A new educational DVD has been produced to encourage children to speak up to their teacher if they are being bullied. Find out more at the related site or watch this Youtube video to see some clips from the DVD.

Here are links to some of the new resources that I’ve discovered via my Twitter network:

• BBC Wildlife Finder (from @mrstucke) – Watch videos of the most amazing animals in the world, from the BBC.

• You can now follow the fantastic Primary Resources site on Twitter – @primarystuff
• Use this amazing ‘Punched Out‘ font for your classroom displays and learning activities. The font makes printed nets of different letters. Just cut them out and stick them together.

• Try out ThinkDraw to create and rate pictures using a range of objects and colours. Thanks to @simonhaughton.
• Schools are now starting to develop their own iPhone apps as a way of sharing news and information with parents. Try the new application from Porchester Junior School (via @xannov).
• Scimorph is a new augmented reality site which teaches you about gravity and bacteria. Print the marker provided, place it in front of your web cam and interact with Scimorph while he teaches you! Thanks to @mbarrow for sharing this.

• Google have added an ‘Ocean Showcase‘ feature to Google Earth. Looks like a wonderful resource for schools (thanks to @dajbelshaw).
• The wonderful BBC Primary History site now has a ‘World History’ section. Suggested by @simonhaughton.
• Wikipedia have a ‘Simple English‘ version which uses simple words and grammar, making it much easier for children to read and understand. Recommended by @tombarrett.

Don’t miss the previous posts in this series:

• Part One
• Part Two

What have you discovered on Twitter recently?

Image – Twitter Logo Map 09

Year Dot is a documentary which followed the paths of 15 young people over one year, as they pursue their goals across a range of subjects. Their stories give an insight into their respective fields: Business Management, English, Politics, Performing Arts and P.E, to name a few. They also document the journey taken in transforming a school time passion into a full-blown career.

Alongside these academic insights, the documentary provides an intimate portrayal of some difficult and relevant social subjects. The community engagement of these individuals is also inspiring, making the videos a valuable resource for opening up social issues in the classroom, and bringing curriculum subjects like PSHE and citizenship to life.

www.yeardot.co.uk/resources

The Year Dot site allows you to search for video resources and catch up clips linked to different areas of the curriculum.

Over the Christmas break, I created a new website to add to my collection(!). The new site is called Teaching Videos and is a place to find and share educational videos that can be used in the classroom.

www.teachingvideos.co.uk / www.teachingvideos.tv

Each video comes with a selection of teaching ideas, showing how it might be used in the classroom. There are also some videos which teachers can use for professional development, including some ICT training resources.

Anyone can search for videos, find them by subject / topic, or browse through by age group. Registered members can also add ratings / comments and even upload videos to share with others. Registrations are currently closed, but if you are interested in testing the system, please email me.

After only a few weeks online, it is already becoming incredibly popular and I have had lots of positive feedback about it. I hope that the site is useful to you.

A new series of virtual field trips is being distributed over the Internet as video podcasts on the web site www.meetmeatthecorner.org. Each video is linked to fun websites and a Learning Corner of questions and extended activities. New episodes are uploaded every two weeks.

This week you can take virtual field trip to San Diego. The young host Robert interviews and tours the USS MIDWAY and learns what life was like aboard a city at sea.

The Teenage Cancer Trust have just launched an online resource for schools, which can be used for PSHE lessons and general assembly. It’s an interactive resource with lesson plans, discussion topics, video, and fits with syllabus guidelines. It touches on topics revolving around teenage cancer, looking at health, communication, relationships, bullying, and seeks to promote understanding and education about health issues.

The resource is available at www.teenagecancertrust.org/learningresource

ICTCoverLessons is created by David Phillips who I met recently at Teachmeet Sussex / Kent. David was showing us how to use the Wii game ‘Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games’ to help students to learn about databases. A great idea!

David’s site has lots of help for teachers of ICT, including:

• Videos to show how to use the Mario&Sonic game in the classroom.
• Tutorials to help you use the free programming language, Scratch.
• Ideas and activities to help you teach students about a wide range of software.
• Videos and games covering other aspects of ICT.

ICTCoverLessons is a great resource for teachers of older students, but there is also a lot of useful content for teachers of younger pupils too.

Bullying UK is a registered charity which was founded in 1999 by journalist Liz Carnell from Harrogate and her son John, as a direct result of their experience of dealing with school bullying. Liz has been researching and writing on school bullying issues for 14 years and now uses the Internet to provide information and advice.

www.bullying.co.uk

The Bullying.co.uk website has a huge collection of articles for young people, schools, parents and other adults. There is also a useful section about cyberbullying. Don’t forget to follow Bullying UK on Twitter, or consider making a donation if you can.

‘My Teacher, My Hero‘ is a new, non-profit website dedicated to great teachers and to the profound impact they’ve had on their students’ lives. On the interactive website, many different people have shared memories of their favourite teachers with the world.

Everyone who visits the site will be given the opportunity, through uploading and sharing his or her own video, to thank a teacher who has positively changed his or her life.

Could you record a video about your favourite teacher… or will someone record one about you?