5 Great Chrome Extensions for Creating Explainer Videos to Use in Class

Upon the requests of some of our readers here in EdTech and mLearning we went ahead and curated for you the list below featuring what we think are some of the best video and animation maker tools in Chrome store. Teachers can use them to create explainer videos, educational animations, stop motion animations, and many more. We have excluded several titles from the list because of the negative reviews they got on Chrome web store (e.g., Animaker, GoAnimate, Animoto Video Maker). However, keep in mind, that most of the tools featured below provide both free and premium versions so you will probably need to upgrade at some point for more sophisticated features.  We invite you to check them out and share with us your feedback.

1- Screencastify

This is one of our favoruite Chrome extensions for recording screens. It allows you to annotate your screen with pen, focus a spotlight on your mouse, crop and trim your recording and many more. The free version supports up to 10 minutes per video with watermark added.

2- Stop Motion Animator

‘A simple tool for creating stop motion animation sequences using a webcam. Animation sequences can be saved to a video file in the widely-supported webm format.  Previously-saved videos can be loaded into the app and extended.’

3- PowToon Presentations

‘PowToon lets you create awesome animated videos and presentations for free -- in under 10 minutes!’ The free version, however,  has way less characters and objects and less features.

4- ClapMotion

‘ClapMotion is a stop-motion software that allows you to create your own animation by simply clapping your hands…ClapMotion is an ideal tool for the classroom and home, developing project based thinking, artistic, creative and teamwork skills in accordance with Common Core. Recommended use: movies, fairy tales, animations, cartoons, etc.’

5- WeVideo Editor

This is an excellent tool to use to edit your videos. Some of the features it provides include: Different editing modes to suit novices and experts alike (Storyboard and Advanced Timeline); drag and drop media files in any order to assemble your story, easily trim video clips to focus on key moments or set custom durations, add text, effects, music, transitions and more.