Edtechroundup is a weekly online meeting between teachers and educators. It is open to all and the conversations take place via Flashmeeting. The discussions are about education and teaching with a particular focus on the use of ICT.

www.edtechroundup.com

You can find the links to future meetings on the Edtechroundup wiki. You can also watch / listen to the previous conversations there if you have missed any. There is also a Twitter page which allows you to keep up to date with the latest meetings and events. Why not take a look and get involved in the meetings yourself?

Following my previous post about iPhone and iPod apps for schools, I thought that it might be useful to write a second post, which also includes links to relevant iPad apps, now that the device has been released. Here are links to some useful apps, sites and resources:

App Suggestions:

• iPhone, apps and the headteacher – The New Head shares a number of useful apps which he uses on a daily basis. A very useful post.
• iPhone apps spreadsheet – A collaborative Google spreadsheet with suggested apps for a huge range of curriculum areas.
• Top iPhone apps for teachers and students – Six apps which are recommended by an advisor for teaching and learning with ICT.
• Learning Continuity – A large list of useful iPad applications for use in educational contexts.
• Ten iPad apps for librarians – This post shares ten different iPad applications that might be useful for librarians, although many of them might be useful for schools and other educators too.
• More iPad apps – Principal Eric Sheninger shares some of his favourite iPad apps in . Don’t miss his original post either.
• 10 iPad apps for Educators – Here’s a video which shows how the iPad might be used by teachers:

• iPads in Science – An amazing list of apps and ideas for using iPads in your Science lessons.
• Punflay – This company makes a large number of iPod / iPad games and educational applications, including a virtual Frog Dissection, physics puzzles and Maths games.
• EducationApps – Another company making educational software, targetted to the UK market.
• Apps for children 0-7 years – A selection of applications for use with younger children.
• Top iPhone / iPod apps for kids – A large number of applications for children to use in the classroom.
• 100 hard to find apps for schools – This list is an extremely useful collection of apps organised by category.
• Animation Creator HD – Lets you make stop-motion animations on the iPad screen. Children in my own class loved using the Pivot Stick Animator software this week, so I’m going to buy this one and see how it compares!
• Singing Fingers – How could you use this fun tool in your classroom?

Other Links:

• The iPad and iPod user group wiki – A useful site with a number of tips for using iPods in the classroom.
• 3 year old using an iPad – If you’re not convinced that young children can use these devices effectively, watch this video of a 3 year old using the 123 Color HD application.
• Introducing the iPad – Matt Lovegrove outlines his initial experiences of using his iPad with his class. Follow his blog for future updates.
• iPad in Education – Oliver Quinlan shares his experiences of an iPad in Education event which he attended.
• This post on the Seomra Ranga blog outlines how one school has arranged their use of iPod Touches in the classroom. It contains some useful advice about extra equipment that might help.

Apps that I’ve used at school:

• Evernote – I use Evernote all the time on my iPhone, iPad and computers. It’s a note taking tool which I use for taking minutes in staff meetings, jotting down ideas, drafting lesson plans and much more. By entering notes on one device, it is automatically synced to every other device (and to the online service too).

Image – Evernote, iPad App Store

• FileBrowser – With this app, I can access files our our school’s network. It’s a great way of quickly browsing the network and looking at important documents when I’m not near my school computer.
• iResponse Pro – I discovered this app whilst attending some training by Chris Thomas. It’s a fantastic assessment tool that works just like a voting system. Teachers set up their questions and the children can use their iPods / iPads to respond to them.
• Videos – We’ve used the built-in Videos app to watch instructional videos in Literacy lessons and to watch movie trailers when learning about dialogue and speech recently.
• Maps – Another built-in application with huge potential for classroom use… it could be used to look at street and satellite maps of an area you are studying. Street View could also be used to get the children to go on a virtual tour of particular places. I’ve started adding ‘Places and Maps’ to the Teaching Themes site, so why not explore some of these places with your iPods and iPads?
• Plants vs Zombies – This isn’t educational at all, but I showed it to my class once when I first got my iPad and they’ve been begging to play it together again ever since!

Many thanks to my Twitter network who have shared many of these over the past few months. I’m keen to explore this topic in future posts, so please get in touch with suggested apps / links or leave a comment. Thanks!

Naace, ‘the professional association for those concerned with advancing education through the appropriate use of ICT’, has produced a statement entitled ‘A Vision for ICT in Education’. This statement was produced with a number of other delegates and was addressed to Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Education.

www.naace.co.uk

It explain’s Naace’s view that ICT is important as a tool for learning. You can read the full statement below:

How do you feel about this message?

Here are links to some useful video sites which can help you and your colleagues to learn new ICT skills. Many of the videos also suggest possible ways of using different tools in your classrooms:

Teacher Training Videos – Russell Stannard has created a large collection of videos to help teachers to learn how to use a wide range of software and online resources.

www.teachertrainingvideos.com

Learn it in 5 – This site contains a library of how-to videos, produced by technology teachers, for the purpose of helping teachers and students create classroom strategies for today’s 21st century’s digital classroom. Thanks to Mandy Barrow for sharing this via Twitter.

http://learnitin5.com

ICT Video Help – This site, created by Phil Bagge, offers a wonderful set of videos which cover lots of different software.

www.ictvideohelp.co.uk

Why not share these sites with your colleagues in your next staff meeting?

Here’s a round-up of this week’s education-related news stories:

• Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, prepared a written ministerial statement on education spending. In his budget statement, George Osbourne, warned that education spending in England could be cut by as much as 25% over the next four years.
• The chair of Ofsted has resigned, fuelling speculation that ministers plan significant changes at the organisation.
• An announcement is expected next week about the future of the Building Schools for the Future scheme.
• The number of primary aged children is expected to rise by 13.5% by 2018, putting pressure on schools and education budgets. The proportion of 16 to 18 year olds at school, college or in training reached its highest ever level last year.

Image – Salt and Vinegar

• Parents want more advice about how to prepare healthier lunch boxes, rather than having schools tell them what they can and cannot put in them.
• A coalition of senior doctors and nurses have written to Michael Gove, expressing ‘deep concern’ at his decision to axe plans for free school meals for half a million primary school children from low income families.
• A leading headteacher says that more effort should be boosting results among the most able pupils, rather than concentrating on the drive to raise standards to a minimum threshold.
• The National Governors Association is telling its members to be cautious about becoming an academy. The government has also released a list of schools that have asked about becoming an academy.
• A study has shown that the free schools model in Sweden has not significantly improved pupils’ academic achievement.
• Students and staff at 100 UK colleges and universities are protesting against funding cuts in further, higher and adult education.
• An experienced headteacher has been suspended after allegedly making comments about a pupil.
• A report from the Telegraph finds out about schools who are taking part in a range of ‘eco’ activities, including recycling, reducing waste and growing vegetables.

Image – Stack of Books

• Sir Tom Stoppard believes that books are being left behind as an increasing amount of young people’s time is spent focusing on ‘the moving image’.
• It was also claimed that access to PCs and high-speed broadband can lead to a decline in test scores among young people.
• Atmosphir has left their ‘beta’ stage and offers free games based learning opportunities for schools. Thanks to Kevin McLaughlin for spotting this and sharing it on Twitter. Find out more about Atmosphir in the video below:

Steve Kirkpatrick has blogged about his concerns following the closure of Becta and the dropping of the proposed new primary curriculum.

He states on his site ‘The problem is that the the ICT curriculum needs to be developed from the ground up and not from the top down, the opportunity is that there is a new curriculum coming at some point down the line.

So here is the challenge:

Can we as educators develop a skill based ICT curriculum that is relevant and low cost that will deliver for future learners?   I am sure that this is something that we can do working together that can demonstrate how and why these skills are important.’

In order to do this, Steve has set up a collaborative Google spreadsheet which allows you to add your own suggestions for ICT skills and the tools that can be used to teach them. Why not get involved and add some of your own ideas?

Naace, the professional association for those interested in advancing education through ICT, offers free on-line continuing professional development opportunities via their ICTCPD4Free site.

Undertaking a course allows registered users to gain certificates of completion provided they undertake the number of online hours allocated to each course. Each course also gives participants a number of credit hours towards the Naace Online ICT Diploma.

The PDF embedded below offers more information:

Visit the ICTCPD4Free site to find out more and to get involved yourself.

ICT Goodies is a free resources sharing community setup and run by teachers. The creator of the site, Andrew Clarke, strongly believes in a culture of sharing good practice. He says:

“If I’ve created some great resources that the kids have enjoyed working with and have clearly made good progress, why would I want to keep them to myself? There are too many teachers out there who have a futile stance about keeping their resources to themselves; yes, you’ve spent lots of time making that PowerPoint, so why not let somebody else get some use out of it?”

www.ictgoodies.com

The site does require you to register, but this is free and easy. Why not sign up and share some of your resources? You can also visit other sites in the ‘Goodies’ franchise… Media Studies Goodies, PE Goodies and Business Goodies.

Mouse Mischief is a way of helping your pupils actively participate in lessons using their own mice to interact with your slides on the interactive whiteboard screen. It works with Powerpoint and is free to use. Find out more in this Youtube video:

Here is a selection of some interesting and educational things that I’ve found recently, via my Twitter network:

• Zooburst – This amazing site lets you make your own 3D augmented reality pop up books (via @relativism, @xannov and @ianaddison).

• Application for Headship - Information and advice for those who need to write a letter of application when applying for a headship (via @andyross75).
• World Atlas Maps – A large collection of blank maps which are very useful for your Geography lessons (via @simonhaughton).
• Becta Archive – The official archive of the Becta website. Use this site to access the useful resources when the Becta site disappears (via @daibarnes).
• Hello Bonjour Hola – A site containing resources for teaching and learning French and Spanish (via @dawnhallybone and @valleseco)

• SchoolToons – Resources to support animation work in the classroom at KS2-4 (via @DrJoolz).
• Tips for New Tweeters – @stuartridout gives some useful advice for those who have just started to use Twitter.
• Year 5 Control Technology Plans – A set of plans, from @simonhaughton, which include the use of Scratch.
• Literacy with ICT (PDF) (from www.edu.gov.mb.ca) - A handbook for parents about using ICT to support learning in Literacy. See the document below (discovered via @TechnologyToday)

Don’t miss Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 in this series! Do you use Twitter? What have you discovered recently?

Image – Montreal Twestival 2009 Cupcakes