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We all get overloaded from time to time, especially toward the end of a term when your todo list turns from being measured by points to metres. We all have our own capacity to deal with the issues at hand, and the ideas behind Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) attempt to maximise our bandwidth while streamlining the signals. The origins of the theory go back to the 1980s when a plethora of digital innovations changed how presentations were done in the business world. This trickled down in the following decades into how teachers presented ideas, moving away from blackboard and Over-Head Projectors to digitalised PowerPoint presentations. As with any new innovation, form overcame function, and for a period in the early noughties, I swear it must have been the law to cram as many animations and sound effects into every PowerPoint, and reading every word from the screen aloud was mandatory.

Create HTML5 animations, games, tools and more with this superb coding platform, which has a complete learning course to get you and your pupils going. You can also play creations from the community.

"The team at Night Zookeeper is delighted to be giving primary school children across the UK a unique opportunity to use a new (and free!) website to create characters for a soon-to-launch animated TV series in a world first."

"A great YouTube channel which aims to make information beautiful through superb graphics and narration. The videos are mostly about science."

"This is a superb site and download where you can make 3D animated cartoons by selecting your props, characters and locations and then use blocks to programme how things move and interact in a similar way to MIT's Scratch. You can upload your creations to the website to share. There are a set of challenges to try and you can even remix animations designed by other users."

"A mesmerising animated map is weather and other data layers, including winds, wave direction and and height, clouds, CO2 concentration and much more."

"Although many schools ban smartphones, the reality is that many pupils have them hidden away, or are an integral part of their lives once they leave the premises. The 'Selfy' phenomenon is clearly here to stay, but this video (created by London-based design and animation studio weareseventeen) illustrates how we can easily be distracted with our devices, missing out on the world around us - which could be useful for a discussion / assembly activity within schools when talking about online use or safety:"

"Hosted by @digicoled, this episode we are honoured to interview one of the founding fathers of Pixar Animation, Loren Carpenter, who charts his time as a computer scientist at Boeing, and then with Lucas Films. Listen via Soundcloud below, via the Apple Podcasts icon, or subscribe to 'UKEdChat' via your favourite podcast smartphone app."

"An interesting food chain/web simulator to help your pupils understand the interdependence within an ecosystem."

"Animation of a father's and son's struggle to find joy despite pressures to conform from work and school. A poignant reminder that schools can crush the spirits of pupils, as well as rise them."

"Second-grade students who read aloud to dogs in an after-school program demonstrated improved attitudes about reading, according to researchers at Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction at Tufts University. Their research appears online in advance of print in the Early Childhood Education Journal. Reading skills are often associated with improved academic performance and positive attitudes about school in children. Researchers wanted to learn if animal-assisted intervention in the form of reading aloud to dogs in a classroom setting could contribute to improved skills and attitudes."

"A superb GIF maker from Google which captures short animations using your camera on your Android or iOS device."

"A brief animated history of Spain over the past 2000 years, including multiple invasions, exploration and cultural upheaval."

"Educators normally plan their lessons out in advance, and teach subjects and related topics on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Is it almost time for your topic for the week? If you have a normal approach that you're growing tired of, need more engagement from students, or want to improve your teaching style for the new year, using video is an exciting way to get information across."

Create videos of drawings & animations with narration on iOS devices. Record audio as pupils move elements of the picture on the screen and then share the videos.

A great HTML5 animation suite with a professional feel. The platform uses a similar interface to Adobe Animator. Learn how to animate with tweening. The free starter version should be all schools and educators need.

As much as possible my wife and I try  and engage our children in as many different activities as we can; whether it be rock pooling on South Wales beaches in the rain, feeding the animals at a local farm or watching the fantastic Balloon display at Bristol Balloon Fiesta...

A nice iOS/Android/Windows app for creating stop-motion animation. The basics are free allowing you to record and add sound to your animation and to export it in many formats and places. In-app purchases available to allow you to do more if required.