Wixie is Better than Ever

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 By Kerri Lambert, Academic Specialist, Instructional Technology

If you’ve ever gotten into a conversation with me about the various applications AACPS staff and students have access to, there’s a good chance you’ve heard me say “I’m a Google girl, but Wixie has my heart.”

For me, Wixie is one of the most versatile programs we have access to, and it just keeps getting better with each update. This summer is no exception; as Tech4Learning, the company behind Wixie, rolled out a slew of improvements and new features. Here are few of my favorites: 

Path Animation

One of the old projects that we used to have students create in Wixie was a version of stop animation. Students could design a page, duplicate it, and then move an object(s) on the page a smidge, then duplicate that page, and repeat it until the object completed some kind of movement to illustrate a concept. When viewed in story mode, it appeared as if the project was a single page with an animated object moving around. 

Now, with the new path animation feature, students can easily animate multiple images, text, or videos on the page with a click of a button! Now a car can drive across the page in a story, a talkie butterfly can move around its life cycle explaining the various stages, and the Earth can rotate around the sun. My favorite example of path animation that Tech4Learning has on its page actually involves math! As a student narrates how to plot a point on a coordinate grid, the object (a lighthouse) moves demonstrating her explanation. Brilliant! 

Video Library

You may ask what’s so “new” about an application having a built-in video library. Well, what makes Wixie’s collection of curated videos unique is that they are all under a minute in length, and don’t have any sound. Why? Well, the videos aren’t meant for students to watch and learn, to be consumers of information, but rather to encourage students to create. By providing students with a library of soundless videos, they are able to incorporate them into projects with their own unique narration. Talking about severe weather? The students can use the video of hurricanes to talk about the rotation and unique eye formation. Having students compare movements of animals? Use the triple Venn Diagram and have videos of a turtle, cheetah,and a bird and you suddenly have an all in one activity where students can practice their observation skills without leaving the same application. These are just two ways of using the video library; take a look at what’s available and your wheels will start turning with the possibilities. To get you started, Wixie has outlined some project ideas for you in this article. 

Image Background Removal 

It’s now easier than ever to put your students into their work! With the new background removal tool, students can take a picture of themselves and remove the background, all without leaving Wixie! Think of it as an easy way to do green screen work. Now students can be in their snow globe, look like they are visiting famous world landmarks, or racing against that cheetah, because yes, they can animate their pictures too!

Project Sharing

With all the cool new projects your students will be creating, of course you’re going to want to show them off! Wixie has made this even easier by rolling out Family sharing and adding new functionality to the Project Wizard. Invite your families to connect to their students and you can share their child’s project with them in just a couple of clicks! Want to combine multiple projects into a single project like a portfolio or class book? Open the Project Wizard and select the “Project” option. You’ll be prompted to select the assignment or group of projects to combine, and Wixie takes care of the rest. All that’s left for you to do is print or share as you wish. 

Adding Classes

In AACPS, we roster classes for our teachers using information from PowerSchool and Classlink, but this means that teachers who don't have a class in those systems aren't assigned to classes. This can include guidance counselors, special ed teachers, Triple E teachers, etc. In the past, those educators would have to go to the classroom teachers and ask them to add them as a co-teacher, but no more! Now teachers can add themselves to the classes they need at their school! This is a huge improvement for those who work with students, but don't enter grades. Of course, all teachers, regardless if they are rostered or not, can still create their own custom classes which is ideal for working with small groups. 

These are just a handful of the updates that Tech4Learning has made to Wixie in the last few months. To read about others, head over to their new Learning Center (another new feature!), located in the upper right hand corner of Wixie. 

And don’t forget to share what your students create with us by tagging us in your social media posts! X: @aacpsoit and Instagram: aacps_oit 


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