Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

This is a must try site which provides an amazing 3D world which teaches English and maths core skills. Players race against two other randomly chosen online players of a similar level. The questions start out very easy and adapt to the performance of the player. The questions are read out and some are displayed on the screen. The player just clicks on the correct multiple choice answer to increase their speed. There is a download for PCs and Macs as well as apps for iPad and Android. There are teacher accounts which allow you to make logins for lots of children quickly. When there log in students will be asked to design an avatar. Because the resource requires a sizeable download it takes a little time to set up, but because it runs on your local device game play is very smooth and quick. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

Texas is going to cut down testing. This is a wise move for many reasons. Some states are cutting out teachers and the same time increasing spending on test taking. Such decisions harm learning no matter what test you take. ""Testing companies are in the business of making a profit, but let's not confuse their mission - their mission is to create as many tests as they can and then grade them at as little cost as possible," the chairman of the Senate Education Committee, Dan Patrick, Republican of Houston, said Tuesday at a hearing on a comprehensive education bill that would reduce the number of high-stakes tests students must pass to graduate."

This might be a good time to talk about poverty as superstars are living on just a little. I don't know how they count this because the heating and air on their homes would exceed $1.50 a day. $1.50 a day is the global figure that defines extreme poverty. "Ben Affleck, Josh Groban, Sophia Bush and Debi Mazar are among the celebs who have committed to take the 2013 Live Below the Line challenge issue by The Global Poverty Project. They will live on $1.50 of food and drink a day (no Starbucks for him!) April 29-May 3 to raise awareness about extreme poverty."

I saw this on Fran Drescher's Twitter account from the Cincinnati Business courier and am quite floored by it. Am I the only one who doesn't know this? How about all of the little kids I see where parents are handing them their ipad and smart phones for play purposes. I jusst need to know more but it is based on a study presented at the Pediatric Academic societies meeting in DC. Of course, they recommend hand washing. But pregnant women should be careful - a 10x increase in maternal PBDE's is associated with a 4 point IQ deficit. Of course, we also have the age old question here of causation or correlation.  I do think we need to know more and also if the equipment we're purchasing to use with young children has PBDEs in them.  If you know more, please leave comments. It does say that some manufacturers are voluntarily phasing these out. "Small children should not touch electronic items such as TVs, mobile phones, computers and other products, according to University of Cincinnati researchers. Chemicals found in such items and in many other products, including older carpets and furniture, can cause behavioral and cognition problems, they have found."

I don't often talk about it, but I own a little house in Sydney bay. It's not much, but I'm proud of it. The problem is that it is only virtual and made out of Lego. This wonderful site allows you to design houses, or anything else, with virtual Lego on a virtual plot in Australia or New Zealand. It's like a simplified version of SketchUp, great for younger children. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

"The start of a new term and in walks little Johnny! It's his first day in a SEN school. He doesn't bite his nails though but he fidgets, fiddles and drifts off into early morning daydreams. Our quest as teacher and TA then begins. How do we reel him in? How do we get him to be here… with us?"

Play this fun Christmas stacking game. Each present you stack moves a little faster. How high can you stack them?

"We can all get a little puzzled with time. Sometimes we have no idea where it goes, whereas there are other times when it goes by so fast. Yet one this is for sure…it is going at the same pace, no matter what, and the relationship between time and the cosmos is complex. Understanding the relationship, Cosmic Watch is a unique iPad app that provides an advanced, 3D astronomical time device for the digital age."

"A wonderful little tool for creating custom badges to download and use in your classroom. Change the icon, border, shape and colours."

We teachers like to shake things up a bit and how better to begin than by adding a little randomness into your lessons. This is a great site that creates custom cubes which you can use as dice in class. They are easy to create and great for children make for a range of subjects and activities. Give it a roll. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Cross+Curricular

Work more effectively with this clever little timer site that fits in breaks in to your working time. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

A fun strategy game where players must cut ropes to feed the little creature. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Educational+Games

Play this fun stacking game. Each Christmas present you stack moves a little faster. How high can you stack them?

Fascinating look at how your life style, living conditions, and luxuries affects how much or how little you support the slave trade around the world. Items of clothing and geared towards children seem to have a deep connection with slave labor in developing nations. Great simulation for college students, or high school students that can deal with being asked a "trick" question about prostitution at the end.

This is a superb resource for making 3D storyboards and animations. The programme is a little complicated and is designed to be used by older children. It feels similar to Google SketchUp and it will have your class enthralled for hours with creative writing and animating fun. A large download, but worth it. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Video%2C+animation%2C+film+%26+Webcams

I was rereading this old post for some writing I'm doing about filtering and it struck me that although this post was written in 2008 it reads like it was written this morning. I think there are some very valid arguments to share as you discuss content filtering in your school. When asked about how to help kids with allergies, researchers have made the bold statement , "Let them eat dirt! " As I read these articles, I was struck with the parallel to the content filtration debate that rages in education today.

One of a host of Etherpad inspired collaborative notepads, but with a few little extra features, like being able to make a link to a read only page. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/ICT+%26+Web+Tools

A fun little art site where your every line grows into interesting shapes. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/Art%2C+Craft+%26+Design

Did you know that on Wikispaces that you can comment and annotate individual items on the page? It was rolled out earlier this year and is a great feature, especially for writing teachers. If you want to know how to use this little known feature, here is where you go.

Talks from the Learning Without Frontiers conference in London. At the time of posting there are only links from the 2011 conference but with a little luck there will be links from the 2012 very soon.