Get some new inspiration for the new term with this great collection of ideas for the classroom, covering just about every topic in ICT for Education.

This set of Google Document presentations is bound to provide fuel for the coming year. It offers technology and software guides, homework ideas, classroom activities and tips on getting the most out of ICT to improve learning outcomes.

If you use Google Apps for Education you can save the documents in your Google Drive and then edit them. To do this, click “menu” and then click the title of the doc link. In the presentation you will then see an actions bar, from which you can create a copy in your Google Drive which you can then edit for your own purposes.

This is a great resource not only for using in class, but also for your own reference. Being able to edit a ready made set of presentations in Google Apps for Education is a very handy bonus!

The video is a recording of a speech given by Sir Ken Robinson at the RSA, brilliantly animated as part of the RSA Animate series

It is essential viewing for educators – please let us know what you make it

Webinars are widely used in the workplace to connect offices without the need to travel, or to promote a product (or a person) by offering useful information and tutorials.

The potential for webinars in education is great too – you could connect your classroom with one in a twin town / sister city, and learn what their school routine is, what they are studying, or practise a few words of their language (bear in mind that time zones have to sync up though!).

Alternatively, top up your own skills by attending a teaching webinar. There are plenty of free ones (which is useful if budgets for attending training and conferences have been reduced) – visit Classroom Expert for an example of what is out there.

If you use Google+ you can make use of Google Hangouts video chat.  It is also a collaboration tool.  If you use Google Apps for Education you can share and work on documents online, and use a virtual whiteboard to share ideas during your webinar.

During the webinar you will need a microphone to pass around, allowing the children to interact. If only one person will speak, or if you personally are attending a teaching webinar, a headset will suffice. You may have to download a plug-in to your computer before the webinar

Webinars can be recorded too, so you can go back to them in class pausing where necessary for classroom discussions, or even upload it to your learning platform or school website for posterity.  If you miss a teaching webinar due to time constraints etc, the host will may well send you a copy of the event upon request.

If webinars are nothing new in your classroom, please tell us about your experiences both positive and negative.

This is an effective video for summing up a lesson about e-safety because it emphasises the key point that if a child is unsure about some content they have found on the internet that they should ‘always remember to tell someone’.

From year 1, at age five, it is expected that children will be reciting poetry by heart in England. Children will be encouraged to perform poems to develop their ability, to project their voices, memorise content as well as combining it with physical expression through drama and dance.

This focus on poetry is informed by the idea  that  many children are missing out on the joys of reading for pleasure, and so reading poems with rhythm and rhyme is suggested to give children a more playful, creative approach to learning.

The poet and teacher, Charles Causley,  ties up neatly why children are a great audience for poetry : “For the child possesses by nature that valuable quality all adult artists seek to retain or regain: the ability of being able to view the world … as if for the first time … unblurred by time or experience or tact or expediency.”

Why does children’s poetry matter? Children’s responses to poetry are innate, instinctive, natural. Children are hard-wired to musical language – taking pleasure in the rhythm, rhyme, repetition and other patternings of language that are a marked feature of childhood. Poetry is an intense form of language. It can be simultaneously personal and universal.

Philip Gross (T.S. Eliot prizewinner, 2010) shares this belief in the power of poetry for the young, suggesting that “children imbibe poetry from people who bring to it some ease and passion … young people can be bold readers of rich and demanding poetry – and writers of it too – when they come to it as participants, rather than as passive consumers.”

Excitingly, here at Webanywhere, we are currently working in partnership with a very talented local poet, Josie Whitehead. She is a lady with great passion for education and has the gift of infectious enthusiasm for educational poetry in particular. Following on from her successful career as an English teacher, Josie felt inspired to share her passion for the magical world of poetry with all age groups. Her thriving library of poetry releases the mind to a world of creativity for all ages with rhythm and rhyme, bringing laughter and joy to all of her readers. Visit Josie’s site

Top tips:
- Encourage children to project their voices when reciting poetry
- Choose poems with rhyme and rhythm so that children are encouraged to associate poetry with music, recognising different ways to enjoy reading
- Use poetry as a tool for learning about a specific topic
- Encourage children to listen to auditory poetry before bed as a relaxing routine
- Write to parents to express the importance of poetry and introduce them to ways of accessing the poem that the child is learning in class

Top Links:
Children’s Laureate

Young writers

Youtube

Poetry research paper

Some of the wonderful things that the iPad can do

Children are becoming increasingly internet savvy and the use of iPads are the next best thing since the opposable thumb. By having technology at their finger tips, with a plentiful range of apps relevant to all subjects of the curriculum, pupils can access a wealth of knowledge from this neat piece of technology.