Promethean ActivInspire 1.4 update
Promethean have released an update to their ActivInspire software. This is version 1.4. It doesn’t seem to be available from the Promethean Website yet, but for now you can upgrade within ActivInspire by clicking on Help and then Check for Updates. Version 1.4 includes the following tweaks and updates: Page turn effects Multi-page select Pen modifiers (shapes, lines and curves) Self-paced export to Excel 5 new languages General...
More Etherpad clones
As we head towards the May 14th deadline when Etherpad will close, it’s worthwhile keeping tabs on other sites that are hosting the open-source Etherpad code. Two new ones to join the list are: Type with Me : http://typewith.me and TitanPad : http://titanpad.com/ These join other Etherpads such as Primary Pad and iEtherpad, amongst others. A full list of other Etherpad sites can be found here:...
Loads of Smart Notebook Files
A quick plug for the Wichita Instructional Technology department who have put together an awesome collection of Smart Notebook files. According to one twitterer (Kelly Reseigh) This site has been dubbed the “Smartboard Motherlode” by some schools.. and it’s hard to argue with that description. The site contains loads of Elementary / Primary (K-6) Smartbotebook files for Literacy, Maths, Science and Social Studies....
Petroc Training Course Materials
Just a quick post to link to some of the resources to support yesterday’s training workshops at North Devon College / Petroc. The Smartboard sessions went really well. My guides to using Smart Notebook can be found here. Official Smart helpsheets can be found on the Smart Website. A version of the “Getting the Most out of your Smartboard” smart notebook file can be downloaded via this blog post. Download Smart...
Animated Storybooks
Thaks to Anne Marie for making me aware of Frank Asch and his website. Frank Asch is an author whose work includes the Moonbear picture books . He has a great website which contains five animated story books complete with audio such as I Met a Penguin. He also has his own channel onYou Tube where you can also access his animated stories. Watch his animated books here : http://www.frankasch.com/animatedbooks.html...
E-Learning for Kids
E-Learning for Kids is a “global, nonprofit foundation dedicated to fun and free learning on the Internet for children ages 5 – 12.” They offer free online courseware in maths, science, PSHE (Life Skills), literacy and computing skills. There are plenty of online Flash-based resources here. Some would work well on an IWB (a full-screen option would be handy), but they would be good for independent study, with pupils...
Free teacher resources
A very popular website for printable teacher resources in recent years was Sparklebox. Recently, following the imprisonment of its creator many schools no longer feel that is appropriate to be using resources from the site. Here are three websites that are filling the gap left by Sparklebox – all of them provide free printable worksheets and display materials that teachers might find useful. Twinkl : This is a brand new online...
2Simple’s Purple Mash
Those very clever people over at 2Simple have revamped their online tools to produce a new resource called Purple Mash. Purple Mash is an exciting mash up of the creative Online Tools, curriculum focussed APPtivities and programs to support and inspire children throughout the curriculum! The good news is that there is “free-range mash” that is open to everyone, which means you can try it out and generally have a play with...
Great Plant Hunt Week 17 – 22 May
Get ready for Great Plant Hunt Week 17 – 22 May 2010! This is a great way of getting your students participating in real scientific research. Take part in this special thinking walk activity between the 17th and 22nd May, looking for 10 easy to spot plants and simply take a photo of the ones that you find in flower! With schools across the UK uploading these photos to a map on the website, you can look at how the flowering in this...
Icelandic Volcano Links
The big news over the last few days has been the massive smoke and dust cloud caused by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull. Big news stories like this provide a topical hook for many lessons – especially science and geography. Here are some links to resources that could be used when discussing the ash cloud and its effects with students: Here are some resources from DoHop.com, including an Interactive Map of...
Updating Smart Notebook and the Gallery
Quite often I find myself in schools with quite old versions of Smart Notebook. Or the technicians have only installed Smart Notebook and not installed the full Gallery or Lesson Activity Toolkit. This is a real shame as, especially with the Gallery and Lesson Toolkit, you are missing out on a lot of content that can make a difference to how you use the software. Sometimes there are valid reasons for not upgrading – lack of disk...
iPrimary ICT Guides and 180 Tech Tips
Here are two very useful websites to bookmark if you are looking for basic computer help on a variety of different topics. Chris Thomas has put together iPrimary : www.iprimary.co.uk which features video tutorials he has produced to support teachers who wish to develop their ICT skills, and extend the use of ICT within their classroom. The site covers tools such as Edmodo, ActivPrimary 3, Flashmeeting and Wordle. It’s a growing...