Practical Teaching Advice, Ideas and Opinion

Archive for the ‘Tools for Teaching’ Category

Guest Post: Back to School – How to Motivate Your Class After the Summer Break

On October 11, 2012   /   All Posts, Classroom Ideas, Tools for Teaching   /   4 Comments
backtoschool

After a summer full of free time – most of which kids will have spent sleeping, lazing around and playing – it’s no wonder that many pupils find the return to school a difficult adjustment. The school routine of the previous year is a distant memory, and this can make coming back into a learning environment challenging. As teachers, this is an issue we all face, but it can be exceptionally hard to address. With increasing distractions from learning (predominately in the form of smartphones and handheld games consoles) on top of the usual excitement of seeing friends again and

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20 Great iPad Apps for Primary Literacy

On February 6, 2012   /   Classroom Ideas, Tools for Teaching   /   8 Comments
ipad

From initial charges that ‘it;s just an overgrown iPhone’ the iPad is now part of many teachers’ and schools’ essential kit. But it’s fair to say that while Apple has created a beautiful, robust and powerful piece of kit finding the best apps on the App Store can be a challenging experience. So I asked everyone on Twitter for some advice on what th best apps were out there, and @narthernlad came back with so many suggestions I’m going to split them over a couple of posts! Here are some suggestions for literacy apps to try with your students. If

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Using Google+ To Improve Your Teaching

On January 29, 2012   /   Professional Development, Tools for Teaching, Twitter   /   4 Comments
googleplus

So many people already turn to Twitter to find out new things and develop their skills as a teacher – but what about Google+ the new social network from the search giant? Helped by heavy cross promotion from Google’s other products Google+ is growing at a phenomenal rate, and it has a number of interesting features you can use to help you get fresh ideas on your teaching.

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Using Prezi in the Classroom

On November 18, 2011   /   Tools for Teaching   /   8 Comments
prezi

Everyone’s talking about Prezi – the new online presentation tool that’s set to rival Powerpoint. Perhaps few would mourn Powerpoint’s demise, but is Prezi really all that different, and what are the benefits of using it in the classroom? The first is that it’s really pretty. Prezi calls itself the ‘zooming presentation editor’ and when you see one in action you’ll see it’s a very slick process zooming into and out of different text and embedded media. This may sound like a small point, but then this is a presentation – and looks are important to maintain engagement. The zooming

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TEDucation – a fantastic new resource for teachers

On January 21, 2011   /   Tools for Teaching   /   2 Comments
TEDucation - an inspiring collection of educational talks and reflections

TEDucation is an inspiring and addictive new resource for teachers everywhere.

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