to help foster with your students can be easily derailed by topics that are difficult, sad or hard to reconcile.<\/p>\n<p>Taking some time to introduce a tough theme is essential. And teachers tell us nothing makes an impact like using a Powtoon. I&#8217;ve compiled some of the suggestions that real teachers have shared with us to get the most out of introducing tough topics.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Introducing Tough Topics \u2014 Your EDU Quick Tip in Action<\/h2>\n<p>The next time you\u2019re introducing a unit to discuss the villain of a story, an historical time of upheaval, or challenging topics that students would usually run from, try creating a Powtoon to introduce the subject. As you do, keep an eye on these guidelines:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Keep it short.<\/strong> Shoot for no more than two minutes in length. Remember, you&#8217;re setting the stage for the discussion, not replacing it entirely!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Set the stage.<\/strong> Define the scope of the discussion you\u2019re about to have with your class.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Give it some character.<\/strong> Use characters the students will identify with. If you use this technique multiple times during the year, consider keeping running characters (heroes!) who reappear in each introduction.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Empower your students!<\/strong> After the discussion, ask your students to create a Powtoon to summarize what they learned. When your students use the same medium that helped them get oriented to share the knowledge they discovered along the way, they gain confidence and independence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Share the awesomeness!<\/strong> Consider creating a class YouTube channel to showcase your students\u2019 work. Sharing their creativity will give your students confidence and digital media skills that will serve them for a lifetime.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Let me know how you introduce tough topics to your students in this comment section!<\/p>\n<h2>Bring Awesomeness to Your Classroom!<\/h2>\n<p>There&#8217;s nothing like having the right tool for the job. That&#8217;s why we created <a href=\"https:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/pricing\/edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Powtoon Classroom accounts<\/a>, specifically designed for teachers. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/pricing\/edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sign up<\/a> and harness your students&#8217; full potential today!<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the most amazing things about animation is its power to take the sting out of controversial or daunting subjects. As with so many things, first impressions matter. That&#8217;s why teachers tell us every day that they use Powtoon&#8230;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":8964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"twitterCardType":"summary","cardImageID":0,"cardImage":"","cardTitle":"","cardDesc":"","cardImageAlt":"","cardPlayer":"","cardPlayerWidth":0,"cardPlayerHeight":0,"cardPlayerStream":"","cardPlayerCodec":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[755],"tags":[94,346,127,441,261],"class_list":["post-8908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-edu","tag-classroom","tag-edu","tag-education","tag-engaging-students","tag-students"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Use Powtoon to Introduce Tough Topics | Powtoon Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Animation has the power to take the sting out of controversial or daunting subjects. Learn how teachers can use Powtoon to introduce tough topics to students.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/blog\/edu-quick-tip-use-powtoon-introduce-tough-topics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Use Powtoon to Introduce Tough Topics | Powtoon Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Animation has the power to take the sting out of controversial or daunting subjects. Learn how teachers can use Powtoon to introduce tough topics to students.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/blog\/edu-quick-tip-use-powtoon-introduce-tough-topics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Powtoon Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Powtoon\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-08-16T12:16:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-08-27T14:55:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Tough_topics_BLOG_630x420.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"420\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nick Liebman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nick Liebman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/blog\/edu-quick-tip-use-powtoon-introduce-tough-topics\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/blog\/edu-quick-tip-use-powtoon-introduce-tough-topics\/\",\"name\":\"Use Powtoon to Introduce Tough Topics | Powtoon Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/blog\/edu-quick-tip-use-powtoon-introduce-tough-topics\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/blog\/edu-quick-tip-use-powtoon-introduce-tough-topics\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Tough_topics_BLOG_630x420.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-08-16T12:16:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-08-27T14:55:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.powtoon.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/62dad212f1c8d5d0f43ca78c52e07285\"},\"description\":\"Animation has the power to take the sting out of controversial or daunting subjects. 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