The use of technology affords opportunities for prospective teachers to engage in actions that are proximal to the work of teaching. The authors designed a task in which prospective teachers (n = 95) at four institutions created an animation or depiction of a classroom scenario using one of two technology platforms: GoAnimate or Lesson"Sketch." They used a convergent mixed-methods design in which qualitative findings were quantitised and then examined statistically to determine what technological aspects prospective teachers used to create their approximations of practice, as well as how they perceived platform use. Findings indicate that the perception of being fun, having a learning curve and being difficult to use statistically affected evaluation. Two technological aspects also had a significant effect on perception: mathematical representation and altered visual field. Findings imply that prospective teachers' experiences with technology use, coupled with how they use the tools, impact their appraisal of the platform.