Tools like Google Jamboard and Explain Everything can be great for creating drawings to illustrate ideas. They can also be a good tool for students to use to tell their stories. But sometimes you just need a quick and easy tool that students can use to create a drawing or general animation without having to jump into an account. In this case, the following free tools provide a great way for students to quickly create digital drawings
Brush Ninja
For over five years I have been using Brush Ninja to create simple animations. A few years ago I wrote something about using a brush ninja in eighth grade. This video provides a demonstration of how to use Brush Ninja which is free and does not require registration The GIF brush featuring this blog post has been created using Ninja.
Draw and tell
Draw & Tell is a free iPad app that has been on my list of recommendations for K-2 students for many years. In this free app students can draw a blank page or a full color page template. Students record a voiceover after they finish drawing so they can either explain the drawing or tell a story about the characters they draw.
ABCya Animate