St Michael's Primary School

A list of some useful Digital Resources.

Have a play about with them and jot down some notes and send me your thoughts (use the table format I have put at the bottom).

If you find something useful, please share with colleagues.

Some may require sign up with email. We would only use ones that have at least some free access…. AG

Tools for teachers to create of digital learning content

• Squigl – Content creation platform that transforms speech or text into animated videos.
• Thinglink allows a user to add content to images. For example, a student could display a map of Washington, D.C. and add a video explaining how a bill becomes a law over the Capitol building. And it’s easy. The user just clicks a spot on the image and adds text, a link to a website, or an embed code for video. It’s a quick and easy way to make a project more dynamic and interactive.
• Easel.ly is a fairly easy way to create an infographic, a visual depiction of information. The tool offers set themes that can be dragged onto a blank canvas to give students somewhere to start. A good example is a map of the United States with bubbles highlighting statistics about specific areas. Then icons can be added, sized, and edited to visually represent information. It’s good for those uncertain of their tech skills, but who want to begin integrating some digital tools into the classroom. It won’t do the work for you, and it forces students to represent what they know at the end of a research project, while giving some creative license. “Instead of giving a paper or project, this is a great way for them to break down concepts visually,” Bellow said.
• The Noun Project is making clip art icons for every known noun making it a perfect place to look for the images needed for a precise infographic. It can take a lot of time to find a perfect image of a cracked cell phone or a specific kind of dog and the Noun Project makes that a little easier.
• Poll Everywhere has been around for several years, and a familiar tool with many teachers. It’s built with HTML 5 so it can be used with any device and is responsive to screen size. Teachers can create both multiple-choice questions and open ended questions that student respond to via text. Students get excited that they can use their phones in class and teachers gain valuable feedback about how well students understand a concept.
• https://www.playfactile.com/ Make quizzes etc

Self-directed learning content

• ABRA - Selection of 33 game-like activities in English and in French to promote reading comprehension and writing skills of early readers.
• British Council – English language learning resources, including games, reading, writing and listening exercises.
• Code It – Helps children learn basic programming concepts through online courses, live webinars and other kid-friendly material. Available in English and German.
• Code.org – Wide range of coding resources categorized by subject for K12 students offered for free by a non-profit.
• Code Week – List of online resources to teach and learn computer coding, available in all EU languages.
• Duolingo – Application to support language learning. Supports numerous base and target languages.
• Polyup  – Learning content to build math and gaining computational thinking skills for students in primary and early secondary school.
• Quizlet – Learning flashcards and games to support learning in multiple subjects, available in 15 languages. 
• SDG Academy Library - A searchable library of more than 1,200 educational videos on sustainable development and related topics.
• Smart History – Art history site with resources created by historians and academic contributors.
• https://www.ck12.org/ - Resources for all subject areas
• https://uk.ixl.com/ - Resources for all subject areas
• https://www.commonlit.org/en - Reading activities including interactive comprehension
• https://www.matific.com/gb/en-gb/home/ Maths games

Miscellaneous Tools

• Bouncy Balls: If you struggle with noisy kids in your online classrooms, then this tool is for you. Bouncy Balls is a free classroom noise level meter, monitor and management tool. The louder your students are, the higher the balls bounce!
• Wheel Decide: Create your own ‘Wheel of Fortune’ using this simple web-based solution. Add your options, spin the wheel and decide the fate of your class. Perhaps you could use it to decide on your next activity?
• Wheel of Names: Similar to the above solution, simply add the names of your students and spin the wheel to facilitate random student selection whenever necessary. This approach adds a fun, visual flair to proceedings. 
• SMMRY: Quickly summarise any article, web page or eBook using this neat tool. Simply add the text and select how many sentences you’d like within your summary. This is no replacement for reading something in its entirety, but it’s great if you’re in a hurry. 
• Google Earth: Add a new immersive and interactive experience to your geography lessons using Google Earth. After all, virtually walking down a street in Tokyo is way more fun and engaging than flipping through images in a textbook! In addition, you could even challenge your students to complete scavenger-like hunts across the globe.
• https://classtools.net/ : variety of class widgets and tools.

More here: https://tutorful.co.uk/blog/the-82-hottest-edtech-tools-of-2017-according-to-education-experts