Timez Attack

One of my colleagues sent me the link to this fantastic times tables website called Timez Attack! It is totally free and the format is very similar to a PS/Xbox game. When Judy and I attended an ACEL conference earlier this year the importance of learning through gaming was discussed at great length and the research showed that students who are regular gamers have better memory retention.

The only downside of this game is that you have to download it on to every computer (but we can arrange that). I like the way that you can set up your class and monitor their progress as they work through the different levels. I intend to use it as a drilling exercise for year 5 and 6.

Top Tips for a Differentiated Classroom

I found this resource online. It has some great ideas for integrating technology into the classroom while ensuring that differentiation is maintained. The links are easy to follow. I will certainly be using these in Literacy groups!

Kerpoof

What is Kerpoof? The answer to that is not so simple. Kerpoof is all about having fun, discovering things, and being creative. Here are just a few ways that you can use Kerpoof:

Make artwork (even if you aren't good at drawing!)
Make an animated movie (really! it's easy!)
Earn Koins which you can trade for fun things in the Kerpoof Store
Make a printed card, t-shirt, or mug
Tell a story
Make a drawing
Vote on the movies, stories, and drawings that other people have made

There is also an educators page with great ideas for using Kerpoof in the classroom.

Turn Your Pics into Puzzles

This is a cute website for students to play with. Picture Dotscan take any photograph and turn it into a dot-to-dot puzzle. I had a bit of a play with it on the weekend and it's lots of fun!

Scribble Maps

This website is an excellent resource for classrooms. The maps can be scribbled on, text can be added, countries can be highlighted and routes can be traced. Scribble maps is a versatile tool that the students should be able to use very easily. Let me know if you give it a go.

Need to Choose a Student at Random? Try this!

I found this amazing web 2.0 tool called "The Hat".
Here's the information from the website:

"I'm first!"
"No I'm first!"
"No I called it!"
"Well I'm second!"
"OK then Dusty is last because he's youngest!"
"That's not fair, I'm always last!"
Sound familiar? If you are a parent of two or more children, the answer is most likely a resounding "Yes!". Never fear, help is here!

The Hat is a simple but handy little utility that offers a fun and easy way to automatically determine a random order from a list of any amount of names. You can even use it to pick individual names for raffle and sweepstakes winners, etc. or pick pairs of names for deciding random partnerships, complete with cool animation and sound effects.

Features at a Glance
Simple, easy-to-use interface.
Add any amount of names you wish.
Import names from a text file.
Export names to a text file for later use.
Optional special effects while shuffling names.
Pick individual names one at a time or pairs of names.
Cool animation. Actually shows names coming out of a hat when picking individual names or pairs.
Fairly settle arguments between kids about "who goes first", etc.
Print or save results to a file for future reference.
Optionally saves name list between sessions.
Absolutely free!

Let me know if you try this in class. I'd love to hear about it in use.

A Good Idea for a Project

I was researching articles to read regarding the ideal arrangement of a classroom to promote collaboration and I stumbled across this little gem!

It's called "Design an Classroom!" and it allows you to have a go at rearranging your classroom space. What a fantastic idea for our students. Wouldn't it be great to see what they came up with by way of design? You can even place a budget restraint on them and use this as a maths exercise. Happy designing!