A bit late this week due to it being Easter Holidays.
Each week my Flipboard app, Twitter responses, my kids, my Kindle Fire and my Google reader deliver a collection of new web tools, apps, books, crazy experiences and must read articles.
Here is this weeks Stuff I have seen:
Each week my Flipboard app, Twitter responses and Google reader deliver a collection of new web tools, apps, books and must read articles.
Here is this weeks Stuff I have seen:
I love Puppet Pals and have enjoyed using it to bring play scripts alive this year. By chance the boys and I discovered Bible Buddies, which is made by the same people who brought us Puppet Pals. Bible Buddies is basically Puppet Pals but with Biblical Characters, though it should be said most of these are in-app purchases. Here is Leo and Charlie’s versions of Jonah and the Whale made with the app.
If you have seen digital music in action on Garageband on iPad but you don’t have iPads, then Jam with Chrome maybe a viable alternative. You have a broad range of instruments, collaboration with others, autoplay and funky effects all via Chrome. Another reason to ensure your school machines has Chrome installed as well as Internet Explorer.
Last Saturday, I helped a friend out by resurrecting my old DJ skills and DJ equipment. Though things have moved on since my hey day behind the decks. You can see in the picture what my set up used to look like, last week the CD players were replaced by 2 iPads, Spotify playlists and a laptop running Youtube. I had a projector to show video clips, but when these were not running we used Whitecap. I had not seen this Windows download before and I was really pleased with how well it worked. Essentially Whitecap produces visuals in response to music it detects via your computer microphone. Think the fractals you get from Windows Media Player visualizations, but with more control by you.
I love Hackasaurus and the more I use it with classes the more risks they and I take with it. If you have not seen it before then take a look at Ian’s video which gives you an idea of how to use it. Hackasaurus works as both an insight into html and an uber writing frame, which is how I have been using it, presenting children with a BBC News web page and asking them to change the news to fit in with a local or topic based story.
Anyway here is one of Ian’s under ten minutes videos which make tools like this more accessible.
Makeuseof.com have created another one of their fantastic free help guide/manual thingys. This time they have created a guide about the Raspberry Pi. Aside from this guide you can find a range of other helpful guide on their site including Google Analytics, Gmail and Evernote.
Each week my Flipboard app, Twitter responses and Google reader deliver a collection of new web tools, apps, books and must read articles.
Here is this weeks Stuff I have seen:
I don’t tend to buy books in their physical form any more Since getting my Kindle I have switched to downloading and space-saving. But, occasionally something comes along that is so interesting and fresh, but so not available on Kindle that you need to buy the actual book.
I haven’t read the book cove to cover, instead I skimmed through the collection of what I think are very new ideas for teaching music in a digital context. I consider myself to be pretty knowledgeable about free tools and great edu apps, but apart from YouTube and Garage Band
the apps and tools in this book are all new to me.
It feels like this book is aimed at secondary music teachers, but for me a non specialist primary dabbler it still worked. James’s ideas are fleshed out in just enough readable detail so that you could repeat or refashion them into your lesson . An essential text for teachers who want their music to be all a bit digital.
I love music apps that actually sound like current music rather than a 90s advert soundtrack. Charlie and I downloaded Launchpad last week and we have both found it very difficult to put this rather addictive app down. This was Charlie playing with the app for the first time last week, sounding a bit Paul Van Dyk.
This along withFigure and Garage Band would be another great app to use in Year 4 to cover the Switched On ICT unit – We Are Musicians.
Now here is the official app Youtube Clip, though I think Charlie is more engaging to watch:
The makers of Daisy the Dinosaur,one of the few programming apps for primary children, are working on a new app. I took a look at a preview this week and I like what I see. More to come on this… but here are a couple of screenshots
A fantastic utility for working with sound on your iPad – record 30 seconds of audio, publish it and get a url to use on your site or blog. Imagine the possibilities for using this in school. You could have a wall of pictures of hopes for the future for example – each one a picture drawn by pupils, each picture could be hyper linked to the sound files hosted on croak.it. I am sure there are more ideas and lots of SEN uses too. It is free too!
I read this on my Kindle yesterday while the boys were at swimming. Read it with an open mind and reflect on your organisation/school – could you learn a thing or two from Google, Valve or the Government Digital Service.
Surely everyone has seen this video now, but I just think it has huge potential as a writing stimulus. I am also still pinching myself that we are going to see this kind of technology on our lifetime.
I have just gone past my 50th blog post and my thanks to all of you that have read, commented or retweeted this site in some way. ICT excites me as I see at first hand the way that it can transform lessons, engage learners and give voice and expression to those that may struggle with a stick of graphite and a bit of lined paper.
I really would like to flag and review new and interesting Apps or websites that are designed for primary age children. But they have to be something a bit special. So if you would like me to review, try out and possibly even make a short video of your app or site then use the contact me button or the comments section below. Ideally I need;
If your product is innovative, exciting and not just “another app” then I’ll post a review here and tweet it out.
BTW – not looking for financial gain here – just trying to track down new and exciting applications for ICT.
Image Credit: Multiplying Rabbit by Holyoh7
My fellow blogger, Simon of Haughton runs an ask Simon website as he knows lots of stuff about ICT. As I get older I actually know less and therefore I’d like to subvert his trend and ask you my readers some questions instead.
There are times when a tweet or a google search just are not enough and you need more space to get your question out. Ok so here goes hoping there will be some answers in the comments section, otherwise I’ll be feeling a bit lonely Billy no mates.
I really do have quite a lot of questions in my head at the moment – so this will be the first of about 4 posts.
I am not talking about an app that you may have heard about or seen on a website, but an app you have actually used with your class and found successful.
Also aside from an IPad app how else have you successfully taught Multiplication facts using ICT?
Thanks to Lisa Stephens,Sheli Blackburn and Mary Farmer who posted their tweets in response to my question earlier this evening:
@skinnyboyevans – Squeebles Multiplication worked well with youngest as liked rescuing Squeebles. Not used with a class though. 69p
— lisibo (@lisibo) September 4, 2012
@skinnyboyevans primary games apps: multiple wipeout and ghostblasters are fab for x tables Ant and Sherston have a sing your tables app
— Sheli Blackburn (@SheliBB) September 4, 2012
@skinnyboyevans best I’ve come across is rocket maths. Also good is maths bingo. They seemed to be the most popular with my class last yr
— Mary Farmer ADE (@ebd35) September 4, 2012
Back when I was consulting, I wrote a blog and sometimes did some good stuff in schools. One of my good friends Mary Farmer, an Apple ADE and ICT Diva reminded me the other night of some Google Sketchup planning I wrote back then. I have included what I can salvage from that time and reposted it here. Though I have to say I would have been nowhere with this amazing application if it hadn’t been for Simon Haughton, who will always be my ICT pin up. I must also mention my esteemed colleague Nicholas Hughes, who is a great finisher and inspiring teacher.
So, Mary here is the planning you asked for, will you stop nagging me on twitter now?
I made a selection of very whispery videos to accompany the plans like the one below
