This interactive ear tool has code to embed a large image/link on your blog. Useful for easy access to the site and more interesting than a text link but would be good if it was interactive from the blog post.
The Interactive Ear is presented by Amplifon
Create your own stories with Storybird taking inspiration from illustrations and piecing them together to make your own online book. Once books have been moderated you can embed them straight into your blog.
Individual and Teacher/Class accounts are available for free and the usual ‘extra options’ are available to purchase.
This is a great way to inspire children to write, letting the pictures tell the story.
Share your presentations and documents with Slideshare.
As with many ways of sharing media, there is a basic free version and a ‘pro’ option that you subscribe to but has more features. For uploading slideshow presentations it is free. These can be public or private and there is the facility for commenting.
Presentations can be embedded in your blog, so you can use Slideshare to make lessons available to pupils at anytime or as a showcase of pupil work.
This looks brillant. I’ll admit now, I haven’t tried it yet. But I did watch the ‘How to…’ video below and can think of several ways this software could be used in the classroom.
Muvizu allows you to create 3D animations using a variety of characters and scenes – all customisable. You choose camera angles, lighting and direct your characters down to the eye movements. This would be a brilliant way to show stories the pupils have written or recreate stories they have heard.
You have to be 13 to join Muvizu but teachers can open ‘gatekeeper’ accounts that enable you to have full control over what pupils are doing. Once videos have been published they can be rated and be commented on.
Once you have created your masterpiece you save it to your computer and there is an inbuilt option to upload it straight to YouTube to embed in your blog.
Kids aged 5-11 are being asked to share their favourite read in any way they choose. Write something, draw something, blog it, film it. Whatever they like. The idea is that they aren’t reviewing their book, they’re recommending it.
Once children have created their entry, they upload it to their Makewaves blog and share it with the world.
Prizes include an e-reader for the pupil and a 12 month pro-account with Makewaves for their school. The competition closes on Tuesday 16 April 2013.
Inspire your pupils to write by entering the 100 Word Challenge, or 100WC.
This is a weekly writing challenge for children under the age of 16. Once a week a different prompt is given the children can write up to 100 words of creative writing. Once their writing has been posted to your blog, link to the 100WC blog and others taking part in the challenge can read your entries.
The challenge of sticking to 100 words and having other people leave comments on their writing can really encourage pupils to give it a go. Use it as homework, writing practice or a regular activity.
Record older pupils reading books for younger pupils and stick a QR code linking to the recording in the front of the book.
This would be a good activity to get pupils used to recording themselves and encourage links across the school.
MP3 files can be uploaded to your blog, hosted on a facility like Soundcloud or online storage accounts.
You can create some really interesting slideshows of pictures and video for free with Animoto.
Choose from a selection of themes, pre recorded music and video clips or add your own to make slideshows up to 30 seconds long.
This can be a great way to get pupils to display their art work and have control over how it is presented.
Animoto have upgrade options that you can pay for – different resoloution videos, wider selection of themes etc, but it’s not necessary and you will probably find the free options are enough.
As with all these things it’s worth having a small play with to see what it can do but it’s really easy to get the hang of.
Make your own slideshow at Animoto.
Domo Animate is a brilliant site from Domo Nation that lets you create short animations. There is a huge selection of characters, scenery, props and sounds. It really is worth having a play with. Characters’ positions, movements and expressions can be selected and scenes added.
You can create animations without signing up but if you want to save and share, or post to your blog, you have to register. This is free though.
There is also a feature available for creating a slideshow but this doesn’t seem to work at the moment so there’ll be another post later!
DomoNation.com: Doggy Love by MollyB
Like it? Create your own at DomoNation.com. It’s free and fun!
Safe is a free programme of activities for schools to teach pupils about safe social networking.
There are two programmes, for ages 7-11 and 11-16 with resources modified for each group. Pupils are guided through the basics of social networking and having an online presence.
Schools can use their current online social network/VLE or set up a free account with Makewaves via the Safe website. Resources are free to download and there is an option to buy the resources in folders. When pupils have completed the course there are a series of rewards available depending upon how the school has chosen to complete the course.
In addition to resources, schools can also purchase reward badges and a Safe School Award Plaque to display.