SOFTWARE FOR SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION

Here is our pick among the most promising educational websites on the Irish market. EdTech Educational Software provides a wide range of products for special needs education. A quick rundown on how to improve working memory in children and adults with attention deficit can be achieved having a go at Memory Flex Quest. 

GLOGSTER EDU,- 21st CENTURY MULTIMEDIA TOOL

Glogster EDU is a global education platform where educators and students can create glogs - online multimedia posters- with text, photos, videos, sounds, drawings, attachments and more. Now over 7,000,000 people use it across the world to keep their portfolios, presentations or bookmarks. It expands digital literacy and encourages creative learning. Check out glogs and tutorials in the net. And remember, the word glog was coined in 2007. 

SOUNDS, THE PRONUNCIATION APP

Excellent application by Macmillan, both available at Apple Store and Play Store, to help you study, practise and play with pronunciation. Interactive chart included. Premium version available. Clear your voice and have a shot.

SKYPE IN THE CLASSROOM

Check out this project created by Debating Europe to give students the opportunity to debate with fellow students from other European countries, and learn more about the work of the European Union. Register  through facebook to join the Skype lesson called: What does Europe mean to you?. Do you dare to set up your own lesson? Just let me know. I Would love to.

BRITISH COUNCIL ON iTUNES U

Visit the British Council on iTunes U. You can download or listen to a wide range of audio and video resources from LearnEnglish. Over 150 series of podcasts and videos providing insights into British culture, and listening materials  with free activities that you can do on your computer while you listen, or print out and do whenever you want. Food, sports, environment, jobs, there is a large number of topics available. Worth playing on your iPod, iPad or Mac. 

A SCHOOL THAT GAVE ITS PUPILS iPADS

A British school which gave out iPads to its 1,200 pupils in hope of improving their education, has admitted that just a year later half the costly devices have been broken.  Parents were asked only to pay fifty pounds towards insuring the expensive piece of kit. It seems obvious that buying technology for schools has to be about educational results, not just trying to appear cutting-edge for the sake of it.

THE YOUTHXCHANGE GUIDE UNESCO

It is an excellent toolkit to train and teach on sustainable lifestyles available in 20 languages. If you search for its website, you would be able to add content, dowload documents and send your comments to UNEP and UNESCO.

GLOBAL CLASSROOMS MODEL UN

Bridging the Education Gap and creating New Citizens, that is the goal of this UN program established to engage students through the exploration on international issues and institutions, cultivating global literacy (including the ability to read critically and communicate effectively in writing), life skills and the attitudes necessary for active citizenship. Over the past decade it has worked in 24 major cities around the world. Find out more about Model UN Conferences, the final event where students show their skills and debate topics on the UN agenda.

MOBILE LEARNING

If you are interested on innovation, I strongly recommend 'Mobile Learning: Transforming the delivery of Education and Training', edited by Mohamed Ally in Canada (2009), AU Press, Athabasca University (also online). It contains a comprehensive view of advances, research and applications of Mobile Learning by experts from both European and American Universities. Do not miss the glossary, or the differences between e-learning and m-learning.

TOOLS FOR MILLENNIAL LEARNERS

Engaging the newest generation of learners, age 18 to 30, implies a shift from a teacher driven classroom, to a student-driven one. Read Allen & Swindle (2007). Explore the wide range of educational cool tools as Wordle, Screencast-o-matic, Jing, Prezi or Glogster. They will boost your creativity and enhance your writings and presentations with powerful visuals. List your top five tools.

OER COMMONS (OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES)

UNESCO claims that the universal access to quality education is key to the building of peace and intercultural dialogue. In 2002 they coined OER to mean teaching and learning materials freely available online. Willing to design resources on your own? Check out Richey & Klein (2007) for Design and Development research. Lane (2010), or Mulder (2011) for further reading.

NEVER MIND THE EDUPUNKS

Never Mind the Edupunks; or, The Great Web 2.0 Swindle (EDUCAUSE Review) | EDUCAUSE.edu

Do not miss this article. It raised great controversy a couple of years ago. Check out an article published in 2008 at The Guardian, called: 'Nevermind the pedagogues, here's edupunk'. Learn this buzzword, and leave your comments here.