1

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Copyright
2013 Ilya Spitalnik www.PowToon.com


"#$%&&'( )' %*+ ",#(($&&-
ne|p|ng educators create |essons and des|gn amaz|ng an|mated v|deos
that engage, |nsp|re, and |mprove student ach|evement

.#/,+ &0 "&'%+'%(

Ak1 1 Wn AkL CAk1CCNS SC CWLkIUL? 3
1he Speclal Sauce 3
CondlLloned slnce Chlldhood Lo Love CarLoons 4
Lowerlng ?our Cuard 4
Seelng Lhe 8lgger lcLure 7
1he ower of 1oon! 8
A Solid What does/doesn't work Formula 9

Ak1 2 nCW 1C MAkL LLAkNING MCkL IUN 9
1he ALLenLlon Lasso 10
SLorles Sell 12
Join the Conversation in the Viewers Head 13
8esL LengLh for AnlmaLed vldeo Cllps 13
ShorL ShorLer ShorLesL 17

Ak1 3 nCW 1C CkLA1L A CCMLLLING LLSSCN USING CAk1CCNS 18
1he SecreL 8eclpe 18
How do I capture a students attention in only 7 seconds? 19
Pow do l engage sLudenLs so Lhey wlll conLlnue Lo llsLen? 20
Pow do l lnsplre poslLlve acLlon? 21
Pow Lo CreaLe an Awesome AnlmaLed vldeo 23

Ak1 4 nCW 1C CkLA1L AN AWLSCML ANIMA1LD VIDLC CLI:
AN LAS 6-S1L kCCLSS 24
SLep 1 - WrlLe an awesome ScrlpL or ShorL SLory 24
SLep 2 - SLoryboard 23
SLep 3 - volceover Culde / 8ackground Muslc 26
SLep 4 - ulvldlng Lhe Slldes 31
SLep 3 - opulaLe Lhe Slldes wlLh vlsuals 39
SLep 6 - 1lmlng 34

8CNUS CnA1Lk 8 I.C.8CWMAN
1nL CUkkLN1 S1A1L CI LDUCA1ICN AND nCW CW1CCN CAN nLL S7

IS 1nLkL A SnCk1CU1? 62

A LkSCNAL NC1L 64

A8CU1 1nL AU1nCkS 6S





2
1#$% 2
345 678 "67.99:; ;9 19387<=>!

.*+ ;?+@)#, ;#A@+
Pave you ever waLched a carLoon where
mlce Lalk, elephanLs fly, or pengulns bulld
alrplanes and found yourself saylng:
Thats ridiculous! Whered they come up
wlLh such nonsense?"
Actually, no! The likelihood is youve
never been boLhered by how lmplauslble
a carLoon was...
Why? 8ecause someLhlng maglcal
happens when you waLch a carLoon.
sychologlsLs have a fancy name for lL:
The Suspension of Disbelief
Its the special sauce that stops you from
asklng crlLlcal quesLlons such as: Can Lhls
acLually happen? ls Lhls really posslble?
uoes Lhls make any sense?



3

"&'B)%)&'+B ()'@+ "*),B*&&B %& >&C+ "#$%&&'(
MosL of us waLched carLoons as chlldren and sLlll assoclaLe
Lhem wlLh chlldlsh, non-educaLlonal, and (more lmporLanLly)
non-lnsLrucLlonal sub[ecLs.
8aslcally, weve been condlLloned Lo accepL carLoons as a non-
LhreaLenlng form of communlcaLlon. We absorb Lhe messages
deplcLed ln carLoons ln a very dlfferenL way compared Lo
oLher forms of medla.
>&D+$)'E 5&A$ FA#$B
CarLoons encourage us Lo relax - whlle aL Lhe same Llme
exposlng us Lo new ldeas and experlences. We sLop asklng
quesLlons llke: ls Lhls lmporLanL? uo l llke Lhls Loplc? uo l need
Lo know Lhls concepL? uo l llke Lhls Leacher?
1hls ls where carLoons become such a powerful educaLlonal
Lool! 8y eliminating the criticizing lnsLlncL for even [usL a few
momenLs, Lhey make sLudenLs far more recepLlve.
1o lllusLraLe, Lake a look aL Lhese nexL Lwo lmages. WlLh each,
focus on Lhe flrsL LhoughLs LhaL cross your mlnd:



4
G-#E+ 2







1houghts:
"Ch, a camera - someones probably Laklng a plcLure."




S
G-#E+ H





1houghts:
"Wow, LhaLs preLLy complex Lechnology. l beL lL cosLs a loL. ld
need someone Leach me how Lo use lL. ?ou probably need
addlLlonal equlpmenL for lL Loo. Bet its lnLended for a
professlonal."




6
;++)'E %*+ I)EE+$ 1)@%A$+
Cur deLall-orlenLed approach Lo lmage 2 makes lL vlrLually
lmposslble Lo see any klnd of greaLer message someone may wanL
Lo convey. We Lend Lo geL Loo caughL up wlLh Lhe deLalls Lo see Lhe
blgger plcLure (no pun lnLended).




7
.*+ 1&D+$ &0 .&&'J
1eachlng ls an arL. Parnesslng Lhe power of carLoons can help
you creaLe hlgh-lmpacL concepLs LhaL speak Lo sLudenLs ln
ways vlrLually no oLher medlum can, because:
1. ?oure speaklng Lo Lhem vla a channel Lheyre
condlLloned Lo assoclaLe wlLh funso Lheyre more
menLally recepLlve.
2. 1he added level of absLracLlon allows Lhem Lo focus on
Lhe concept raLher Lhan lnconsequenLlal deLalls, so Lhey
can acLually beneflL from Lhe presenLaLlon.
lf you wanL sLudenLs Lo pay beLLer aLLenLlon, Lhere are few
beLLer ways Lhan creaLlng and uslng carLoons Lo spark
exclLemenL wlLhln Lhe classroom!





8
Powever unLll recenLly, creaLlng a carLoon was prohlblLlvely
expenslve and ofLen beyond Lhe Lechnlcal reach of a non-
deslgner or anlmaLor.
1hls reallLy lnsplred llya SplLalnlk, PowToons founder, Lo
lnvenL a Lool LhaL makes lL affordable for !"#$"% Lo creaLe
anlmaLed cllps for Lhelr classroom, school, or buslness.
ow1oons glve educaLors a unlque lnsLrucLlon Lool and
ulLlmaLely lmprove sLudenL achlevemenL.
6 ;olid What does/doesn't work <&$-A,#
ln Lhls shorL book, we wanL Lo glve educaLors a solld What
does]doesn't work formu|a for anlmaLed vldeo cllps, and
provlde an lncredlbly effecLlve (yeL slmple!) reclpe LhaL wlll
capLure students lmaglnaLlons and lnsplre an enLerLalnlng
approach Lo learnlng.





9
1#$% H
493 .9 K6L8 >867:G:F K978 <=:

8efore we lnLroduce Lhe formula, leLs revlew a few lmporLanL
prlnclples LhaL can help lncrease sLudenL:?!?!?!
2M 1#%%+$' G'%+$$A?%
Pave you ever enLered a room and heard Lhe dlsLurblng
hummlng sound from a broken fluorescenL llghL? uld you
noLlce LhaL Lhe sound faded wlLhln a few seconds, only Lo
resume Lhe nexL Llme you enLered Lhe room?
1hls ablllLy Lo block ouL negaLlve sensory daLa ls known as
sensory adapLaLlon, and its a powerful lnnaLe sklll ln
situations where were confronted with bad smells or
unwanLed conLlnuous nolses. Cn Lhe fllpslde, Lhls adapLlve
ablllLy applles Lo any conLlnuous sensory slLuaLlons, llke slLLlng
ln a classroom for prolonged perlods. As such, lL demands a
consLanL need for change.
Theres a reason why Lyplcal lessons are kepL under 60
mlnuLes. 8y Lhen, even when presenLed wlLh Lhe hlghly
lnLeresLlng Loplcs, Lhe mosL sLeadfasL of us lose focus.
So why doesnt Lhls aLLenLlon cllff carry over lnLo our prlvaLe
llves? Pow can we hold endless conversaLlons wlLh frlends or
waLch 1v for hours on end?
Its because of whaL nL pracLlLloners refer Lo as Lhe pattern
interrupt prlnclple.
A paLLern lnLerrupL ls an evenL LhaL breaks an esLabllshed or
conLlnuous paLLern. uurlng a presenLaLlon, Lhls could be a
humorous anecdoLe, a shocklng revelaLlon, or an unexpecLed
facL. WlLh 1v shows, lL could be Lhe fllck Lo a new channel. 1he



10
paLLern weve grown accustomed to immediately changes.
1hls lnLerrupLlon ln paLLern glves us a chance Lo renew our
aLLenLlon-baLLerles, provldlng a fresh bursL of lnLeresL and
exclLemenL.
1he problem ls LhaL durlng lessons, Lhere are only so many
auLhenLlc paLLern lnLerrupLs you can lnLroduce whlle
malnLalnlng focus on Lhe speclflc Loplc. 1eachlng anecdoLes
and jokes are limited, and its a chore to come up wlLh new
ones.
Powever, a carLoon can brldge Lhls gap by acLlng as a powerful
paLLern lnLerrupL. SLudenLs always appreclaLe carLoons, and
theyre a greaL way Lo refocus aLLenLlon on Lhe maLerlal.
ow1oon 1|p: Wh||e you can use cartoons to keep students
engaged during a lesson, theyre just as effective (if not more
so) |n snagg|ng the|r focus from the get-go!

HM .*+ 6%%+'%)&' >#((&
Pave you ever seen a cowboy chase a wlld sLalllon? Well
sometimes thats how it feels Lrylng Leachlng young unbrldled
mlnds. A mad chase afLer an eluslve LargeL.
LnergeLlc klds lmaglnaLlons run wlld all Lhe Llme, and its up
Lo Lhe Leacher Lo corral Lhose mlnds and lnsLlll Lhem wlLh Lhe
love of learnlng.
Thats no small order!



11

Cne of Lhe mosL effecLlve herdlng Lools a cowboy has ls a
lasso...and one of Lhe mosL effecLlve sLudenL engagemenL
tools a teacher has is what we call the attention lasso.
8y sLarLlng off a lesson wlLh a powerful attention lasso ln Lhe
form of a carLoon, Leachers can capture students attention
and lmprove Lhelr chances of keeplng lL LhroughouL Lhe enLlre
sesslon.
ow1oon 1|p: Intersperse your |essons w|th short, punchy
an|mated v|deos that prov|de your students w|th a pattern
|nterrupt from potent|a||y comp||cated sub[ects and create
an exc|t|ng reason to pay attent|on to the next burst of
teach|ng mater|a|.





12
NM ;.97G8; ;8>>
Its no big secret that stories sell!
ln educaLlon, [usL llke buslness, people donL wanL Lo be
overwhelmed wlLh deLalls. 1hey wanL Lo be sold a vlslon of
how a parLlcular sub[ecL or lssue wlll benefit Lhem. They
wanL Lo see Lhemselves belng able Lo apply what theyre
learnlng and reap rewards...ldeally &$'( of rewards.
Powever, lL can be dlfflculL Lo creaLe a "real llfe characLer" as a
vlewer sLand-ln Lo convey a vlslon because of all Lhe quesLlons
we would lnLulLlvely ask abouL Lhls flcLlonal person. But its
lncredlbly easy Lo communlcaLe a vlslon wlLh carLoons!
8emember, a carLoon ls all abouL Lhe blgger plcLure and
glosslng over Lhe deLalls...







13
OM P9G: .48 "9:Q87;6.G9: G: .48 QG8387R; 486S
Lvery one of us has a prlvaLe menLal conversaLlon golng on -
ALL 1PL 1lML! Whether were aware of it or not!
Whenever we look aL someLhlng, even [usL a glance, we hold a
subllmlnal debaLellke durlng Lhe earller example wlLh Lhe
carLoon versus Lhe real camera. ?our subconsclous mlnd ls
always dlscusslng any sensory sLlmulus lL recelves.
1herefore, ln creaLlng any sLory, we should alm Lo Lap lnLo Lhe
conversaLlon(s) golng on ln our sLudenLs heads.
noL only LhaL, buL we
musL estab||sh a
d|a|ogue wlLh
sLudenLs Lo make
Lhem pay aLLenLlon.
And carLoons,
assoclaLed wlLh
harmless
enLerLalnmenL, are
Lhe perfecL way Lo sllp
pasL any menLal
defenses and engage
Lhose lnLernal
dlalogues.







14
TM GK6F8; Q; .8U.
naLurally, we wanL sLudenLs Lo pay aLLenLlon wlLh Lhe loglcal
parL of Lhelr bralns. 1haLs why we use speech, lL engages Lhe
fronLal lobes, responslble for crlLlcal Lhlnklng and analysls.
Powever, when we wanL Lo acLlvaLe Lhelr emoLlonal
faculLles...we musL use lmages! And lf we wanL Lo LoLally
engage sLudenLs, coord|nate |mages and speech w|th mus|c
for full braln lmmerslon.
1oo much LexL ln a presenLaLlon can be dlsLracLlng. 1he human
braln processes only 273 wrlLLen words per mlnuLe, and
processes only 130 audlble words per mlnuLe. 1hls means LhaL
loLs of on-screen LexL can cause a menLal dlsconnecL or an
aLLenLlon lag.
CarLoons allow you Lo crafL Lhe perfecL mlx of LexL and audlo
(boLh spoken and muslcal) Lo fully absorb your class, wlLhouL
overwhelmlng Lhem. lus, lL caLers Lo a wlder varleLy of
learnlng sLyles aL once!
ow1oon 1|p: I|avor your cartoon with short phrases or
words to emphas|ze emot|ona| tr|ggers. 1h|s can be a very
powerfu| way to grab your viewers attention at key
moments.



1S

V|deo 1|p on us|ng |mages: www.blL.ly/Llp-lmages
V|deo 1|p on us|ng text: www.blL.ly/Llp-LexL

VM I8;. >8:F.4 <97 6:GK6.8S QGS89 ">G1;
With the rise of the social media generation, the average
aLLenLlon span ls now 90 seconds. 1hats all Lhe Llme you have
Lo geL a core message across and hook someones long-Lerm
aLLenLlonand the f|rst 7 seconds are Lhe mosL cruclal!
Cur research indicates
8esL carLoon lengLh: 63-92 seconds
CrlLlcal sLarL: 7-10 seconds
now many words shou|d your scr|pt have?
C||p Length Number of Words
30 seconds 83
60 seconds 160
90 seconds 230



16

So Lhe maxlmum opLlmal lengLh for an anlmaLed vldeo ls
around 90 seconds, and you should alm Lo geL sLudenLs
aLLenLlon - hook Lhem - wlLhln Lhe flrsL 7 seconds. 1hls ls when
Lhey declde wheLher Lhe sub[ecL ls lmporLanL or lnLeresLlng
enough.




17
WM ;497. X ;497.87 X ;497.8;.
lL lsnL easy Lo wrlLe a compelllng shorL sLory LhaL crysLalllzes
Lhe essence of a sub[ecL lnLo a few anlmaLed scenes. So its
okay Lo sLarL ouL wlLh a longer presenLaLlon, and Lhen make lL
shorLer. urafL your sLory, and Lhen read lL Lhrough and edlL
ouL Lhe non-essenLlals. 1hen read lL Lhrough agaln, and cuL lL
down some more, unLll its really, really shorL! ?ou can always
add lLems back laLer.





18
167. N
493 .9 "786.8 6 "9K18>>G:F >8;;9: =;G:F
"67.99:;

.48 ;8"78. 78"G18
"#?%)C#%+ X 8'E#E+ X "#,, %& 6@%)&'
lew [obs requlre more creaLlvlLy Lhan Leachlng. ln embraclng
Lhelr creaLlve naLure, Leachers Lend Lo re[ecL a one-slze-flLs-all
soluLlon Lo educaLlon.. 1hey undersLand LhaL sLudenLs have
dlfferenL learnlng sLyles. We recognlzed Lhls as well, whlch ls
why ow1oons are deslgned Lo offer Leachers lncredlble
flexlblllLy ln how Lhey lnLroduce, develop, and relnforce key
concepLs.

1o enLhuse sLudenLs, Lhe maln ob[ecLlve ls Lo creaLe a sLory
LhaL leads Lhem Lhrough Lhe followlng Lhree sLages:

Stage 1: CapLure Lhelr aLLenLlon.
Stage 2: Lngage Lhem (and keep Lhem engaged!).
Stage 3: lnsplre poslLlve acLlon Loward Lhe sub[ecL or
concepL belng LaughL.

LeL's sLarL creaLlng a compelllng lesson by asklng Lhree
assoclaLed quesLlons:

1. Pow do l capLure sLudenLs attention in only 7 seconds?
2. Pow do l engage sLudenLs so Lhey wlll conLlnue llsLenlng?
3. Pow do l lnsplre poslLlve acLlon?

As we Lalked abouL earller, one of Lhe mosL powerful
psychologlcal Lools aL our dlsposal ls Lhe ablllLy Lo enLer Lhe
conversaLlon ln a students head. Heres how it breaks down:



19

YA+(%)&' 2
4&D B& G @#?%A$+ students #%%+'%)&' )'
&',Z W (+@&'B([

When presenLed wlLh educaLlonal
maLerlal, Lhe flrsL lnLernal quesLlon
sLudenLs wlll ask Lhemselves ls: "uo l
acLually care abouL Lhls sub[ecL? ls lL golng Lo be lnLeresLlng?"
So your flrsL ob[ecLlve ls Lo grab Lhelr aLLenLlon and convlnce
Lhem LhaL youre Lalklng abouL someLhlng dlrecLly relevanL Lo
Lhem.
Pow?

1he besL way ls Lo creaLe curloslLy!

1here are several ways Lo feed sLudenLs curloslLy, and Lhus
Lhelr aLLenLlveness. AnyLhlng new, unforeseen, challenglng,
unusual, amblguous, or LhaL breaks boundarles wlll capLure
Lhelr aLLenLlon. WlL and humor, for lnsLance, ls a greaL way Lo
make Lhem slL up and llsLen.

A carLoon can secure sLudenLs aLLenLlon [usL by promlslng
someLhlng funbuL this doesnt eliminate your need to
conLlnue generaLlng lnLeresL. Lven as Lhey waLch Lhe carLoon,
you have Lo ensure LhaL your initial call out, your openlng
llne, makes Lhem wanL Lo dlscover more.

Heres a bit of psychology: as soon as a sLudenL crosses Lhe
lnlLlal 7-second marker and makes Lhe declslon Lo conLlnue
llsLenlng, youve boughL yourself a furLher 30 seconds of
aLLenLlon. 1hls ls when you musL convlnce Lhem LhaL youre
offerlng someLhlng relevanL, elLher by reveallng a soluLlon or
dazzllng Lhem wlLh surprlslng knowledge.




20
V|deo 1|p on gett|ng attent|on: www.blL.ly/Llp-aLLenLlongrab

YA+(%)&' H
4&D B& G +'E#E+ (%AB+'%( (& %*+Z D),, @&'%)'A+ %& ,)(%+'[

CeLLlng sLudenLs focused ls dlfflculL enough. Anyone who has
saL Lhrough any presenLaLlon or Leachlng sesslon can relaLe.

=(+ 9?+' >&&?(
Cne of Lhe mosL effecLlve meLhods Lo geL sLudenLs Lo care
abouL your message is to create an open loop.
An open loop, someLlmes also called a Lenslon loop, ls a
powerful rheLorlc devlce LhaL poses a quesLlon or sLaLes a
problem LhaL remalns unresolved and holds Lhe sLudenLs
aLLenLlon unLll Lhe Leacher closes Lhe loop.
A carLoon can be a powerful loop opener LhaL easlly carrles
over lnLo classroom dlscusslons.
"#$$Z)'E &C+$ %*+ @&'C+$(#%)&' )'%& %*+ @,#(($&&-
use open loops Lo ask Lhe blggesL Loplcal quesLlon and roll Lhe
resL of Lhe sLory ouL ln an enLerLalnlng formsuch as an
lnvesLlgaLlon, a deLecLlve novel, or any context thats
approprlaLe for your class and sLudenL age level. 1hls glves you
Lhe ablllLy Lo Lransfer Lhe conversaLlon from Lhe carLoon lnLo
Lhe classroom aL any polnL, whlle conLlnulng Lo open new
loops or resolve Lhe problem whenever convenlenL.



21
YA+(%)&' N
4&D B& G )'(?)$+ ?&()%)C+ #@%)&'[

AL Lhls sLage, sLudenLs wlll reallze LhaL:

Youre Lalklng abouL someLhlng LhaL lnLrlgues Lhem.
?ou acLually have someLhlng relevanL and lnLeresLlng Lo say
1here could be beneflLs Lo paylng aLLenLlon.

now you need Lo presenL Lhe explanaLlon and focus on Lhe
beneflLsafLer all, Lhe sLudenL needs a vlslon of how Lhls
sub[ecL or concepL wlll enhance Lhelr llves. As we esLabllshed
earller, a carLoon ls Lhe perfecL medlum Lo convey a broader
vision as opposed to a detailed grown-up picture.

So you musL c|ar|fy the act|on you want the student to take.
1hls ls referred Lo as Lhe Call-1o-AcLlon. 1hls may seem
slmpllsLlc, buL you mlghL be surprlsed how many Leachers
overlook Lhls crlLlcal elemenL!
1he easlesL way Lo achleve Lhls ls by sLaLlng ouLrlghL whaL
sLudenLs should do nexL: Lake ouL pencll and paper, open a
LexLbook, geL ouL a calculaLor, do addlLlonal research, or
creaLe Lhelr own ow1oon, etc
1|p: A great way to get students to en[oy the sub[ect matter
|s to |nv|te them to quest|on or respond to |t w|th a ow1oon
of the|r own!





22
6 @$+#%)C+ &A%,+%

ow1oon provldes a creaLlve ouLleL for educaLors and
sLudenLs Lo work lndlvldually or collaboraLlvely on pro[ecLs. As
a dynamlc, lnLeracLlve, and onllne resource, ow1oon
enhances and supporLs Leachlng and learnlng. ?ou now have
Lhe power of creaLlvlLy Lo help meeL your students
educaLlonal needs.
1he engine of student learning that youre drlvlng slmply
hasnt been ln Lop gear---unLll now.

V|deo 1|p on ca||s to act|on: www.blL.ly/Llp-acLloncall








23
4&D %& "$+#%+ #' 6D+(&-+ 6')-#%+B Q)B+&
Now that weve seen the psychological principles and maln
sLraLegles behlnd uslng carLoons ln Lhe classroom, how do you
acLually go abouL creaLlng one? WhaL are Lhe lndlvldual sLeps
to making a PowToon while ensuring you dont overlook
anyLhlng lmporLanL?
Fortunately, weve laid everything out so you can easlly use
ow1oons Lo make Leachlng more engaglng, less sLressful, and
more effecLlve!
arL 4 of Lhls book wlll gulde you Lhrough Lwo maln sLages:
1. ueveloplng a compelllng shorL sLory abouL Lhe concepL or
sub[ecL you wlsh Lo Leach, and
2. 1urnlng Lhls sLory lnLo an awesome anlmaLed vldeo cllp
uslng ow1oon!
Shall we begln?




24
167. O
4&D %& @$+#%+ #' #D+(&-+ #')-#%+B Q)B+&\
6' +#(Z VX(%+? 1$&@+((

;%+? 2 X 3$)%+ #' #D+(&-+ (@$)?% &$ (*&$% (%&$Z
lf you wanL Lo capLure your students full aLLenLlon, drafL a
scrlpL LhaL covers Lhe followlng bases:
1. Make lL clear who you are Lalklng Lo and why Lhe
sub[ecL ls relevanL Lo Lhem by showlng a real-llfe, pracLlcal
appllcaLlon.
2. CreaLe curloslLy by openlng a loop.
3. lndlcaLe LhaL you have a way Lo close Lhe loop wlLh a
resoluLlon...buL only lf Lhe sLudenL remalns aLLenLlve!
4. resenL your soluLlon and clearly show lLs beneflLs.
3. LsLabllsh a clear call-Lo-acLlon.
ow1oon 1|p: Structure your story as a d|scovery tr|p, a
mystery, or a m|n| detect|ve nove|. Students w||| be
confronted w|th a quest|on or prob|em and rema|n engaged
until the mystery is resolved. This way youre a|so |eav|ng the



2S
opt|on open to cont|nue the story off||ne by embedd|ng a
ca||-to-act|on and us|ng the |nsp|rat|on to d|scuss the sub[ect
|n c|ass.
;%+? H ;%&$Z/&#$B ] "$+#%)'E ;@+'+( ^

We now have our shorL sLory abouL Lhe sub[ecL we wanL Lo
cover. 8uL how do we Lurn Lhe LexL lnLo a vlsual scrlpL?
Lasy! We dlvlde Lhe LexL lnLo loglcal sequences of shorL scenes
and Lhlnk of poLenLlal vlsuals LhaL could go wlLh Lhem we call
Lhls process sLoryboardlng.
So, dlvlde Lhe scrlpL lnLo maln scenes, and spend some Llme
deLermlnlng Lhe besL vlsuals LhaL mlghL represenL Lhe
concepLs you wlsh Lo convey.
8emember, Lhe resulL doesnL have Lo be perfecL aL Lhls sLage!
1he vlsuals should slmply acL as Lhe emoLlonal supporL for Lhe
words, so lf youre Lalk abouL "confuslon," an lmage of a
confused guy ls all you may need.

.*+ 1&D.&&' ;&0%D#$+
lrom Lhls polnL onwards, well be lnLeracLlng dlrecLly wlLh Lhe
ow1oon sofLware. As an educaLor or sLudenL, you may
quallfy for a free accounL Lhrough your Leachers assoclaLlon,
so please geL yours now lf you don'L already have one.



26
;%+? N X Q&)@+&C+$ FA)B+ _ I#@`E$&A'B KA()@

lL may seem counLer-lnLulLlve Lo sLarL wlLh Lhe volceover
lnsLead of Lhe lmagery. lLs only natural to think: "Ill do all Lhe
vlsuals flrsL, and Lhen l can Llme my volceover Lo colnclde wlLh
whaLs happenlng onscreen"buL, ln reallLy, Lhls ls a reclpe
for headaches.
When you record a scrlpL volceover flrsL, you geL much more
accuraLe Llmlng of Lhe flnal sLory versus chooslng Lhe vlsuals
whlle guesslng Lhe Llmlng (and havlng Lo reLlme everyLhlng
laLer).
Your personal voiceover is called a scratch track; so dont
worry lf lL sounds scraLchy and unprofesslonal. We [usL wanL
someLhlng baslc. 8emember, Lhls ls malnly a 1lMlnC CuluL.
)*%!+ -./'0%/ -$/ ! 1!# '$ !203%4% 5$/% 6$&3(0%+ 4$32%$4%/
/%(.&'(7
Tip: Its much eas|er to record the vo|ceover, get |t r|ght, and
then t|me the v|sua|s to the story.
Ck - so we need Lo elLher choose a background Lrack for our
muslc or record a volceover gulde (or boLh). 1hls means we
need an M3 flle of Lhe 1Lx1 A81S of Lhe scrlpL read ouL as
Lhey wlll appear ln our carLoon.
LeL's geL sLarLed by golng Lo Lhe Sound Manager ln ow1oon
and recordlng our volce.



27

Cnce Lhe sound manager ls open, you can elLher upload
(lmporL) an M3 LhaL you recorded earller, or you can record
one yourself rlghL now by cllcklng Lhe record buLLon.
uon'L worry abouL maklng mlsLakes or geLLlng Lhe volceover Lo
sound professlonal, LhaL's noL Lhe alm here.
Heres Lhe lnLerface youll see when you open Lhe sound
manager:



28

?ou can record and re-record as many Llmes as you llke. Lvery
Llme you record a new verslon, lL wlll overwrlLe Lhe prevlous
one.
1he sound manager also allows you Lo choose a background
Lrack from Lhe provlded soundLrack llsL, and leLs you lmporL a
second M3 Lrack of your cholce (Lo sLay falr Lo arLlsLs, please
only use llcensed or creaLlve commons muslc). ?ou can
regulaLe Lhe volceover volume and Lhe background Lrack
separaLely ln Lhe dashboard Lo geL beLLer resulLs.
lf you would llke Lo record and edlL a volceover or soundLrack
ouLslde of ow1oon and subsequenLly "lmporL" lL, heres a
Lool l absoluLely love and sLrongly recommend! lLs free, open
source, and slmply amazlng:
AudaclLy: hLLp://audaclLy.sourceforge.neL/ - you can achleve
professlonal quallLy uslng Lhls Lool.



29

Peres a screenshoL of my scraLch Lrack/Llmlng gulde based on
our SLarLup ow1oon scrlpL (l mlssed a bunch of words and
mlspronounced oLhers, buL LhaL's ok)
Pear my volceover for Lhe SLarLup ScrlpL:
www.blL.ly/volce-over-powLoon

now, cllck AL? and your soundLrack appears lnslde of
ow1oon's Llmellne as a wave.



30

.*+ 1$&0+(()&'#, Q&)@+&C+$
lf you wanLed Lo use your ow1oon for a sysLem-wlde or
communlLy evenL, for example, you can choose Lo use a
professlonal. A professlonal volceover can make an enormous
dlfference ln a presenLaLlon and glve your vldeo a hlgher
quallLy "flnlsh."
lf you donL readlly know someone who does Lhls Lype of
work, here are some volceover source opLlons ranglng from
$3 Lo $130
www.flverr.com $3-$23
www.volcebunny.com $70-$130
We consclously chose noL Lo lnclude a LexL-Lo-volce funcLlon ln
ow1oon because lL generaLes Lhose "barely" bearable
roboLlc-human volces.
Powever, lf you want to try it anyway, heres a list of the 1op
10 Web-based Servlces lor 1exL-1o-Speech Converslon:
www.blL.ly/LexL-Lo-speech-Lools



31
Cur nexL sLeps are Lo creaLe enough slldes Lo hold all Lhe
sound, and Lhen Llme Lhe slldes Lo maLch Lhe dlfferenL scenes.

;%+? O X S)C)B)'E %*+ ;,)B+(
;,)B+( #$+ ;@+'+(

CreaLlng a ow1oon ls a llLLle llke dlrecLlng a mlnl-movle.
Lvery sllde ln your ow1oon represenLs a scene LhaL you have
Lo equlp wlLh Lhe rlghL sound and vlsuals.
ln SLep 3, we creaLed a scraLch Lrack (rough volceover) Lo go
wlLh our ow1oon, and our nexL sLep lnvolves creaLlng enough
slldes Lo accommodaLe Lhe sound Lrack.
ow1oon's defaulL sllde lengLh ls 10 seconds and you have a
+ / - on Lhe slde of Lhe Llmellne Lo lengLhen or shorLen lL. Lach
sllde ln ow1oon ls llmlLed Lo a maxlmum of 20 seconds.
1he reason for Lhls llmlLaLlon ls LhaL sLarlng aL Lhe same scene
for longer Lhan 20 seconds ln a shorL cllp qulckly becomes
Ledlous. So Lhls ls ow1oon's way of genLly nudglng our users
Lo shake Lhlngs up! Change Lhe vlsuals lf you don'L wanL your
audlence Lo fall asleep.
now Lo Lhe pracLlcallLles:
LeL's assume we have a volceover LhaL ls 97 seconds long.
Well sLarL wlLh 10 slldes (10 seconds each, maklng a LoLal of
100 seconds).
6BB)'E ;,)B+(
?ou add or remove slldes by cllcklng Lhe + and - ln Lhe slldes
panel. ln our case we cllck + Len Llmes.



32

?our ow1oon LdlLor wlll conLaln 10 empLy slldes once you're
done. 10 empLy slldes.

Cllcklng on any one of Lhe slldes wlll show you Lhe Llmellne
speclflc Lo LhaL sllde. resslng lay wlll - aL Lhls sLage - [usL play
Lhe sound Lrack of Lhls lsolaLed sllde, slnce Lhere are no vlsuals
yeL.
"786.G:F ;"8:8; X <)%%)'E %*+ ;&A'B %& %*+ ;,)B+(

1L8MlnCLCC?: Ckay, we have Lo spend a momenL on proper



33
terminology. Were deallng wlLh a shorL vldeo here, Lhls
means were creaLlng a serles of scenes.
1here are Lhree elemenLs Lo each scene:
1. 1he volceover (or sound Lrack): WhaL's belng sald?
2. 1he vlsuals: 1he emoLlonal and vlsual Lrlggers.
3. 1he Llmlng: When Lhlngs happen - and for how long.
So Lhe way we creaLe a scene ls by maLchlng our volceover
wlLh Lhe approprlaLe vlsual and Llmlng Lhe whole Lhlng Lo
work LogeLher seamlessly.
Cur flrsL sLep ln Lhls process ls Lo ad[usL Lhe lengLh of each
sllde Lo flL Lhe acLual length of the scenes we envision. Thats
acLually Lhe reason for Lhe Llmlng gulde (or scraLch Lrack) LhaL
we creaLed ln sLep 2. lL allows us Lo geL our baslc Llmlng rlghL.
lor Lhls purpose, we are golng Lo llsLen Lo Lhe whole volceover
from beglnnlng-Lo-end lnslde ow1oon and ad[usL Lhe lengLh
of Lhe slldes Lo work alongslde lL.
LeL me Lake Lhls opporLunlLy Lo lnLroduce you Lo ow1oon's
lay ConLrols.






34
1&D.&&' 1,#Z "&'%$&,(






|ay: p|ay from the p|ayhead unt|| the end of the ent|re
ow1oon or unt|| you pause

1he lay buLLon wlll play from Lhe red, Lrlangular playhead,
rlghL Lhrough Lo Lhe end of Lhe ow1oon or unLll you sLop lL by
cllcklng ause. 1hls allows you Lo see how several scenes work
LogeLher.
1he playhead lndlcaLes where you are on Lhe Llmellne. ln Lhe
above lmage, Lhe playhead ls on Second 1 and moves Lhrough
Lhe seconds when you press lay.






3S
ause: pause or stop

1he lay buLLon Lurns lnLo a ause buLLon whlle lL ls playlng.
?ou can pause Lhe ow1oon aL any Llme by cllcklng Lhls
buLLon.

|ay S||de: p|ay from the beg|nn|ng of th|s s||de unt|| the end
of th|s s||de

1hls buLLon saves you Lhe Lrouble of havlng Lo drag Lhe
playhead Lo zero every Llme you wanL Lo revlew Lhe scene you
are worklng on.

|ay to S||de Lnd: p|ay from p|ayhead unt|| the end of the
s||de




36
?ou malnly use Lhe lay Lo Sllde Lnd buLLon whlle worklng on
one parLlcular sllde because lL wlll sLop aL Lhe end of Lhe sllde
wlLhouL movlng Lo Lhe nexL.
|ay A||: p|ay ent|re ow1oon from start to f|n|sh

1hls buLLon goes back Lo Lhe beglnnlng of Lhe very flrsL sllde
and plays rlghL Lhrough Lo Lhe end of Lhe ow1oon, or unLll
you cllck pause. 1hls ls useful when you wanL Lo revlew Lhe
work youve done so far.
Sorry Lo go all Lechnlcal on you, but theres one more Lhlng l
need Lo show before we can do Lhe fun sLuff. 1he Llmellne.
.*+ .)-+,)'+

1he Llmellne lndlcaLes Lhe lengLh of a sllde and as Lhe red



37
Lrlangular playhead moves along, lL also lndlcaLes where ln Lhe
Llme sequence we are.

lf you wanL Lo lengLhen or shorLen a sllde, you have Lo press
Lhe + or - on Lhe rlghL hand slde. 1he defaulL sllde lengLh ls 10
seconds and you can lengLhen lL Lo a maxlmum 20 seconds
and shorLen lL Lo a mlnlmum of 1 second.

S)C)B)'E %*+ C&)@+&C+$ )'%& (@+'+(
now we have all Lhe Lools Lo dlvlde our volceover/Llmlng
gulde lnLo scenes. 1he besL-pracLlce way of dlvldlng Lhe
volceover ls by uslng Lhe followlng buLLons:

;%+? 2\ 1$+(( 1,#Z

1hls wlll go Lhrough all Lhe slldes unLll you press pause.
;%+? H\ 1$+(( 1#A(+



38

ause Lhe playback once you flgure ouL where Lhe cuL off
polnL for Lhls parLlcular scene ls.
;%+? N\ 1$+(( a_X ;,)B+ >+'E%*

Add or deleLe seconds Lo maLch Lhe volce Llmlng. ?ou wlll flnd
Lhe volceover conLlnulng on Lhe nexL sllde once you have
flnlshed.

;%+? O\ 7)'(+ #'B 7+?+#%

Move on Lo Lhe nexL sllde and repeaL SLeps 1 Lhrough 4 unLll
your volceover ls dlsLrlbuLed across as many slldes as you
need.



39
now we have Lhe lengLh of all Lhe slldes coordlnaLed wlLh Lhe
volceover. We know Lhe lengLh of our lndlvldual scenes and
can move on Lo Lhe nexL sLage, whlch ls Lo add Lhe vlsuals.

;%+? T X 1&?A,#%+ %*+ ;,)B+( D)%* Q)(A#,(

1hls ls where we add anlmaLlons, graphlcs, background, props,
lmages, and characLers Lo our slldes/scenes.
1o harness Lhe maxlmum power of carLoons, we wanL Lo
convey Lhe message wlLh as many graphlc lmages and as llLLle
LexL as posslble. 1hls way the audience doesnt sit there
readlng Lhe whole Llme (unless Lhls ls Lhe effecL youre afLer)
and lL doesnt overwhelm sLudenLs wlLh lnformaLlon.
lmages are powerful conveyors of emoLlons. lf a characLer ln
your sLory ls sad, lL's enough Lo dlsplay hlm/her ln a sad pose
wlLhouL any LexL aL all.
An effecLlve way Lo use LexL ls by brlnglng lndlvldual words Lo
llfe by maklng Lhem appear ln Llme wlLh Lhe volceover. use
words as "emoLlonal Lrlggers" Lo emphaslze your message.
ow1oon has a large llbrary of characLers, poses and props
LhaL you may wanL Lo use for Lhls purpose:



40





Some of PowToons Style(




41






42






43
?ou can easlly brlng your own lmages lnLo ow1oon by
cllcklng Lhe "lmaglne lmporL" lcon:

We wlll conLlnue Lhe demonsLraLlon by uslng Lhe Marker
SLyle. We could make lL more colorful uslng anoLher sLyle, buL
we really like this styles mlnlmallsm whlch also works well
wlLh phoLos of real people, an elemenL we may wanL Lo use ln
Lhls ow1oon.



44






4S
"&'(%$A@%)'E %*+ (@+'+\
Well walk you Lhrough Lhe consLrucLlon of a scene, provldlng
you wlLh Lhe sklll Lo consLrucL your own.
Cur sub[ecL? Great invenLors who changed Lhe world! Cur
sLory revolves around showlng Lhe lmpacL a greaL ldea can
have. We may wanL Lo sLarL our sLory by bulldlng a
relationship between a famous inventor and the student

;"8:8
SCkI1 1Lk1 ]
VCICLCVLk
VISUAL
When was Lhe lasL Llme you
had a really greaL ldea?

1hlnklng Cuy has an ldea.

uescrlpLlon: l would llke a "1hlnklng Cuy" Lo be broughL lnLo
Lhe scene aL second 1 scraLchlng hls chln. 1hen "eureka!" A
llghL bulb appears and he becomes super happy.
1hese are Lhe sLeps we should make ln Lhe ow1oon edlLor:




46
;%Z,+

Step 1: Co Lo Lop lefL Lo choose a sLyle. 1hls wlll open Lhe sLyle
llbrary wlLh all Lhe characLers and props. Choose Lhe marker
sLyle.
>)/$#$Z

Step 2: Cpen Lhe an|mated characters secLlon and choose Lhe
"1hlnklng Cuy" - you can elLher cllck hlm or drag hlm onLo Lhe
screen. 1he characLer wlll appear on Lhe screen and a duraLlon
bar wlll appear ln Lhe Llmellne sLarLlng wherever Lhe playhead
ls locaLed.



47
SA$#%)&' I#$

Step 3: now "1hlnklng Cuy" ls on Lhe screen and we should
look aL Lhe duraLlon bar Lo see when he enLers and exlsLs. ln
Lhls case, he arrlves on Lhe screen aL second 1 (where Lhe
playhead was orlglnally locaLed) and leaves aL second 7. ?ou
may have noLlces Lhe blue Lrlangle on Lhe lefL slde of Lhe
duraLlon bar: 1hls lndlcaLes LhaL Lhere ls a half a second
enLrance effecL, and looklng aL Lhe symbol, Lhe up arrow
lndlcaLes LhaL Lhe ob[ecL ls broughL lnLo Lhe screen from
below.




48
800+@%( G'B)@#%&$

1o change Lhe enLrance effecL, cllck on Lhe symbol and Lhe
"LffecLs Menu" pops up.
800+@%( K+'A

1he effecL menu allows you Lo choose whlch enLrance effecL
you wanL Lhls characLer Lo have.



49
4#'BZ X 1&D.&&'R( K#E)@ 4#'B

1he effecLs menu also allows you Lo choose wheLher you wanL
Lhe ob[ecL Lo be broughL ln uslng "Pandy," our clever llLLle
hand.




S0
Step 4: Choose an enLry and exlL effecL for Lhe ob[ecL and
ad[usL Lhe lengLh of Llme Lhe ob[ecL remalns on screen by
dragglng Lhe duraLlon bar's ends.
LeL your volceover gulde your Llmlng, lL allows you Lo
accuraLely assess when an ob[ecL arrlves and leaves Lhe scene.
ln my case, l wanL a llghL bulb Lo appear and Lhe characLer's
pose Lo change Lo "happy." 1hls pose swlLch-over ls besL
achleved by overlaylng Lhe Lwo lmages and maklng Lhe old
lmage dlsappear whlle Lhe new one appears.





S1
This is how its done:
Weve already asslgned Lhe "lrom 8elow" and "Pandy" effecL
Lo "1hlnklng Cuy's" enLry, now we asslgn Lhe "no-LffecL" Lo hls
exlL, whlch means LhaL he wlll [usL dlsappear once hls duraLlon
bar ends. We now shorLen Lhe duraLlon bar Lo end aL second
2. Whlch means LhaL Lhe characLer ls scraLchlng hls chln for 1
second (from sec1 Lo sec2).
now we drag Lhe "Pappy Cuy" characLer from Lhe "anlmaLed
characLers" llbrary secLlon Lo Lhe scene - placlng hlm dlrecLly
over "1hlnklng Cuy" and seL Lhe duraLlon bar Lo sLarL aL
second 2. We asslgn a "no-LffecL" Lo Lhe enLry whlch means
LhaL as "1hlnklng Cuy" dlsappears, "Pappy" appears.
now all we have Lo do ls ad[usL Lhe lengLh of Pappy's duraLlon
bar Lo end aL second 3 and glve hlm our chosen exlL effecL.
volla! 1haL's our maln characLer Laken care of.
8uL we forgoL one Lhlng.... We wanLed a llghL bulb Lo appear,
lndlcaLlng LhaL our Cuy has a greaL ldea.
1he volce gulde lndlcaLes LhaL Lhe rlghL Llme for Lhls ls aL
second 3. So we drag Lhe llghL bulb from Lhe rops secLlon and
ad[usL Lhe duraLlon bar Lo "op-ln" aL second 3.
We have our flrsL scene!



S2
8evlew Lhe sLeps we Look Lo creaLe Lhe flrsL scene:
1. urag "1hlnklng" lnLo screen - Choose enLry/exlL effecL and
ad[usL duraLlon bar
2. urag "Pappy" lnLo scene - Choose enLry/exlL effecL and
ad[usL duraLlon bar
3. urag "LlghL bulb" lnLo scene - Choose enLry/exlL effecL and
ad[usL duraLlon bar

l know lL Look a few pages Lo explaln buL, ln reallLy, Lhls flrsL
scene should Lake less Lhan 2 mlnuLes Lo compleLe! lf you sLay
focused, you can have your whole ow1oon done ln 30
mlnuLes lLA1!
Ckay, now you have Lo do Lhe same for Lhe resL of Lhe scenes,
populaLlng Lhe slldes and Llmlng Lhe lmages. We arenL almlng
aL perfecL maLches beLween volce and lmagery aL Lhls sLage,
[usL a rough match... well do Lhe flne Lunlng ln SLep 6.
Cnce all slldes are populaLed, we have Lhe flrsL drafL of our
ow1oon.
1he process of creaLlng a ow1oon ls lncredlbly fun, buL aL Lhe
same Llme lL forces you Lo be very clear abouL whaL you wanL
Lo convey Lo your audlence. 1hls helps boLh you and Lhem Lo
really CL1 whaL you wanL Lo say.





S3
;%+? V X .)-)'E
1hls lasL sLep can acLually have Lhe mosL slgnlflcanL effecL on
the professional look and feel of your final resulL.
Along wlLh a professlonal volceover, Lhls ls where you can
really make your ow1oon shlne.
We go Lhrough Lhe whole ow1oon, checklng LhaL we have all
Lhe Llmlng rlghL and maklng lasL changes and addlLlons.
1he ow1oon Llmellne and effecLs/duraLlon bars are deslgned
Lo help you easlly ad[usL Lhe appearance and Llmlng of all Lhe
elemenLs on Lhe screen.

1he lcons under Lhe Llmellne allow you Lo selecL any ob[ecL
LhaL appears ln Lhls scene wlLhouL havlng Lo scroll Lhrough Lhe
enLlre Llmellne.
So leL's sLarL off by playlng Lhe whole ow1oon from Lhe sLarL
and maklng noLes where Lhlngs don'L qulLe maLch.



S4
|ay A||: p|ay ent|re ow1oon from start to f|n|sh

?ou can now llsLen Lo Lhe volceover runnlng ln Lhe background
and make sure LhaL all Lhe vlsual elemenLs reflecL whaL you
hear. 1he more accuraLely you Llme Lhls, Lhe more awesome
Lhe flnal resulL!
lf you geL Lo a place where Lhe volceover and lmagery don'L
maLch - or someLhlng ls mlsslng - hlL Lhe pause buLLon and
ad[usL Lhe duraLlon bar of Lhe ob[ecLs ln quesLlon. lf you feel
Lhe scene ls Loo shorL, add Lhe necessary number of seconds
Lo Lhe Llmellne.
1haL's lL! 1haL's how you creaLe an awesome anlmaLed
ow1oon LhaL capLlvaLes, engages, and calls sLudenLs Lo
acLlon.
We reallze carLoons arenL Lhe only Leachlng meLhod youll
uLlllze. Powever, we belleve Lhey can be a useful Lool Lo add
Lo your lnsLrucLlonal arsenal, helplng you more effecLlvely glve
sLudenLs a hlgh-quallLy educaLlon. Much success and happy
owLoonlng!





SS
6$%)(%)@ >)-)%#%)&'([

When we seL ouL Lo creaLe ow1oon, we wanLed Lo bulld a
Lool LhaL enabled non-Lechnlcal, non-deslgn people Lo achleve
excepLlonal, creaLlve anlmaLlon resulLs. CranLed, we dldnL
alm Lo replace anlmaLlon or deslgn sLudlos, buL we dld have a
vlslon of empowerlng any user Lo achleve awesome flnal
producLsresulLs Lyplcally unaLLalnable wlLhouL flash
sofLware knowledge, deslgn savvy, or anlmaLlon skllls.
So we needed Lo equlp ow1oon wlLh many of Lhe baslc
bulldlng blocks of deslgn and anlmaLlon, and make Lhem so
seamless LhaL Lhey appear almosL nonexlsLenL. 1hls way, Lhey
wouldnL dlsLracL from Lhe acLual Lask aL handLhaL of
creaLlng an awesome vldeo cllp or anlmaLed presenLaLlon.
lor example: Pandy PowToons helping hand - may seem Lo
be [usL a hand LhaL ls aLLached Lo an ob[ecL, buL ln reallLy
Lheres a complex background algorlLhm LhaL smooLhes Lhe
enLry and exlL of Lhe hand and creaLes a reallsLlc paLh so Lhe
moLlon doesnL look roboLlc or sLrange. lL's Lhe same wlLh
every oLher ob[ecL wlLhln ow1oon Lhe greaLesL efforL has
been made Lo make Lhe deslgn and anlmaLlon hurdle
dlsappear.



S6

AL Lhe same Llme, llmlLaLlons had Lo be seL LhaL would sLop
people from geLLlng frusLraLed by lndeclslon or confuslon.
ln Lhe beauLlful words of AnLolne de SalnL-Lxupery (AuLhor of
1he LlLLle rlnce):
"ln anyLhlng aL all, perfecLlon ls flnally aLLalned noL when
Lhere ls no longer anyLhlng Lo add, buL when Lhere ls no longer
anyLhlng Lo Lake away."
Weve made Lhe efforL Lo Lake away as much complexlLy as
posslble so LhaL educaLors can slmply concenLraLe on geLLlng
Lhelr concepLs or sub[ecLs across Lo sLudenLs as easlly as
posslble...
Now its up to you to go and create something awesome!








S7
I9:=; "461.87
.*+ "A$$+'% ;%#%+ &0 8BA@#%)&' #'B 4&D 1&D.&&' "#' 4+,?
IZ\ P" I&D-#'

Cur schools and our educaLors are preparlng our sLudenLs for
Lhe fuLure. We undersLand Lhe moral and eLhlcal responslblllLy
Lo provlde a quallLy educaLlon for every slngle chlld who
comes Lo Lhe door of our publlc schools every slngle day.
LducaLlon ls a parenLal rlghL, a sLaLe and local responslblllLy,
and a naLlonal sLraLeglc lnLeresL. noL only are sLudenLs
learnlng baslc sub[ecL maLLer, buL Lhe formal educaLlon Lhey
recelve provldes skllls and preparaLlon necessary Lo Lhrlve ln a
modern socleLy.

LducaLlon is also a critical component for Americas future.
WlLhouL an educaLed workforce, our clLlzens slmply cannoL
compeLe ln a global economy. 1hose LhaL lack a hlgh school
educaLlon wlll have slgnlflcanLly dlmlnlshed llfeLlme earnlngs,
creaLlng lncreased soclal cosLs as well. Lvery sLaLe across Lhe
naLlon needs an educaLlon sysLem LhaL provldes all of our
sLudenLs wlLh Lhe skllls LhaL are necessary Lo compeLe and
succeed ln llfe. 1echnology provldes Lools LhaL help moLlvaLe
and enables sLudenLs Lo work LogeLher. 1he Leacher ls sLlll Lhe
mosL lmporLanL facLor. Powever, lL ls lmperaLlve LhaL
educaLors are able Lo sLay on Lhe cuLLlng edge of Lechnology
as boLh a medlum and an lnLeracLlve Lool.

8ecenLly, a colleague of mlne, !ay . Creene, wroLe ln a WS!
Cp-Ld Lhat ...we need to substitute technology for labor in
educaLlon llke we have ln almosL every oLher lndusLry Lo
lmprove producLlvlLy. 8uL ln publlc educaLlon we have been
dolng Lhe reverse, hlrlng more, lower quallLy Leachers and
falllng Lo develop and lmplemenL cosL-effective technology.
Whlle l Lhlnk he dlsmlsses Lhe labor facLor Loo easlly, Creene ls
dead-on ln hls asserLlon LhaL Lechnology ls essenLlal. Clven



S8
LhaL chlldren grow up wlLh Lechnology ln Lhelr homes and Lhe
facL LhaL cosL-effecLlve accesslblllLy of devlces and broadband
conLlnues Lo lncrease, as educaLors, we musL engage our
sLudenLs ln Lhe ways Lhey have been condlLloned Lo besL
recelve lnformaLlon.

Cbvlously, Lhe cosL of Lhe laLesL Lechnology and ease of use
are Lwo lmporLanL lssues faclng boLh educaLors and school
dlsLrlcLs. ln Lhe pasL, compeLlng compuLer plaLforms have
been an obstacle, but with the rise of the cloud and software
as a service (SaaS), issues with compatibility and interactivity
are largely belng combaLed. We are seelng varlous sofLware
offerlngs release cloud-based SaaS verslons lncludlng Adobe
CreaLlve Cloud, Coogle uocs, Culckbooks, and more. lL ls clear
LhaL Lhe dlglLal age and era of educaLlon musL be embraced
for maxlmum effecLlveness and sLrong sLudenL engagemenL.

Lets not forget that education is competing for attention.
!usL as sLudenLs have been condlLloned by Lechnology, Lhls
Lechnology has also dellvered more engaglng enLerLalnmenL
Lhan ever before. ln an arLlcle ln lorbes, educaLlon
commenLaLor nlkhll Goyal said, American schools are failing,
because Lhey are suppresslng chlldren by forclng Lhem lnLo a
compllance-based model of educaLlon. All chlldren are naLural
learners. Were born with curiosity, creativity, wonder, and
lnLrlnslc moLlvaLlon. 8esearch shows LhaL wlLh more years of
formal schoollng, Lhose very quallLles are sLunLed
tremendously.

G((A+( <#@)'E 8BA@#%&$( b 4&D 1&D.&&' "#' 4+,?

1echnology has unquesLlonably lmpacLed k-16 educaLlon
desplLe belng faced wlLh challenges lncludlng heslLancy of
educaLors, lack of Lralnlng, as well as a lack of supporL or
fundlng. As a resulL, lmplemenLaLlon ls ofLen hampered.
ollcymakers and sLakeholders undersLand LhaL every
classroom and every school ls dlfferenL, [usL as each



S9
communlLy ls also dlfferenL. WlLhouL ouLslde asslsLance,
communlLles across Amerlca slmply cannoL keep up wlLh
Lechnology challenges, elLher from an economlc sLandpolnL or
an access sLandpolnL. 1haL ls why open-source and donaLed
cloud Lechnology has begun Lo flnd greaLer accepLed use ln
classrooms across Amerlca.

lor example, my organlzaLlon, rofesslonal LducaLors of
1ennessee, places a premlum on professlonal developmenL
(u). arL of our advocacy wlLh pollcy makers lnvolves
requesLlng more u Lo ensure adequaLe, conLlnulng
professlonal developmenL for Leachers who are requlred Lo
lncorporaLe new Lechnologles lnLo Lhelr classrooms. 1oo
ofLen Lechnology ls lnLegraLed lnLo a school sysLem wlLhouL an
lmplemenLaLlon plan, Lhus frusLraLlng educaLors,
shorLchanglng sLudenLs, and wasLlng sysLem resources.

PowToons commitment to provide technology to educators,
as well as Lhelr cusLomlzed LuLorlals can help educaLors more
effecLlvely lnLegraLe Lhese new cloud-based capablllLles lnLo
Lhelr Leachlng meLhods. 1hls wlll help ensure LhaL Amerlcan
sLudenLs make progress each year and graduaLe from school
prepared Lo succeed ln college and ln a modern workforce. Cf
course, Lhls requlres LhaL educaLors Lhlnk ouLslde Lhe box ln
aldlng Lhelr sLudenLs, puLLlng Lhem aL Lhe fronLllne of publlc
educaLlon wlLh a blend of boLh formal and lnformal learnlng.
1he Lechnology offered by Lhls Lool helps dellver personallzed,
dlfferenLlaLed lnsLrucLlon.

4&D "#' G% I+ =(+B[

1eachlng ls an honorable professlon, and few [obs requlre
more responslblllLy, more quallflcaLlons, and more creaLlvlLy.
ln embraclng Lhe creaLlve naLure of Lhe professlon, Leachers
Lend Lo re[ecL a one-slze-flLs-all soluLlon Lo educaLlon. 1hey
undersLand sLudenLs learn ln dlfferenL sLyles. ow1oon offer
Leachers more creaLlvlLy and flexlblllLy ln sLudenL lnsLrucLlon



60
Lo help lnLroduce, develop, and relnforce key educaLlon
concepLs. As l revlewed ow1oon for educaLors, l LhoughL of
how l would uLlllze Lhe Lool ln a classroom seLLlng.

lor example, you could use ow1oon Lo asslsL wlLh maLh
concepLs by provldlng opporLunlLles for sLudenLs Lo observe
crlLlcal feaLures or aLLrlbuLes of shape, slze, poslLlon ln space,
lengLh, eLc., or explaln Lo sLudenLs why lL ls advlsable Lo learn
mulLlpllcaLlon Lables.

ln Muslc, ow1oon could be used Lo dlscuss Lhe purposes for
muslc ln socleLy or explalnlng how ArL ls used ln Lhe llves of
ordlnary people.
Lxplalnlng Lhe resulLs of Lhe slgnlng of Lhe ueclaraLlon of
lndependence or LmanclpaLlon roclamaLlon could be
addressed by ow1oon for PlsLory. And Leachers could
compare Lechnology Loday wlLh advances made durlng Lhe
lndusLrlal 8evoluLlon uslng ow1oon.


8egardless of Lhe Lype of asslgnmenL, good wrlLlng has several
common elemenLs ow1oon could be used Lo lllusLraLe
ldloms, sarcasm, hyperbole, lnferences, and dlfferenL
elemenLs of wrlLlng. lmaglne Leachlng focus, organlzaLlon,
developmenL, clarlLy, conclslon, preclslon, and, grammaLlcal
correcLness and Lhe avoldance of spelllng and Lypographlcal
errors by uslng carLoons and leveraglng Lhem for Lhe
classroom.

1he demands on our schools have lncreased exponenLlally.
LducaLors are engaged ln Laklng responslblllLy for Lhelr chosen
professlon, because Lhey undersLand Lhe communlLles ln
whlch Lhey work and llve. MosL educaLors wlll do everyLhlng
ln Lhelr power Lo preserve Lhelr classroom as a beacon of hope
and a place of opporLunlLy for every sLudenL who ls wllllng Lo
work hard Lo lmprove hls or her llfe by means of a hlgh-quallLy
educaLlon. Any lnnovaLlon can be expecLed Lo resulL ln a



61
learnlng curve. Powever, cloud Lechnology, such as LhaL
provided by PowToon, can help make education robust and
relevant to the real world. As American students become
fully prepared for Lhelr fuLure, our communlLles wlll be besL
poslLloned Lo compeLe successfully ln Lhe global economy.




62
G; .4878 6 ;497."=.!

lf Lhls whole process ls Loo compllcaLed or cumbersome for
you and all you wanL ls a greaL anlmaLed vldeo or presenLaLlon
wlLhouL Lhe hassle of dolng lL yourself...Lhen you arent alone!
ln facL we anLlclpaLed Lhls! We recognlze LhaL some people
[usL wanL an anlmaLed vldeo creaLed for Lhem aL an affordable
prlce, raLher Lhan Lhe usual $2,000 - $23,000 lL ofLen cosLs.
lf you would llke a ow1oon, buL don'L have Lhe Llme or Lhe
energy Lo make one yourself, you can have someone creaLe a
ow1oon for you (or your buslness) for around $400 - $700.
!usL go Lo Lhe ow1oon SLudlo and ask a professlonal for help:
www.powLoon.com/sLudlo
1heyll wrlLe Lhe scrlpL, arrange Lhe volceover, and creaLe an
awesome ow1oon for you.
Pere are some examples of whaL MasLer ow1oonlsLs from
Lhe ow1oon SLudlo have creaLed.

www.bit.ly/studio-01




63

www.bit.ly/studio-02


www.bit.ly/studio-03

We wanL Lo see every chlld achleve hls or her full poLenLlal
and succeed ln Lhe 21sL CenLury. So, wheLher you become a
ow1oonlsL yourself or hlre a MasLer ow1oonlsL Lo creaLe
vlsually sLunnlng, anlmaLed presenLaLlons for you, we wlsh
you happy powLoonlng and much success as you educaLe
your sLudenLs. We lnvlLe you Lo share your ow1oons wlLh
us and oLhers ln a collaboraLlve splrlL!



64
6 1+$(&'#, :&%+ 0$&- %*+ 6A%*&$(
ln Lhe end, we deslre LhaL all sLudenLs embrace a love of
learnlng. 8esearch supporLs Lhe Lheory LhaL sLudenLs who
develop a love of learnlng aL an early age conLlnue Lhe process
LhroughouL Lhelr llves. 1hose who love Lo learn are normally
more successful, lnLeresLlng, and conLenL as adulLs.

We puL a loL of efforL lnLo
developlng Lhls producL and
wrlLlng Lhls book ln Lhe hope of
glvlng you a Lremendous
amounL of value. And we are
glvlng lL Lo you for l8LL. We
wanL Lo Lhank you for accepLlng
Lhls glfL and hope you make Lhe
mosL of lL. Weve even lncluded
a speclal llnk Lo a bonus excluslve Lo Lhe book readers!

hLLp://www.powLoon.com/carLoonmarkeLlng/speclal/

LducaLlon sparks creaLlvlLy. lL moLlvaLes and Leaches sLudenLs
how Lo Lhlnk for Lhemselves. lL ls a Lorch passed from one
generaLlon Lo Lhe nexL! We saluLe Lhose educaLors who are
passlng Lhe Lorch!


.S. We would love Lo hear your LhoughLs and commenLs on
Lhe book or how youre uslng ow1oons ln your class, please
wrlLe dlrecLly Lo us: educaLlon[powLoon.com



6S
6/&A% %*+ 6A%*&$(
lounder and CLC of ow1oon, !"#$
SplLalnlk ls an lnLernaLlonally
recognlzed LhoughL leader, keynoLe
speaker and advlsor on besL
buslness pracLlces ln Lhe Coogle Lra.
Pls passlon for enLrepreneurshlp
lnsplred hlm Lo leave a successful
career ln banklng ln order Lo concenLraLe on bulldlng sLarLup
enLerprlses across numerous secLors lncludlng real esLaLe,
lnformaLlon Lechnology, sofLware and energy.
Alongslde hls ln depLh markeLlng experLlse galned from hands-
on roles ln dozens of onllne pro[ecLs, SplLalnlk has developed a
proprietary Vision Selling methodology which empowers
non-sales people Lo masLer Lhe arL of closlng a deal ln an
eLhlcal way.
Pls mosL recenL venLure ow1oon, an anlmaLed presenLaLlon
sofLware company LhaL glves anyone Lhe ablllLy Lo easlly
convey Lhelr message ln a dynamlc and powerful formaL, has
grown aL a llghLnlng pace. ow1oon embodies Spitalniks
vlslon for Lech soluLlons LhaL Lruly make a dlfference ln boLh
Lhe personal and professlonal arena. ?ou can conLacL hlm
dlrecLly aL llya[powLoon.com.





66

!ohn C. J. C. Bowman ls Lhe LxecuLlve
ulrecLor & CLC of rofesslonal
LducaLors of 1ennessee, a member-
owned, member-governed professlonal
assoclaLlon for educaLors.
ur. 8owman has an exLenslve
background developlng leglslaLlve
prlorlLles, evaluaLlng exlsLlng educaLlon
pollcles, and coordlnaLlng pollLlcal acLlvlLles wlLh pollcymakers
and lawmakers. Pe formerly served as ulrecLor of Lhe CenLer
for LducaLlon lnnovaLlon aL llorlda SLaLe unlverslLy. ln
addlLlon, he prevlously served as Lhe Chlef ollcy AnalysL of
Lhe LducaLlon ollcy unlL for llorlda Covernor !eb 8ush, as
well as aL Lhe llorlda ueparLmenL of LducaLlon.
A popular speaker, he has appeared on radlo and Lelevlslon
shows, and been feaLured aL evenLs on Lhe local, sLaLe and
naLlonal level. ln addlLlon he has auLhored numerous
academlc sLudles and arLlcles for varlous organlzaLlons and
publlcaLlons. Pe has ouLreach ln falLh and communlLy
lnlLlaLlves Lhrough LC Clobal ManagemenL, whlch works
wlLh non-proflL organlzaLlons across Lhe globe. 1hls lncludes
worklng wlLh AluS organlzaLlons ln 8oLswana and characLer
educaLlon programs ln 8wanda and Lhe Congo.
!. C. and hls wlfe are Lhe proud parenLs of Lwo grown
daughLers, Lwo sons-ln-law, and four grandchlldren. 1hey
reslde ln lranklln, 1ennessee. ?ou can conLacL hlm dlrecLly aL
[c.bowman[proedLn.org