So I’ve gathered together what I think is a useful list of a few online tools that you might want to have up your sleeve for any such instances. Just make sure you can access the ICT suite or have commandeered the laptops or other mobile devices for your classroom!
- WeeWorld is a fun way for children to create a cartoon version of themselves. The finished illustration would be a perfect avatar to use online. If you have access to your school’s mobile devices then you may prefer to use the WeeMee avatar creator app.
- Panoramas DK contains a huge range of interactive, panoramic views from around the world. Take the children to see places like the Pyramids of Giza or the Grand Canyon, or even visit the Moon or Mars, all from the comfort of your classroom. Each panorama would make a great starting point for a speaking and listening activity, or inspire some creative writing when describing a story setting.
- Africam has a choice of live webcams located in different destinations in the African wild, They are a great way of letting children see a variety of animals in their natural habitat, and can be useful to use as the focus of a writing session, or just to have on the interactive whiteboard in the background while the children are coming into the classroom for the start of a lesson.
- Tilt Shift Maker creates miniature style scenes from photographs. You can either upload your own pictures or link to an existing one already online. To get the best tilt-shift effect, try to choose an image that is taken from high above your scene, so you are looking over it but not directly above it; this will make people believe they are looking down on a little model. Images of railways, roads and cities work really well, and your completed picture can be easily downloaded to display in your own tilt-shift gallery.
- Word Search Maker can be fabulous for getting children to create word searches of tricky words or spelling lists for other pupils in the class. Any word searches that you create can be copied onto your school website or class blog, or of course they could be printed out!
- Write Rhymes is a fabulous tool for supporting the writing of anything you need to rhyme! Simply type your text into the box and then alt and click on a word to see suggestions for rhymes.
- Flight Radar 24 tracks flights around the word, with lots of information for each plane shown, such as departure point and destination, which are great for links to Geography, or use it with a Mathematical slant and work with the data information about the flight. There are also Flight Radar apps for mobile devices available.
- History Cats is a fun website which lets you find your cat’s ancestor! A really great way to read about different historical events from a cat’s point of view.
Image Credit: Flickr
Do you use any apps at the end of term? If so why don't you let us know in the comments.