Group items tagged

"A useful 3D chart creator from Microsoft. This Windows app allows you to create scatter plots, bar charts, line graphs and geospatial data maps."

"There is a wealth of video content available online that can help the teaching and learning process, but some of the main issues of using online content within the classroom include inappropriate advertising, inappropriate recommendations, and the dreaded school firewall or slow internet connection. Yet, gaining access to such video content can really help to explain certain concepts, with opportunities to include footage, clips or teaching points in the lesson."

"A great quiz site where teachers create questions and input the answers and then the players choose from 20+ games. Create class lists and view analytics of performance."

Think of a time when you were completely immersed in a learning challenge. A time when you became aware of the need to master a new skill or concept. A situation that took you outside of your comfort zone, when there were times that you became frustrated, when you thought of quitting, downed tools and walked away, but came back time and time again. Maybe it was a problem you had to solve. Maybe it was a challenge you wanted to overcome.

Blueback is a beautiful metaphor for life and particularly of the life we live in schools. When looked at close up, with an eye on the details, the experience of school is one of passing and recurring cycles. When looked at from a distance, with an eye on the whole, there are elements of constancy, the throughlines which bring meaning to our experience and which have as their consequence the residuals of education. 

A collection of coding platforms and tutorials from Microsoft, including Minecraft, micro:bit, and many more. Tutorials range from beginner levels to advanced and use both block coding and text coding.

"We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience." ― John Dewey These words by John Dewey point to a truth about learning that is often forgotten. Experience alone is not sufficient for true learning to occur; reflection is an essential part of the process and our failure to include time for this is why our learning often does not stick.

Two forces seem to present the most significant obstacle to educators hoping to achieve these illustrious goals for and with their learners. The first is time, the second is "the system". Together these two factors act as a bulwark to change; the constraints within which progress is able to occur but only to the point that it strikes against the seemingly immutable obstacles. 

"From now, Spotify users can follow and listen to UKEdPodcast episodes directly within the app, available on SmartPhones, desktops and Smart Devices."

"Prowise has made all the unique education possibilities that Prowise Presenter has to offer accessible to everyone, for free. This applies to non-paying, paying and new users. From now on, everyone has free access to all the functionalities the education software has to offer. This way the company, based in Birmingham, makes progress towards their ambition to make digital education accessible for everyone, globally."

8 Child-friendly coding projects with examples on Scratch

"An open source computer monitor system which allows you to see and control the your pupils' computers from one central teacher device."

Some statements stand out in your memory for the power with which they resonate through you mind. I recall the first time I encountered the question posed by Alan November "Who owns the learning?" on the cover of his book of the same name. In four words, Alan poses a question that strikes at the heart of education and encourages us to re-think our approach. If we believe that the learner should own the learning, what are the implications of this for our teaching? Like a stone dropped on the surface of a calm pond, the ripples from a powerful idea spread, expand and gain strength. 

In the contemporary classroom, there is much greater consideration of what the learner does in partnership with their teacher so that they develop the capacity to learn. Classroom routines and structures are designed to engage the learner in a rich process of dialogical learning. 

"dTech tools themselves are simple to use, the real challenge is knowing where to start. I don't know about you, but I get completely overwhelmed by the number of EdTech tools out there. I'm bombarded constantly by emails and tweets telling me I *have* to sign up to the latest app or website. I'm no technophobe and I know it can save me time, or help me create more engaging lessons, but where do I even begin?"

An online resource which puts players in the heart of the newsroom to explore sources and make journalistic decisions and attempt to discover what is real and what is fake news.

"An interesting iOS and Android app where users can create virtual messages in a particular geo-location for others to find, and then share with others. Perfect for virtual treasure hunts and much more."

"Simple online timer where the user can add sequentially labelled timers which could be used to signal transition from one activity to another, or better yet, making sure you leave your staff meeting on time!"

With the Christmas Holiday's finally here this is the perfect opportunity to catch up on some of that reading which has been delayed while more pressing matters are dealt with. Here are the top items on my holiday reading list. With a project underway that explores a conceptual based approach to teaching mathematics there is a bias in that direction.