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?

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.

learndirect has launched two FREE online storybooks to help families make the most of their time together and have fun while learning.

learndirect research has revealed that almost one in three parents admit to wanting to brush up on their basic English and maths to support their children’s learning and development. Backed by celebrity mum and Waterloo Road actress, Angela Griffin, the new storybooks “The Journey to Darkest Somewhere” and “The House of Scary Words” let kids become the lead characters and change details within the stories.

Here’s a video which gives more information about the project:

The books also encourage readers to use basic English language while they play, so kids and parents can learn together. The new storybooks are available at www.learndirect.co.uk/readtogether. Kids also have the chance to win a professionally printed version of their book. Entrants simply need to register their personal storybook on the website before 31 December 2009.

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.

Calling all teachers, parents and governors! The big book sale is here!

What is big book sale?
It is a primary school fundraising event where pupils bring in their old story books, set up and decorate a stall and sell the books to each other in aid of the MS Society.

When is big book sale?
Big book sale can take place anytime during the first week of March as part of the World Book Day celebrations. If this isn’t convenient schools can chose a date that suits them.

Why take part?

The big book sale:
•       develops literacy and numeracy skills during key stages 1 and 2
•       promotes reading at home through peer-to-peer book recommendation
•       develops real life numeracy skills through money handling on the day
•       gives children and parents access to cheap story books helping to promote reading at home, highlighted by the National Curriculum as the most important way that parents can help their child’s literacy.

And if that’s not enough
The big book sale raises essential funds for the MS Society which are shared with the school if you raise over £200!

Register today for your free fundraising pack!

• Online www.mssociety.org.uk/bigbooksale
• Call 0870 241 3565
• Email schools@mssociety.org.uk (please quote Teaching ideas)

The BBC recently reported on some new research which states that a quarter of children read just one book with their teacher each year. This is due to the use of extracts, rather than reading (and enjoying) entire stories.

How many books do you read with your class each year? I generally read lots of short stories, but try to read longer stories when possible. Although reading with the class is one of my favourite parts of the job, one of my concerns is having time to fit it in.

What do you think?

Image: ‘Reading is fun‘