Magic studio

http://www.magicstudio.co.uk/

“Magic Studio enables you to build and share interactive learning resources quickly and easily, with no specialist skills required. It's an online service so you don't have to install any complicated software - you can access your account from anywhere with a broadband connection. This means you can prepare content when and where it's convenient and have the flexibility to deliver learning wherever it's needed, both in and outside the classroom.”

How Teachers Can Get More Respect, Part 1

Most teachers feel that their profession does not get the respect it deserves. In 2000 a survey of teachers conducted by Scholastic reported that 79% felt that respect for the profession is a problem in teacher retention. I don’t think much has changed since 2000.

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Interactive online games for kids and students

A collection of educational free interactive computer based for students.
http://adjix.com/tmg

Ideas for using powerpoint in the classroom

http://www.actden.com/pp/
Also http://web.archive.org/web/20050808083149/rcs.rcps.k12.va.us/creativeways/pptlist.htm templates
http://web.archive.org/web/20050612083532/www.paducah.k12.ky.us/curriculum/PPoint/

Fair trade for all education kit

http://adjix.com/3eb

This resource is suitable for students aged 10 - 13 years of age and covers topics such as world trade, coffee trade, cocoa trade and sweatshops.

Discovery Channel - Space

http://www.discoverychannel.com.au/space/index.shtml

This website has a collection of information on outer space. Including an interactive game, information on our solar system, space exploration and comets, meteors and asteroids.

2 fruits and 5 vegetables - Kids only

http://www.gofor2and5.com.au/article.aspx?c=7&a=136&n=1

This website outlines the benefits of fruit and vegetables, suggests ways of increasing fruit and vegetable intake and provides easy recipes. The Kids Only section provides activities designated lower primary, middle primary, and upper primary.

ABS brings data to life in the classroom

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has launched a new set of web pages designed for use by both teachers and students. Developed by the Education Services unit within the ABS, these new pages aim to assist educators to bring data and statistics to life in the classroom. The pages offer a range of learning resources, including classroom activities, games, professional development materials and specially selected ABS publications.

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Teachers urged to save voice with a mic

Teachers are being advised to use microphones, loudspeakers, and other techniques to save their vocal cords. A team of scientists issued the recommendations after a study... Full Story

Welcome to Basin Kids

A component of the Murray Darling Basin Commission website, this section allows students and teachers to explore issues and facts relating to the area. Online content includes a quiz, puzzles, teachers' guide, specific background information and details on the recent native fish strategy.

http://kids.mdbc.gov.au/_data/page/337/animation2.swf

Sharing the enthusiasm

From Harold Jarche

As a learning professional, it’s time to take a stance. Enabling learning is no longer about disseminating good content. Enabling learning is about being a learner yourself, sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm and then taking a
back
seat

Read the whole article

Rand McNally delivers fee-based geography content online

Rand McNally recently launched a new web-based service to deliver comprehensive geography content, interactive games and activities, and skills-based lesson plans for teachers.

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Reading Recovery in the Classroom

"I consider myself to be a Reading Recovery teacher. I was trained in 1999 and worked for four years as a Reading Recovery/literacy support coordinator. During that time I worked with teachers and gave tips on how they could use Reading Recovery techniques in the classroom. I was very proud of the fact I could teach them how to use running records and sound boxes. I devised a whole list of activities that could be done in the classroom. All of this had merit, but I think I missed the bigger picture of what Reading Recovery is about. It is about looking at the children and thinking of what I can do to help them understand the reading process. It is about being explicit, not wasting time and getting the most out of them as learners. The other things are the tools we use in order to achieve our aims.
This year I have returned to the classroom. I was a bit worried as it had been a long time, and I was given a prep grade. It is funny with classroom teaching, when you are doing all the things necessary to run a class you just do it, but on reflection you think about the lunchboxes, the meetings, the parents, the ‘I want to go home’, ‘he won’t play with me’, ‘she took my lunch’ and you wonder: how did I do it all? Anyway, being a positive person, I decided if other people could manage, I could manage too.
My year started this year as most prep grades do. The children would come in to school, there would be activities on the tables and the children would move around the room as they pleased. As a Reading Recovery teacher I was very mindful about introducing them to their books, so I took the opportunity while they were playing to select a book for them that would match their needs. I was amazed at the rapid improvement in their reading levels. I was treating each child as a Reading Recovery student, introducing them to a new book and prompting them according to their needs.
I began to wonder, was it the time the children were allowed to develop or was it the explicit teaching or was it both?
So I thought I would analyse what else has changed. ..."

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