BETT, the ‘world’s largest educational technology event’ took place last week and I was very lucky to be able to spend a few days there. Here are some of the things that I discovered:

• Anithings – A ‘creativity tool’ which lets children create animations by simply dragging objects around on screen. It costs £250 for a site licence, but there is a 10% discount during January.

• Interactive Resources – This company makes the (extremely useful) Maths Packs, Teaching materials and Primary Games which can be used on interactive whiteboard and / or individual computers. During BETT, I was given a quick tour of the new online version of their site, allowing teachers (and pupils) to access the resources online at home and school. Teachers can also filter all of the resources by subject / topic and allocate activities to students who can try them when they next log in.
• Story Stage – I watched a demo of this software from Scholastic and was really impressed at the ability to connect multiple mice to the same computer, allowing children to work collaboratively. Why doesn’t all software allow multiple users like Story Stage?

• Smart – It was nice to hear about the release of Smart Notebook 10.6 (available now) which brings compatibility with Windows 7 and Snow Leopard on the Mac. It also has a ‘transparent’ tool which makes the Smart Notebook interface disappear, as well as a number of new Maths tools.
• 2Simple – I managed to get a final copy of 2Create a SuperStory, as well as trials of 2Assess ICT and the Online Tools. I’m really impressed with the potential of the online tools, allowing children to use creative software at home and school and save their work to an online storage area. Anthony Evans showed me 2Design&Make (built into the online tools) to make some fantastic 3D models.

• Linkbun.ch – Allows you to share lots of links with one small link which can then be shared via email / Twitter etc. Thanks to @ianyorston for sharing this gem.
• Stupflix – This looks a little like Animoto (as both allow you to combine audio / photos / video) but Stupeflix seems to have more customisation options. Shared by @digitalmaverick.

• Dabbleboard – An online collaborative whiteboard. I’ve used Dabbleboard at home once or twice, but never in the classroom. @bevevans22 talked about this during a Teachmeet Takeover session and I can definitely see it being a valuable addition to a lesson.
• Scratch – Scratch is a programming language which I’ve always thought was a bit complicated. However, @mberry gave us all an entertaining 7 minute demonstration of the program and made it all look incredibly easy. Downloading and trying Scratch is now high up on my ‘to do’ list.

• Newseum - @digitalmaverick mentioned this during his Teachmeet Takeover session about Glogster. The Front pages section lets you view the front pages of a huge collection of newspapers from around the world.
• Class blogging - Oliver Quinlan gave a really inspiring presentation about his class blogs and how time is given for the children to respond to each others’ blog posts. We regularly post items on our school website / blog but children rarely have time to add their own thoughts… something that is sure to change now!

Did you go to BETT? What did you discover?

The BBC recently reported an increase in children’s book sales, which they say is partly due to the success of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series. Sales of picture books have also increased.

The top selling books were:

• Top 5 – all Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series – various editions
• 6 – Beano Annual 2010
• 7 – Miles to go by Mylie Cyrus
• 8 – Mr Gum in the Hound of Lamonic Bibber /Sephir the Storm Monster by Andy Stanton and Adam Blade
• 9 – Peppa Pig official annual
• 10 – New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
• 11 – Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K Rowling

Image - Reading in the round

The best selling books for younger children were:

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• The Tyrannosaurus Drip Song by Julia Donaldson
• Stick Man by Julia Donaldson
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sandak
• The Gurffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson

My Year 3 class are currently enjoying the books in the Beaver Towers series by Nigel Hinton. I’ve also been gripped by the books in the Percy Jackson series, which I’m trying to read before the film is released soon!

Which books are popular with your children? What are your own favourite books?

The site ‘What a Hullabaloo‘ is running a poetry competition for children under 11. To enter, pupils should finish a poem that has been started by the author Phillip Whittington.

To find out more about the competition, which closes on 8th January 2010, visit the site at www.whatahullabaloo.com.

Phillip has also contributed a set of plans and poems to Teaching Ideas which you can download here.

Chris Roland had created a set of Powerpoint stories featuring the characters Reg and Lellow. The stories have been designed to help young children learn English and can be used in class with pre-school, infant and primary levels.

www.regandlellow.com

As they have been written by an English teacher, they also have a number of pedagogical features to aid language acquisition, make in class storytelling as easy as possible for the teacher and story content easily integrated into schools’ English curriculum. There are also teachers’ notes and extra materials to explore.

First News create a weekly newspaper for children with articles in an easy and digestible format for younger readers. You can buy newspapers in the shops, or subscribe and have it delivered. Special subscription rates are also available for schools.

www.firstnews.co.uk

The First News website also has a lot of useful content for schools to use. A selection of news articles are available, along with competitions and games to play.

Here’s another selection of links and ideas that I’ve discovered from my Twitter network over recent weeks:

• Mapzone (via @simonhaughton) – Learn how to read maps with this interactive site from Ordnance Survey.
  
• Interactives Spelling Bee (via @keisawilliams) – Just like an old-fashioned spelling bee, but played on your computer, with different grade levels to choose from.
• e-learning for Kids (via @shaunwoodnz) – Lots of free e-learning courses, covering a wide range of topics.
• DirectgovKids (via @wigglemyears) – A bright and colourful to help children to learn about the world around them. Also has sections for parents and teachers.
  
• ABC Reading Eggs (via @kelrob6) - a site for children aged 4-7 which aims to help them learn to read while having fun.
• Did you Know 4.0 – An update to the popular video presentation which includes facts and statistics about the world around us.
  

Thanks to those who shared these wonderful links! Lots of people think that Twitter is about listening to random strangers posting messages about where they are, what they are doing, and what they are having for dinner tonight.

But it’s much more than that. I find Twitter to be a great way for people with common interests to share links and discover new ideas. If you’re signed up, follow me at @markw29 and @teachingideas.

This month, the Children’s Society is running its annual National Bedtime Reading Month, which started yesterday.

They have teamed up with a host of stars from TV, pop, stage and celebrity gossip who have recorded a bedtime story for the nation. ITV’s This Morning presenter, Eamonn Holmes, Jade Goody’s former partner Jeff Brazier, the star of West End musical Hairspray, Brian Conley, and pop superstar Damon Albarn of Blur can all be seen reading Roald Dahl’s classic story, Fantastic Mr Fox, on their new YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/childrenssociety.

Here’s a preview of one of the videos:

The Bedtime Reading campaign is designed to encourage parents, especially fathers, to read to their children and coincides with the launch of 20th Century Fox’s latest animated movie, Fantastic Mr Fox.

There is an online resource with some hints and tips at www.childrenssociety.org.uk/reading.

Roy the Zebra is a wonderful site, containing interactive games, stories and resources that have been developed to help emerging readers learn to read. The site can be used at school or at home.

www.roythezebra.com

There are worksheets, lesson plans and interactive activities to help children with their understanding of capital letters, full stops, words that rhyme, high frequency words, alphabetical order, question marks… and much more!

A fantastic resource for teachers of younger pupils, or older pupils who need extra support with reading and Literacy work.

The countdown to Sport Relief 2010 kicks off this month with the launch of exciting, free education resources for primary, secondary and early years groups. The resources, spanning the English, physical education and citizenship curriculums, bring alive the stories of young people in the UK and overseas. Sport Relief’s School Kits are available to order for free at www.sportrelief.com/schools. The kits provide teachers with all the tools they need to get set to ‘Rise to the Challenge’ and inspire their students to get active to help some of the world’s poorest people, both at home in the UK and overseas.

Sport Relief’s free to order resources range from lesson and assembly plans to photos, videos and real stories about children and young people supported by Sport Relief funded projects.

Sportacus, from BBC’s LazyTown is back to excite and inspire early years groups with a host of learning ideas. Early years kits will also include a full colour story book, helping children to understand the differences between their lives and those of other children around the world.

For primary and secondary schools, Sport Relief offers English, PE and citizenship lesson ideas and resources for key stages one to four, including lesson plans and activities that will get students thinking like journalists, with a dedicated area on www.sportrelief.com/schools for them to upload their reports on the issues affecting them in their communities, for all to see.

Get Your Socks on for Sport Relief with the Sport Relief Sock Deposit Scheme for schools. An easy way for schools to fundraise, simply pay a deposit for an order of Sport Relief stripy socks from the website and sell the socks in your school. For every pair of Sport Relief socks ordered through the Sock Deposit Scheme, Sainsbury’s is kindly giving one Active Kids voucher to the school. The Sport Relief sock will also be available to buy in UK Sainsbury’s stores for £2.

The Sport Relief fundraising campaign kicks off in January, when schools will be able to find a wealth of ideas to inspire kids of all ages to rise to the challenge and raise money for Sport Relief.

Important date for your diary – 19^th March 2010: Sport Relief Friday across schools in the UK kicks off the Sport Relief weekend of fundraising fun!

Dean Wilkinson, who works as a Teaching Assistant in secondary schools and S.E.N. Units throughout Teesside, has started writing a new series of books aimed at secondary pupils.

“21st Century Fairy Folktales is series of comedy and educational re-workings of traditional stories that can be enjoyed at home or in a school environment as each story has it’s own set of FREE lesson plans and lesson fillers for teachers online.”

Find out more, and download the free resources at Wilkinson Press.