We’re always on the lookout for tools that make student thinking visible—and that’s exactly what caught our attention with Snorkl. It’s a newer platform, but one we’ve already tried and tested in our own classrooms, and we’re excited about the potential it brings. From scaffolding deeper reflection to giving students a space to explain their thinking creatively, Snorkl is quickly becoming one of our new favorite ways to amplify student voice. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through how the platform works, share real examples, creative integrations, and fresh ideas you can try immediately!
Please note: This blog post was hand-crafted and was not created using AI.
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What is Snorkl?
If you were a fan of Microsoft Flip (like we were 🙋♂️), you know how powerful it was for amplifying student voice and making thinking visible. So when Flip was sunsetted, many of us were left wondering and searching for something to fill the gap. That’s where Snorkl steps in!
Snorkl is an AI-powered platform that feels familiar with tools like drawing, adding text, and uploading images (just check out the toolbar!). But what really sets it apart is how it uses image-based prompts to scaffold student thinking in thoughtful, intentional ways. Plus, it checks the all-important safety boxes—it’s both FERPA and COPPA compliant, which is always one of the first things we look for when exploring any new classroom tool.
Instead of simply asking students to “respond,” Snorkl guides them step by step through deeper reflection, stronger explanations, and more intentional critical thinking. It’s not just a replacement—it’s an opportunity to rethink how we help students process and express their learning in a way that truly sticks.
Creating Your First Snorkl Activity
Once you’re inside your Snorkl teacher dashboard, the first thing that you will want to do is create a class. You’ll be able to set up your class in just a few clicks. Here’s how:
Log onto the Snorkl educator dashboard
On the top toolbar, click Classes.
To create a new class, click on the purple Create Class button.
Give your class a name and select a color can represent the class.
Now you’re ready to assign your first activity, and you’ve got a few options. First, you can create a new activity using a blank template where you build everything from scratch. Next, you can pull from your own activity library, which is super helpful if you’re reusing a lesson or teaching multiple classes. Since you created it, you can easily assign it to different groups with just a few clicks. Finally, you can browse the Snorkl library, which is constantly growing and packed with standards aligned activities for a variety of grade levels and subjects. It’s definitely worth checking out, as you might just find exactly what you need, already done for you. The process of selecting an activity from the Snorkl library is pretty straightforward, so let’s walk you through how to create an assignment from scratch:
Log into the Snorkl educator dashboard, then click on Classes on the top toolbar.
Click on the class that you wish to create the assignment for.
Click on the purple Assign Activity button,
Now, click Create New.
Add a title, then select your student response type.
We recommend including instructions on your activities. The instructions will appear at the top of activity.
After that, under the AI feedback settings, click Generate from Question. This will tell Snorkl’s AI how to give feedback on student responses. As the educator, you can also edit this after it generates.
Last, click the purple Assign button located on the top right. Your activity will now be ready to be shared with your students.
With all of the steps completed above, you’re now ready to have students join in on the fun. To get your students logged onto Snorkl, you can choose to have them log into the class using their Google or Microsoft account. Or, if you prefer (or if you’re working with littles), you can share a direct link to the activity. This will allow students to log on with either their Google or Microsoft account, or log in as a guest. Logging on as a guest will require them to enter their name - that is all. The benefit to having students log on using their email account is that their videos will appear on their profile. They can easily go back and revisit content that they have created within the platform. Using the guest login will allow them to participate in the activity, but they will not be able to go back and view their previous work. Here’s how to get students logged onto an assignment using the guest login option:
Log onto the Snorkl educator dashboard, then click on the class that you wish to assign the assignment to.
If you haven’t already created a new activity or selected one from Snorkl’s library, you will want to do this now. If you have, skip to step #8.
Click on the purple Assign Activity button, then click Create New.
Add a title, then add your question. Think of the question area as a digital whiteboard template for the students to work on or in. Each student will be able to use Snorkl’s tools on top of whatever content appears on the question board.
We recommend including instructions on your activities. The instructions will appear at the top of activity.
After that, under the AI feedback settings, click Generate from Question. This will tell Snorkl’s AI how to give feedback on student responses.
Last, click the purple Assign button located on the top right. Your activity will now be ready to be shared with your students.
Log onto the Classes section, then find the assignment that you want to share with your students.
Click the share icon (right side). This will provide you with a unique URL that you can copy & paste to share, or students can enter the provided code by visiting join.snorkl.app.
Your students are now ready to complete their first Snokl assignment!
Student Experience Explained
Regardless of how students log in, the view for them will look the same. When the students log into the activity, they will need to click Start Response to begin. This will bring them into the assignment where they can access all of Snorkl’s tools. Students may use the tools prior to recording a voice over, add / pause recording, or record while using the tools in real-time. The space is an infinite canvas, so they will never run out of room. Once they have finished, they click on End / Review to watch their recording back.
Once students submit their work, Snorkl’s AI automatically reviews it and provides targeted feedback. The feedback is marked with red dots on the timeline, showing exactly where the AI is offering input. Students can even skip directly to those moments in their video to see precisely what the feedback is referring to, making the revision process clear and actionable. Educators always have the final say, and can edit any of the AI generated feedback.
If enabled by the educator, students have the option to take the feedback and resubmit their work. If they decide to do so, they may reuse the entire whiteboard again, or start from scratch.
Accessibility & Collaboration
One of the things we love most about Snorkl are the built-in accessibility tools. Students can have prompts read aloud (huge for early readers or anyone who needs a little extra support), and they’re not locked into just one response type. They can draw, type, or record themselves. The tools are strategically placed to help them show what they know best. Students can even upload their own images to customize things even more. Snorkl also offers the option to download various parts of the student’s work. For example, students can download just the whiteboard, the entire video, or even a transcript. It’s all about removing barriers and giving every student a way to engage and succeed.
But let’s face it, our students learn best from one another. So, with Snorkl’s collaboration feature, students can leave comments or a voice over their friend’s boards. For example, a student could watch one of their peer’s videos, identify a mistake, and then use the mistaken students board to help explain where the error is occurring. Now, we know what you’re thinking…My students are just going to watch their friends videos and not pay attention to the others. Snorkl intelligently removes all names from student responses. So, students can tell who’s video they’re clicking on until they actually click on it and can listen to the voice. This anonymity helps inspire and boosts ALL the voices in the class - not just the student who is always calling out the answers.
Teacher Dashboard Tools
When students are actively engaged in a Snorkl assignment, teachers also can get in on the fun. With live student response tracking, educators are able to see what students are working on and when they are finished. Responses can be grouped and sorted at the discretion of the teacher, too. So, if you have students who are working on the same assignment, but at different times, you can sort the assignment to Latest in order to view the current work.
If you have enabled multiple attempts, you can also view each of these attempts and the progression of learning from start to finish. Just below the student response, there will be a number, for example: 3/3. If the educator clicks on these numbers, a drop down menu will appear. This will allow you to toggle back and forth between the attempts.
For a quick glance at what the student(s) shared in their video, you can scrub, or scroll through the student response to view where the AI provided feedback. For example, move your mouse pointer over different parts of the rectangle. Subtitles of the feedback will appear at the various points where it was provided.
Insights are an extremely powerful way for educators to monitor student progress. While in an assignment, click on Insights located on the top left side. This will provide a scope of how students have performed. For example, the AI will share top exemplars, responses with missing content or details, etc. This comes in handy when you’re trying to grab a quick assessment of how students are performing.
Snorkl for Math
Snorkl can be used for anything and it can transform activities that you’re already doing in the classroom. For example, students can use Snorkl to share how they worked through a challenging math problem. They can use the tools within the platform to build their explanation, or they can capture a photo using their devices camera and upload it. So, if your students use whiteboards to work through math problems, they could take a photo of their whiteboard, then explain it in a Snorkl video. Whether they submit the work using the tools or through a photo, the AI will work to provide feedback and help coach the students in the proper direction. Click here to check out the expanding Snorkl Math activity library and try one out tomorrow!
Snorkl for Writing
Hopefully you’re seeing the pattern by now…Snorkl can be easily integrated into almost anything that you’re already doing in the classroom. When students finish working on a writing assignment, they can capture a photo of their work and then record themselves reading the writing. Snorkl’s AI will assess the work, according to the educators standards, and then provide feedback. This is perfect for rough draft versions, or a writers workshop. Snorkl also has a new writing tool that will help coach student writing. We used Diffit to generate the article titled, “Persuasive Writing: Should we have homework?” This article can be shared directly into the assignment (see our image below), and then students can respond on Snorkl. The AI will automatically assess and coach the students, offering the educator insights - including when students have pasted and how much they have pasted. Check it out below!
Exit Tickets with Snorkl
(and School AI!)
Exit tickets aren’t anything new…You’ve just taught a pretty complicated lesson and you’re not exactly sure where your students land on the scale of learning. So, you ask students to provide a quick response to assess their overall understanding. But, with Snorkl, the assessing is instant and can be revisited.
Let’s put it into action: Have students use SchoolAI to explore and learn all about Alexander the Great—his conquests, leadership style, and why he earned the title “Great” in the first place. As they gather key facts, they can head over to Snorkl to record a video capturing what they learned. The scaffolded prompt helps them organize their thoughts and explain why those details matter (remember, they can pause/record at any time). Then comes the best part: students can watch each other’s videos, picking up new insights and perspectives they might have missed. It turns individual learning into a collaborative experience—and makes history way more engaging than a worksheet or traditional exit ticket ever could. Download the School AI Alexander The Great space by clicking here, and download the Alexander The Great Snorkl activity by clicking here!
Snorkl for Science
One of our favorite features to share is: “The Power of Pause!” Students watch YouTube videos and (most) think that they are recorded in one shot. But, once students learn the importance of pausing, the quality of their videos will dramatically increase. The ability to stop, recollect thought, and then continue is a powerful soft skill that needs to be taught. But, there’s no better way to do that then during a science experiment. Students can start off recording data, taking photos, or illustrating. Then, they can pause, conduct the next part of the experiment and record again. This will create a seamless video without the long gaps (just like those beloved YouTube videos).
Level Up Activities
We (and our students) love using Canva to create. But, if the content just sits in Canva, that’s no better than working in a closed notebook. Our students need to be able to share to a broader audience. This is where Snorkl comes in! Try having your students downloading their work in Canva as a PNG or JPEG, then uploading it into their Snorkl assignment. They can explain their thinking, and then learn from others, too. Here are some examples of how we have used both together:
In our “I Was There” activity, the students read a historical non-fiction piece (e.g., civil rights events, natural disasters, or space missions), and then they created a fake journal page, letter, or ID badge from that moment in history. We even included things like a headshot, and quotes. Then, the students downloaded their work and created a Snorkl response from a first-person perspective of someone involved. You can download our Canva templates by clicking right here, and download the Snorkl template by clicking right here!
Forget simple cause and effect! In our “Parallel Realities” activity looks into what could’ve been. Students start by designing a split-screen image in Canva, but here’s the twist: one side shows what actually happened (based on a text, event, or character decision), while the other side explores an alternate reality, or what would’ve happened if something had gone differently. Grab the Canva template by clicking right here, then drop it into your next Snorkl assignment. Just don’t forget to bring your imagination.
In this activity, called “Snapshot Stories,” students analyze a moment from nonfiction text in Snorkl. After reading and learning, students recreate a moment in the form of a still-frame scene. They can do this by using our Adobe Express template. You can download the template by clicking right here. Students then upload their image into Snorkl and explain their thinking behind the snapshot.
In our “Evidence Lockers” activity, students reflect on a central idea, claim, or perhaps even a mystery from a text. Then, using our Adobe Express template, they create a locker image filled with symbolic clues and artifacts from the text. For example, they can include photos / images, notes, or objects all relevant to what they read. This is then saved as an image, uploaded and then they can explain what each clue reveals on Snorkl. You can grab the template link right here!
This activity, titled “Chimp Chats & Forest Facts: A Jane Goodall Exploration",” students use School AI to chat with an AI version of Jane Goodall. In this part of the lesson, students learn about Jane’s life and work. The AI also challenges the students to think critically about how Jane's impact can still be felt today. After they have built the background knowledge, students head over to Snorkl to create an illustration or diagram that explains what they learned about Jane. Then, explain what they created in a video. You can download the School AI space by clicking right here and the Snorkl activity by clicking right here!
We’re huge Caitlyn Clark fans, and so are our students! So, we created “From the Logo: Big Shots, Bigger Thinking,” which uses a School AI space / chatbot to build background knowledge. The students explore her mindset, shooting range, and training goals. They also focus on understanding what it takes to confidently shoot “from the logo.” Students ask questions like: “How far is your average 3-point shot?” “How many points did you score in college?” or “What’s your deepest shot in a game?” (the questions should revolve around math). From here, we have the students break it down using real-world math. They solve or create problems around: Distance & angles (geometry), Shooting percentage & probability, Improvement over time (slope/rate), Volume of shots taken vs. made (ratios/percent), and more. For example: “Caitlin shoots from 30 feet at 40% accuracy. If she takes 10 logo shots per game, how many does she make in a 5-game series?” These questions get answered using Snorkl, but we love how students can explain their thinking. So often we see that students may have different ways of thinking, and the ability to explain their thoughts is incredibly powerful - especially when others can view and comment on it! You can download the School AI space by clicking here!
In our “What I thought I Knew…” activity, students ask School AI a question about a common misconception (e.g., “Is Pluto still a planet?” or “Did George Washington really have wooden teeth?”). Then, they create a poster that shares either the truth or false information about what they learned about. This image gets uploaded to Snorkl, where other students are able to comment on the work - discussing why they believe it to be true or false. We like to give students the time to chat (10-15 min), create (10-15 min), create a Snorkl video (5-10 min), collaborate (10-15 min), and then give the students to respond to comments on their own work (5-10 min). The original creator of the work always gets the final say. You can grab the Snorkl activity by clicking right here!
Students love all things Disney, so the inspiration for our next activity comes straight from them! Our “Design Your Own Disney Dream” has students using School AI to chat with an AI chatbot version of Walt Disney. After building some background knowledge, the students launch either Adobe Express or Canva to create an original Disney inspired concept that reflects Walt’s legacy of imagination and innovation. For example, this could be: a “Lost Park” concept poster for a Disney park that was never built, a ride blueprint or attraction pitch based on an under appreciated story, or a modernized logo for Disney’s mission today, using symbols that reflect innovation, courage, and storytelling. After they have created this, they download the image and then upload it to Snorkl. Here, the students can explain their thinking and walk viewers through why they created what they did. We also recommend leaving collaboration on, so that students can view each others work. As we mentioned in the previous activity, here’s our breakdown of time: We like to give students the time to chat on School AI (10-15 min), create on Canva/Adobe Express (10-15 min), create a Snorkl video (5-10 min), collaborate (10-15 min). You can grab the Snorkl activity by clicking right here and the Walt Disney School AI chatbot right here.
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For more tips, tricks and lesson ideas for making learning more interACTIVE, check out our books The InterACTIVE Class series on Amazon!
