Explee

Explee is a Web-based digital creation app that lets users create dynamic "whiteboard animation" presentations. Explee has three main areas for editing: the scene (layout board), a media board (which includes hundreds of pictures, music, and text options), and a timeline (like a storyboard for your video creation). Users can upload their own images or use the ones already provided and drop them into the scene in any order. As for audio options, users can upload their own music and generate audio through a text-to-speech feature. Audio can then be dragged and dropped to the timeline. There's also a preview button so that creators can see what their finished product will look like.

The app's main page describes most of its applications for business users; drilling down further reveals options for teachers and students. A free account lets users create videos up to one minute long that are publicly stored on the Explee site. Premium plans for schools cost more and have more features: Videos can be up to 10 minutes long, and users can download their videos, export to YouTube, use privacy controls, and access Brainspace -- Explee's teacher dashboard for storing and customizing students' videos.

In-app features are easy to use and allow for boundless creative expression. Explee's visual style is exceptional: Its videos are slick, and the built-in images, icons, and audio are extremely cool. Watch the developer's intro video on the website: It's geared more to business users than to schools, but kids and teachers alike may love using a tool that creates videos that look like polished, sophisticated commercials. The Brainscape feature is also strong: It's a flexible, clear dashboard for teachers to manage and view their students' work. Kids will love using Explee; it's an engaging way to help learners think creatively about the lessons they're exploring in the classroom, whether they're engaged in their own meaning-making through producing videos, or viewing their classmates' work. Teachers can also create videos, making once-boring lessons or presentations more catchy, appealing, and detailed.

While the creation tools are flexible and attractive, some teachers might balk at the high cost of entry. Indeed, teachers can't systematically access or monitor their students' work without a premium account. However, if it's in your budget, this is a great tool for creating flexible, beautiful whiteboard animations.