Superb Apple and Android apps designed to improve home/school communication to inform parents about what their children are doing in school. Teachers can input simple lesson topics, or detailed lesson information for parents. Teachers can also assign badges for individual pupils.
"This is a simple, elegant writing site for a collaborative writing. Users don't writing in real-time like so other sites, but exchange versions which clearly show the changes made. The other users can accept or decline the changes. It is useful for groups to draft their writing and for teachers correcting pupils work. Each version is archived in case the team changes their mind about the accepted changes."
"An interest twist on the online timeline creator. Create an interactive multimedia timeline to embed or share with a url by changing a Google Document template. Great for quickly creating timelines around a common format or asking pupils to adapt from a timeline you create."
"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:"
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.
Looking to keep a fitness resolution this year? Find motivation to get moving and keep fit with this superb location-based strategy game for runners and walkers. Gain virtual coins for being active which you can use to advance your settlement. Locations are not precisely show nor in real time, so you can use it with pupils without safely concerns. If using it for yourself, it can link to Strava to keep you motivated to lace up your running shoes without extra hassle. But don't you come around here and fight me for MY castles!
"While every school knows the importance of safeguarding in our digital world, it's also important that they know and understand the most effective strategies to help safeguard their pupils online, both in and out of the classroom.
The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), have recently launched a framework which aims to highlight, across all key stages, the skills and knowledge children should have in order to feel safe, and act responsibly, online so that they are able to enjoy the online world."
"Google has pioneered virtual reality for the masses and has now developed an app to allow users to capture their own VR photo scenes. Transport your pupils to anywhere!"
"Free, open source version of Minecraft. Enable 'Creative Mode' to let your pupils to build as their imagination and creativity allows. Download for Windows, Mac or Android devices. The game is supported by a community and a huge set of mods to modify the game for individual needs."
"With technological advances moving spectacularly fast, it is difficult for schools to keep updated with e-safety policy, procedures and advice for their staff and pupils. Ensuring that everyone is informed through following policy directives can be time-consuming, and producing the documents can be equally laborious."
"Make the news an essential foundation for learning
Created every week by our experienced education team, our award-winning tools for KS2 and KS3 enable you to develop pupils' essential reading skills through growing their understanding of the world outside the classroom."