Looking for ways to avoid research-paper burnout? Try glogs instead.

Research papers and in-class presentations are staples in our curriculum—and let’s face it, there’s good reason for it. If we are truly serious about preparing our students for the university, we must teach them how to make and defend arguments, how to cite sources, successfully paraphrase and summarize and the list goes on. This is a daunting task for our students and like anything, it takes time and practice. But how do we teach these skills without also inadvertently teaching our students to dread and even fear the process? We’ve got one word for you: Glogs.

We happen to think that Glogs and social posters might be one simple and fun solution to the dreaded research project. What in the world are Glogs, you ask?

A Glog is something like a poster, only digital and interactive. Students are provided with a blank digital canvas to which they can add text, alter typefaces and backgrounds, and add images, video, audio and hyperlinks. To help you and your students get started on Glogging, we’re going to share two Glog generator sites that we found to be the most effective.

Checkthis (FREE)
Checkthis is just about as fool-proof as it gets—which means that your students can spend their time generating content, not negotiating technological barriers. Add your text, upload your video, pictures and customize your background and watch your Glog as it automatically saves to its own web address. Now you’re ready, with a mere click of a button, to share it on your blog, or even on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter. How do your students sign up? They don’t. Checkthis allows users to create Glogs without even registering for an account.

Glogster Edu (Free, or an account upgrade for a nominal fee)
Glogster Edu is like Checkthis, but allows teachers to create a private virtual classroom, generate student accounts with safe logins and passwords, and monitor all of your students’ activities. Accounts are free, but you will be limited to 10 student subaccounts. For a mere $2.50 a month, you can upgrade to a “light” version and upgrade to 50 subaccounts. If you have more than 50 students, you can spend $8.25 a month and upgrade to 200 subaccounts. 

If you’d like a step-by-step tutorial for creating Glogs with Glogster Edu, we recommend that you check out Jan McGee’s slide presentation.