Mr P's ICT blog - Tech to raise standards!

I love using music in the classroom! I have previously blogged plenty of ideas for using music in the classroom. Some of my favourites have been using songs to develop reading skills. Some of the most popular have been: Fast Car by Tracy Chapman Wasn't Expecting That by Jamie Lawson This blog post will share some more ideas for using songs and lyrics to develop key higher order reading skills.  While I would encourage you to use these ideas and lessons, I think it is important to make clear there needs to be a balance between these shorter texts and longer whole stories.  My work with John Murray has certainly inspired these posts, so please check his website out and also look at the READWRITEPERFORM resources for more of these ideas and strategies to teaching English.  With this blog, I have chosen two songs that cover the same issue with a different outlook, I will break each song down and finish with some comparative questions. DJ Snake - Middle...

Evertoon has been an app on my radar for a while. I had the opportunity to play with a beta version of the app and I saw straight away the potential in the classroom. The app allows you to create an animation of two characters interacting. You have the ability to design yourself as a character. Adding a costume and background to your scene. You are able to use the camera to take a photo of yourself and add it into the scene. There is also a selection of celebrities you can also choose from. Once you have designed your characters, you can then create a dialogue. A character's actions can be created by selecting an emoji. Each emoji will make the character act in a certain way. There is the option to then use the microphone to record what the character says. The app has a 9+ rating and some of the emojis make the character act in a rude way (kissing, passing wind etc) however there is so much potential with the app. A couple of initial ideas: Visualise how to write...

It is just a week until the Euros and the nation is hoping England will do well after the disappointment in some recent tournaments. After using ideas from the latest ReadWritePerform pack, students in my class wrote and performed their own motivational speech for the team. Using Doink Greenscreen and Videorama the class were incredibly proud of the finished video they created. We are now on a mission to try and get the England team to see our video before the tournament starts! We NEED your help! We are hoping through the wonderful power of the internet the class reach their goal. Please share, like, tweet, RT, comment, tag and post this video to try and get it seen and hopefully passed on to Roy and the lads! Thank you in advance! Video on Facebook: Video on YouTube: So far we have had a fantastic response on Facebook and twitter with England legend Ian Wright, Soccer AM and journalist Henry Winter sharing the video: Today, we had this message from th...

I am so excited to announce a BRAND NEW approach to English I have developed alongside John Murray ( @ReadingExplorer .) The website readwriteperform.com is now LIVE. The approach covers every aspect of English - Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. We have created and released our first teaching pack. Each teaching pack provides teachers with a unit of planning for English lasting 2-3 weeks. The following image gives an overview of the approach and how each pack works: We know this approach works, as all the ideas have been tried and tested in the classroom. The quality of writing and performance from the pupils in my class was phenomenal!  The pack encourages your learners to actively engage with a variety of media and get the most out of the learning experiences you provide. Technology is used as a tool to enhance children's learning and evidence their final creations. We focus on combining all the elements of writing into one meaningful project: readin...

This is my latest vlog sharing different things you find in every staffroom! Feel free to share -

Like most, I am completely hooked on Game of Thrones! If you haven't seen my other Game of Thrones inspired post, check it out - 12 Game of Thrones Teachers You See in Every School . One of my favourite characters in the series has to be Tyrion. People have such little faith in him. Yet he is constantly proving people wrong and challenging their misconceptions about him. He is almost the perfect metaphor for teachers as it seems the 'powers that be' have a similar faith in teachers. But we are constantly proving them wrong. This weekend, social media has been flooded with positive messages for teachers and students in preparation for the upcoming SATs that are asking A LOT from children, to say the least! Let these thoughts from Tyrion inspire you to get you through this week and motivate you to keep doing the amazing job you do day in day out.  "You love your children. It's your one redeeming quality; that and your cheekbones." Now, I am not...

How many of these can you relate to? Feel free to share!