ECHOES - Toolkit
Overview
Are you a teacher, trainer or mentor involved in distance learning and digital learning processes?
Are you looking for tools that allow you to create digital content easily and effectively?
How can you connect with colleagues and students in your organization? How to organize and structure training effectively and actively involve your students in the learning process?
Do you need to monitor learning progress and provide feedback digitally?
The ECHOES Toolkit is designed to support the implementation of online training interventions within Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems.
Content
AREA 01 - Professional engagement
- 01.1.1 Microsoft Teams
- 01.1.2 ClickUp
- 01.1.3 Zoom
- 01.1.4 Google Meet
- 01.1.5 Rocket.Chat
- 01.1.6 Cisco Webex Team
- 01.1.7 Brosix
- 01.1.8 Pumble
- 01.1.9 Chanty
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- 01.2.1 Google Drive
- 01.2.2 Microsoft OneDrive
- 01.2.3 Dropbox
- 01.2.4 Sync.com
- 01.2.5 Amazon Drive
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- 01.3.1 Digital Online Learning
- 01.3.2 e-Learning
- 01.3.3 Mobile Learning
- 01.3.4 Micro Learning
- 02.1.1 ADDIE MODEL
- 02.1.2 SAM MODEL
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- 02.2.1 Canva
- 02.2.2 Genial.ly
- 02.2.3 Edpuzzle
- 02.2.4 Infogram
AREA 03 - Teaching and learning
AREA 01 - Professional Engagement
The area of Professional Engagement focuses on the ability of education professionals to use digital technologies not only to improve teaching, but also to increase their abilities to interact professionally with colleagues, students, members of learning communities and others interested parties, thus promoting their professional development and access to innovation.
This Area is made up of three Sub-Areas, which concern the acquisition of specific skills and competences in the areas of communication, collaboration and professional development.
Based on the real needs expressed by VET professionals in the framework of the ECHOES project, the following Sub-Areas of skills improvement have been identified. For each Sub-Area, the available tools (orange colour) and methodologies (blue colour) are therefore presented.
01.1.1 - Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams allows you to stay connected and access shared content at any time to learn, plan and innovate, share your screen, use “together” mode to be virtually in the same space, make and receive calls, voice messages, easily find, share and edit files in real time using apps like Word, PowerPoint and Excel, share one-to-one or group chats.
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- English Microsoft Teams EN
- German Microsoft Teams DE
- Italian Microsoft Teams IT
- Slovenian Microsoft Teams SL
- Spanish Microsoft Teams ES
01.1.2 - ClickUp
ClickUp is a project management software that brings together the functionality of different applications; therefore, you don't need to have as many tools to do the same job. It offers a wide range of features: design, monitoring, collaboration with third parties in interactive documents. The different views allow you to monitor the progress of each project.
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- English ClickUp EN
- German ClickUp DE
- Italian ClickUp IT
- Slovenian ClickUp SL
- Spanish ClickUp ES
01.1.3 - Zoom
Zoom is a downloadable application for both computers and smartphones, its main function is to create real-time video conferences between two or more participants. The app allows you to schedule meetings (bilaterally or in groups), live chat between users, share screens, files and record sessions for later viewing.
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01.1.4 - Google Meet
Google Meet is a tool for organizing virtual meetings in a very simple way. These meetings have meeting codes, unique passwords that are created for each video call. This is a secure method, as only users with the code will have access to meetings. Anyone with a Google account can create an online meeting with up to 100 participants and 60 minutes per session.
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- English Google Meet EN
- German Google Meet DE
- Italian Google Meet IT
- Slovenian Google Meet SL
- Spanish Google Meet ES
01.1.5 - Rocket.Chat
Rocket.Chat is an open-source team communication and collaboration platform with live chat, video and audio conferencing, file sharing, message translation, and more. In a group or one-to-one environment, it allows users to create channels and conversations for collaboration. Its open-source nature means that users can join the community and develop their own custom features, plugins and integrations to produce a solution that suits their needs
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- English Rocket.Chat EN
- German Rocket.Chat DE
- Italian Rocket.Chat IT
- Slovenian Rocket.Chat SL
- Spanish Rocket.Chat ES
01.1.6 - Cisco Webex Team
Cisco Webex Teams offers unlimited and secure "virtual rooms" for collaboration, even in teams. Those who access the "virtual room" can send messages, share files, manage encryption keys, view files instantly without downloading them, review messages and file history so everyone can stay updated, participate and collaborate from their mobile device , from your computer or browser.
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- English Cisco Webex Team EN
- German Cisco Webex Team DE
- Italian Cisco Webex Team IT
- Slovenian Cisco Webex Team SL
- Spanish Cisco Webex Team ES
01.1.7 - Brosix
Brosix is recommended for those who are looking for a solution capable of offering advanced protection in communication processes. The closed network and P2P encryption ensure communications confidentiality and data protection. In fact, it includes advanced applications and features, such as the configuration and management of private computer networks, control of user roles, etc.
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01.1.8 - Pumble
Pumble is a free application that enables collaboration between teams of any size. Unlike other similar apps, it offers the ability to have unlimited users, unlimited chat history, administrative tools for users and workspaces, and web support for free. It is available on all platforms, mainly as a browser application, but is also accessible on desktop and mobile.
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01.1.9 - Chanty
Chanty is a communication platform that aims to facilitate teamwork, improve collaboration and productivity. Allows you to make calls, organize meetings and exchange files. Enable screen sharing during video calls. It allows you to organize tasks via messages: a Kanban board allows you to view them in rows and columns and set deadlines for their execution.
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01.2.1 - Google Drive
Google Drive aims to make file sharing easier. Storage, sharing and collaboration on files and folders can be activated via mobile device, tablet or computer. Allows multiple users to collaborate on processing and editing files simultaneously.
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- English Google Drive EN
- German Google Drive DE
- Italian Google Drive IT
- Slovenian Google Drive SL
- Spanish Google Drive ES
01.2.2 - Microsoft OneDrive
Microsoft OneDrive aims to support archiving processes, offering a secure and accessible solution. It offers connection and interoperability between different devices, to simplify document management and processing. It offers users free cloud storage. It is also characterized as a data backup solution. It offers advanced features, such as document scanning with OCR technology and integration with Office apps (Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
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- English Microsoft OneDrive EN
- German Microsoft OneDrive DE
- Italian Microsoft OneDrive IT
- Slovenian Microsoft OneDrive SL
- Spanish Microsoft OneDrive ES
01.2.3 - Dropbox
Dropbox is a cloud storage service that allows users to store files securely online and access them virtually anywhere with an Internet connection. Beyond simple storage, Dropbox offers a variety of features designed to make file syncing, sharing, and collaboration between workgroup members easier. You don't need to have a Dropbox account to access your shared files and folders.
Dropbox allows granular control over access in edit or read mode.
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- English Dropbox EN
- German Dropbox DE
- Italian Dropbox IT
- Slovenian Dropbox SL
- Spanish Dropbox ES
01.2.4 Sync.com
Sync.com is a cloud-based file storage and sharing platform that includes tools for sending and receiving files, organizing folders, previewing documents, backing up files, and controlling user permissions. It offers free 5GB storage and unlimited file uploads.
With its zero-knowledge encryption and HIPAA compliance, Sync.com offers high privacy standards and unlimited data storage plans.
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- English Sync.com EN
- German Sync.com DE
- Italian Sync.com IT
- Slovenian Sync.com SL
- Spanish Sync.com ES
01.2.5 - Amazon Drive
Amazon Drive is a secure cloud storage service for the most common files. You can upload, download, preview and share files, including photos and videos.
It integrates with other Amazon services, such as Amazon Photos, which allows users to store and manage their photo collections, and with other services and devices available in the Amazon ecosystem, such as Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets.
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- English Amazon Drive EN
- German Amazon Drive DE
- Italian Amazon Drive IT
- Slovenian Amazon Drive SL
- Spanish Amazon Drive ES
01.3.1 - Digital Online Learning
Online digital learning refers to the use of digital technologies and the Internet to deliver educational content.
It includes online courses, webinars, virtual classrooms and interactive multimedia resources.
The learning process usually occurs synchronously: the trainer and the student interact instantly on the same platform or digital resource.
Students can access the training from anywhere, using an Internet connection. The contents are structured to host multimedia elements, quizzes and discussion forums to facilitate online interaction and collaboration processes.
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- English Digital Online Learning EN
- German Digital Online Learning DE
- Italian Digital Online Learning IT
- Slovenian Digital Online Learning SL
- Spanish Digital Online Learning ES
01.3.2 - e-Learning
e-Learning, or electronic learning, is a term generically associated with the creation of online courses and training programs delivered through digital platforms (Learning Management System, LMS).
The learning process can occur synchronously or asynchronously. The trainer and the learner communicate and interact through a digital learning platform.
While online digital learning can include a wider range of digital resources, e-learning tends to be more structured and integrated into formal courses or training programs. It often involves reference to a curriculum and systematic assessment.
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- English e-Learning EN
- German e-Learning DE
- Italian e-Learning IT
- Slovenian e-Learning SL
- Spanish e-Learning ES
01.3.3 Mobile Learning
Mobile Learning is a training approach focused on the use of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to deliver training content and facilitate learning. In the context of VET, Mobile Learning offers a flexible and accessible tool for the transfer of knowledge and skills.
Mobile Learning is often used to deliver training content structured in thematically focused and short-term teaching units. This approach favours: the personalization of learning pathways; rapid updating of skills; the creation of blended learning paths; the involvement of learners.
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- English Mobile Learning EN
- German Mobile Learning DE
- Italian Mobile Learning IT
- Slovenian Mobile Learning SL
- Spanish Mobile Learning ES
01.3.4 Micro Learning
Micro-learning consists of a training approach that provides content organized into small, focused and easily assimilable units. These units, often called "microlessons," are designed to address specific learning objectives that can be achieved in a short amount of time. In the context of VET, microlearning is used to impart targeted, practical and immediately applicable knowledge and skills.
Micro-learning content is short and concise, typically lasting a few minutes or even a few seconds. The contents are highly specific. Micro-learning is recommended whenever you intend to promote targeted learning, avoiding providing excess content. It therefore supports continuous learning.
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- English Micro Learning EN
- German Micro Learning DE
- Italian Micro Learning IT
- Slovenian Micro Learning SL
- Spanish Micro Learning ES
AREA 02 - Digital Resources
The Digital Resources Area refers to the skills necessary to: effectively identify the resources that best suit the learning objectives, also in relation to the class group and the teaching approach; structure materials and teaching resources; create connections between topics, modify and personalize digital resources according to the expected learning outcomes.
This Area is made up of several Sub-Areas, which relate to the specific skills and abilities that online training professionals should possess to: use and manage digital content effectively and responsibly, including compliance with copyright regulations; edit and share digital assets; protect sensitive content and data (for example, learning tests and related results).
02.1.1 - ADDIE MODEL
The ADDIE model is a systems approach for designing and developing training and learning programs. The acronym ADDIE represents five key phases: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. During the analysis, training needs are identified and objectives are defined. In the planning phase, the training plan is developed and teaching resources are designed. The development phase involves the actual creation of training materials. The implementation of the training program takes place in a physical or virtual (online) environment. In the evaluation phase, a judgment is expressed on the effectiveness of the program and future improvements are outlined. The ADDIE is a flexible and widely used model in the field of training and education.
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- English ADDIE MODEL EN
- German ADDIE MODEL DE
- Italian ADDIE MODEL IT
- Slovenian ADDIE MODEL SL
- Spanish ADDIE MODEL ES
02.1.2 - SAM MODEL
The SAM model (Successive Approximation Model) is an iterative and collaborative approach for developing courses and educational materials. Unlike other traditional models, it promotes agile design and development. It is divided into eight phases that develop cyclically: "Agile Planning", "Analysis", "Design", "Development", "Iterative Design", "Iterative Development", "Review" and "Wrap-up". This model places an emphasis on continuous stakeholder engagement and the ability to make changes and improvements throughout the development process, making it particularly suitable for projects that require flexibility, rapid response, and constant interaction with end users. The SAM model, building on interaction and engagement, aims to reduce the risks of costly errors and improve the overall quality of learning materials through iterative and cyclical review.
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- English SAM MODEL EN
- German SAM MODEL DE
- Italian SAM MODEL IT
- Slovenian SAM MODEL SL
- Spanish SAM MODEL ES
02.2.1 - Canva
Canva is a graphic design and image composition website for communication that offers online tools to create your own projects, both for leisure and professional use. It offers a freemium service, which you can use for free, but with the alternative of paying for advanced options. It has over 8,000 free templates for 100 types of designs. It also allows you to create designs from scratch, through an interface with which you can move the composition menu items with the mouse.
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02.2.2 Genial.ly
Genial.ly is an online platform and media creation tool that allows users to design and create interactive and visually engaging presentations, infographics, interactive images, posters, and other types of multimedia content. It provides a wide range of professionally designed templates that users can customize to create their own content. You can include clickable elements, animations, pop-ups, links to external content and even quizzes or polls to engage your audience. Genial.ly allows you to integrate various multimedia elements, such as images, videos, audio, and even 3D models.
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- English Genial.ly EN
- German Genial.ly DE
- Italian Genial.ly IT
- Slovenian Genial.ly SL
- Spanish Genial.ly ES
02.2.3 Edpuzzle
Edpuzzle is an online platform that allows trainers and educators to create interactive quizzes and video-based learning activities. Teachers can select videos from sources like YouTube or upload their own videos and then add questions, comments and interactions directly within the video. This tool promotes active learning by allowing students to answer questions while the video is playing, receiving immediate feedback. Edpuzzle offers an intuitive and effective way to improve the online learning experience, monitor student progress and evaluate their understanding of learning content.
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- English Edpuzzle EN
- German Edpuzzle DE
- Italian Edpuzzle IT
- Slovenian Edpuzzle SL
- Spanish Edpuzzle ES
02.2.4 - Infogram
Infogram is an interactive online charting and infographic creation platform, designed to simplify data visualization and visual communication. Users can use intuitive tools to easily create charts, maps, tables, and other visual representations of data, adding text, images, and interactive elements to make information more engaging and effective. Infogram is widely used in business, journalism, and education to transform complex data into engaging visual stories, allowing users to effectively share clear, meaningful information with their audiences.
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- English Infogram EN
- German Infogram DE
- Italian Infogram IT
- Slovenian Infogram SL
- Spanish Infogram ES
AREA 03 - Teaching and Learning
The Teaching and Learning Area is focused on the ability of trainers and educators to outline and organize, in relation to the specific competence framework and the chosen strategy, the efficient use of digital technologies in the different phases of the training process.
This Area, composed of a single Sub-Area, contains the specific skills and competences that training professionals should acquire to improve the effectiveness of training and interact, individual or in gruoup, with students.
03.1.1 - Miro
Miro is an application for developing remote team workflows, through an infinite virtual whiteboard. A collaborative space for groups, configured for projects, where it is possible to save whiteboards and/or panels, jointly called "boards".
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03.1.2 - Flip
Flip (Flipgrid) is a free video discussion app from Microsoft for sharing short videos and participating in a community. By creating a Group, you can invite students by sending a membership code or uploading from the Google Classroom list.
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03.1.3 - Kialo
Kialo is a free online platform for trainers and educators, specifically designed for online reasoned debate and to support critical thinking development processes in learners. The platform is free to use for trainers/teachers all over the world and can be integrated with other online educational systems. Kialo Edu is a user-friendly tool; discussions can be held in any language and on any topic.
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AREA 04 - Assessment
The Assessment area is focus on the educators’ ability to analyse and interpret the wide range of data available on each individual learner’s learning behaviour and use it to help make decisions, consider how digital technologies can enhance existing assessment strategies and create or facilitate innovative assessment approaches.
This area is composed by different subareas, focus on specific skills and competences education professionals should work on to build their ability adapting teaching strategies and to provide targeted support, based on the evidence generated by the digital technologies used and enabling learners and parents to understand the evidence provided by digital technologies and use it for decision-making.
Based on the real needs experienced by VET professionals in the framework of the ECHOES project, the following sub-area for improvement has been identified. For this purpose, in the ECHOES Toolkit for Extended Classrooms for Higher Opportunities Enhancing Skills you will find a series of tools and tricks for their application in this journey using digital technologies to provide targeted and timely feedback to learners.
04.1.1 - Google Classroom
Google Classroom is a tool designed exclusively for the educational world. Its mission is to enable collaborative classroom management via the Internet, being a platform for learning management. Allows the management of online lessons, including blended ones. Google Classroom allows you to create documents, share information and data, and hold virtual meetings. Trainers and students can access their "classes", notes, assigned tasks, etc. from any device
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- English Google classroom EN
- German Google classroom DE
- Italian Google classroom IT
- Slovenian Google classroom SL
- Spanish Google classroom ES
04.1.2 - TopWorkSheets
TopWorksheets is a platform where you can create and manage self-grading interactive worksheets. Students can complete these worksheets online, get their results immediately, and send their answers to their teacher.
Interactive worksheets allow you to incorporate multimedia technologies such as audio, video and voice recordings. A library with thousands of worksheets created by other teachers is available for free.
TopWorksheets allows you to automatically receive answers to questions, to examine and evaluate works, obtaining real-time processing and statistics.
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- English TopWorkSheets EN
- German TopWorkSheets DE
- Italian TopWorkSheets IT
- Slovenian TopWorkSheets SL
- Spanish TopWorkSheets ES
04.1.3 - Open Badges
Open Badges are digital certificates (or badges) issued to learners of training courses who have acquired a specific set of skills, or to certify the results achieved or their participation. They can serve as "proof" of learning achieved, courses completed, or further educational outcomes. The badges therefore serve to recognize learning. They can be used in many sectors: work, school, leisure. There are a number of free platforms available for designing open badges, such as Canva, Accredible, Openbadges.me, or RedCritter.
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- English Open Badges EN
- German Open Badges DE
- Italian Open Badges IT
- Slovenian Open Badges SL
- Spanish Open Badges ES
AREA 05 - Empowering Learners
The Area refers to the knowledge and skills that Training professionals must possess to effectively use learner-centered pedagogical strategies online and aimed at: increasing students' active involvement in the learning process; experiment with new options or solutions; understand connections and invent creative solutions.
This Area, composed of a single Sub-Area, contains the specific skills and competences that VET professionals should acquire to improve the active participation and involvement of learners in learning processes.
05.1.1 - Kahoot
Kahoot is a gamified social education web service. Kahoot behaves like a game: it awards a prize to those who make progress in learning and to those who acquire the highest scores in tests. Anyone can create a gaming table, called Kahoot. Once created, players can join it by entering a PIN code in the mobile application. In this way, the mobile phone becomes a remote control with which you can answer questions. The questions appear on the screen from time to time and the scores and rankings are reported.
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05.1.2 - OpenBoard
OpenBoard is an open source, cross-platform learning software. It can be used with interactive whiteboards and via dual-screen setups with a pen-tablet display and a beamer.
OpenBoard allows, in the context of distance learning, to record video lessons (podcasts) and conduct interactive lessons using the whiteboard. Supported platforms are Windows (7+), macOS (10.9+), and Linux.
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- English OpenBoard EN
- German OpenBoard DE
- Italian OpenBoard IT
- Slovenian OpenBoard SL
- Spanish OpenBoard ES
AREA 06 - Facilitating Learners Digital Competence
The Area contains a selection of techniques and tools that can be used by trainers and professionals of distance and online VET systems to improve the knowledge and skills of learners in the following areas: retrieval of information and resources to be used in digital learning environments; effective and responsible use of digital technologies for communication, collaboration and participation; application of digital technologies and resources for problem solving or creative application.
06.1.1 - Google Classroom
Google Classroom is a tool that can be used to simplify a large number of communication processes relevant to learning. Google Classroom allows for increased interaction between teachers and students. Through the application of the "flipped classroom", Google Classroom allows you to invert the classroom, allowing the active participation of students in the learning processes: in fact, question/answer, discussion, exploration, concepts and application of ideas functions are available.
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- English Google Classroom EN
- German Google Classroom DE
- Italian Google Classroom IT
- Slovenian Google Classroom SL
- Spanish Google Classroom ES
06.1.2 - Trello
Trello is an application that helps organize, coordinate and monitor work, through the creation and management of "boards" available online. It is easy to use and facilitates collaboration between team members or between them and third parties.
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06.1.3 - wrike
Wrike is a cloud-based collaboration and project management tool. In addition to its general project management application, Wrike offers custom software and team features with pre-configured templates by task, by workflow, and by communication type. It provides a centralized database of information, digital assets and workflows. Users, who access through different levels of permissions, have an intuitive and easy-to-use dashboard.
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06.1.4 - INVIDEO.AI
InVideo AI is a free editing tool that makes video creation easy. It uses advanced AI algorithms to automate video creation tasks, making it easy for anyone to develop and edit videos via text input. InVideo.AI generates the script, creates scenes and adds voices. The user has many available templates to choose from text boxes, animations, stickers and overlays.
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- English INVIDEO.AI EN
- German INVIDEO.AI DE
- Italian INVIDEO.AI IT
- Slovenian INVIDEO.AI SL
- Spanish INVIDEO.AI ES
06.1.5 - LUMEN5
Lumen5 is an AI-based tool that create videos to accompany written content. Users can insert a link to an article or blog post, or write text, and Lumen5 will turn the text into a video. Users can then refine the video by adding music, inserting new photos and changing the format.
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Disclaimer
This project is funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ Programme.
Project Ref: 2021-1-IT01-KA220-VET-000033244.
This open educational resources reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.