Librarians' Internet Index & Internet Public Library

LII is a 20,000+ weblink collection maintained by California's librarians, organised under 14 headings. Each is reviewed, and placed into one or more of 300 topic headings. The LII will be merging with the Internet Public Library (IPL) from October 2008.

See www.lii.org for details, and www.ipl.org/div/subject for the IPL.

Open Educational Resources

OER includes 6,000+ secondary resources with abstract summaries, and these may be selected via a filter, user tags, subject areas or type of resource.
See www.oercommons.org/oer for details. Primary and Post-Secondary resources are also offered.

Curriki shared resources

Curriki contains more than 19,000 resources submitted by users under 11 categories. Although it has a US bias, it is designed specifically for educational use.
See www.curriki.org for the homepage and ww.curriki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Main/Browse for the subject search, which can filter by type of resource, level and file type.
Some resources have been reviewed for quality, having been selected as excellent by users. Resource titles are often not helpful, but rest your mouse on them and a full description should appear.

Oracle Education Library

Oracle, a database software company, have backed an educational library of 7000 suitable websites for education, arranged by subject and topic, with a review of each. See www.thinkquest.org/library for details.

Poetry corner

A large range of poets reading their own work, from Tennyson to Heaney, plus background interviews. You can search by theme or form. A children's section includes Spike Milligan and Roald Dahl reading their own poems.
See www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive for details and lesson ideas for English and History teachers.

An excellent general English site is www.universalteacher.org.uk. It covers KS3 and 4, and has a section on poets from different cultures (www.universalteacher.org.uk/anthology/differentcultures.htm)

BBC Resources

You should all know BBC Bitesize by now, especially at revision time, or when you want some quick GCSE class ideas. The huge BBC site has many other relevant links for secondary teachers, however.

Try www.bbc.co.uk/schools for details, then follow the links for your subject, and don't forget www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips for short films from TV arranged by subject. www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/11_16 shows the complete range of pages for 11-16s.

Inclusion resources

Inclusion, an offshoot of the Becta website, enables browsing of resources by subject. You can choose just free or free and commercial sites in your results. Access to search results is via the gold 'View site' box, and hits can be limited by resource type, including publications, software, equipment and online information.

See http://inclusion.ngfl.gov.uk for details, and http://inclusion.ngfl.gov.uk/index.php?brsSect=2&i=113 for the subject search.

Learning & Teaching Scotland resources

Scotland has revised the secondary curriculum around 8 core subjects - expressive arts, health & wellbeing, languages, maths, religious & moral education, sciences, social sciences and technologies.

Support for these are found at www.ltscotland.org.uk/resources/secondary/index.asp.

Subject Resource Networks

TTRB, the teacher training resource bank, has links to a number of sites to help Initial Teacher Training courses show trainees how to learn their craft. See www.ttrb.ac.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?contentId=12086 for details.

ISTE resources

ISTE, the International Society for Technology in Education, has a range of resources on their site, including lesson plans.
See www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Lesson_Plans&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=23&ContentID=3359 for plans, and www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=K_121&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=38&ContentID=3827 for general resources. US based.

Teachernet resources

Teachernet is a good source of links for all secondary subjects, but links are scattered across a large site.

See www.teachernet.gov.uk/usefulsites and enter either secondary or your subject from the list on the page or www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/subjects to choose a subject.

www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/secondary/teachingresources has a further list of resources, and searches 3 different collections, including lesson plans.

KS3 & 4 Mathematics

Today it's maths links I have been researching:
Welsh grid: www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc-home, then select the key stage + Maths
Homework High (Channel 4): www.channel4learning.net/apps/homeworkhigh/maths including games
S-Cool!: www.s-cool.co.uk/topic_index.asp?subject_id=15&d=0 comprehensive GCSE help

Sky Learning Explorer

Even if you don't have access to Sky TV, this link will help you find relevant content, over the next 7 days, for a range of GCSE courses including Art, English, Geography, History, RE and Science. The recommendations are based on Sky programmes, but non-Sky content is also included.

See http://explorer.jointhebiggerpicture.com for details of the service, plus general study and revision help.

Learning Grid Secondary Resources 6

Almost there, not many more links to complete the list of grids with KS3 & 4 resources:

Telford & Wrekin (demo only) www.taw.org.uk/demo
Thurrock www.tgfl.org.uk/tgfl/index.cfm?s=1&m=62&p=44,index&zs=n (resources)
Thurrock www.tgfl.org.uk/index.cfm?s=1&p=47,index&zs=n (links)
Torbay http://tgfl.torbay.gov.uk/resources.htm
Tower Hamlets www.lgfl.net/lgfl/leas/tower-hamlets/accounts/THe%20Grid/keystage3
Wales www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc-home
Warrington www.school-portal.co.uk/Grouphomepage.asp?GroupId=153255
West London www.westlondongrid.co.uk/resources/links
West Midlands www.wmnet.org.uk/index.cfm?s=1&m=372&p=6,index
West Sussex http://wsgfl.westsussex.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/curriculum
Wirral www.wirral-mbc.gov.uk/resources.asp
Worcestershire www.edulink.networcs.net/sites/teachlearn/Pages
Yorkshire Humber www.yhgfl.net/resources

Learning Grid Secondary Resources 5

Yet more learning grid links to help you find suitable resources:
Rotherham www.rgfl.org
Scotland www.webreviews4teachers.org.uk/index.asp and www.ltscotland.org.uk/nq/resources/weblinksdirectory/index.asp (weblinks)
www.ltscotland.org.uk/nq/resources/nq_library/index.asp (resources)
South East www.segfl.org.uk/links
South West www.swgfl.org.uk/learning
Staffordshire http://education.staffordshire.gov.uk/Curriculum/Subjectareas
Stockton on Tees www.train.stockton.gov.uk/curriculum
Stoke on Trent www.sgfl.org.uk/groupMenu.aspx?id=111

Learning Grid Secondary Resources 4

Some further Learning Grids offering KS4 resources or links:

National Education Network www.nen.gov.uk/tandl
National http://inclusion.ngfl.gov.uk/index.php?i=111 (inclusion)
Norfolk County http://schools.norfolk.gov.uk/myportal/index.cfm?s=1&m=23&p=127,index&zs=n
NorthWest http://www.nwlg.org
Pembrokeshire http://public.pgfl.org.uk/secondary/resources.html

Learning Grid Secondary Resources 3

More Key Stage 4 resources via Learning Grids:

Gloucestershire www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=3732
Guernsey www.education.gg/gg/14.cfm?res=y&s=14&m=369&p=269%2Cindex&kw=&el=11%2C12
Guernsey weblinks www.education.gg/5.cfm?s=5&m=26&p=33,index&zs=ns
Halton www.halton.gov.uk/schintranet/teachinglearning/teachlearn.html
Halton weblinks www.halton.gov.uk/schintranet/weblinks/weblink.html
Hereford www.herefordgrid.org/index.cfm?s=1&m=62&p=44,index
Hertfordshire www.thegrid.org.uk/learning
Hillingdon www.hillingdongrid.org/learning/ks4/index.php?categoryid=g
Hull www.hgfl.org/index.cfm?s=1&m=62&p=44,index
Kent www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/ict/IWB/resources.htm (whiteboard stuff, rest is mainly Primary)
Lambeth http://cms.lambeth.lgfl.net/web/site/9 (new site - incomplete)
Lancashire www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/curriculum/index.php ('LGfL!')
Luton www.learning.luton.gov.uk/5.cfm
Middlesbrough www.mgrid.org.uk/mg/12.cfm?s=12&m=690&p=701,index (pupils)
www.mgrid.org.uk/mg/14.cfm?s=14&m=1271&p=695,index (teachers)
Northern resources www.portal.northerngrid.org/index.cfm?s=1&m=150&p=118,index
Northern weblinks www.portal.northerngrid.org/index.cfm?s=1&m=182&p=285,index

Learning Grid Secondary Resources 2

Learning Grid resources continued:

Cheshire www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupHomepage.asp?GroupId=52971
Devon www.deseducation.org/v.asp?level2id=17&rootid=17&folderid=17&depth=1
Dudley www.edu.dudley.gov.uk/
Ealing www.egfl.org.uk/categories/teaching/curriculum/subjects
East of England http://mp.e2bn.net/myportal/7.cfm
East Riding www.eriding.net/links.shtml (weblinks) www.eriding.net (site resources)
Edinburgh http://egfl.net/Teaching/index.html
Essex www.e-gfl.org/index.cfm?s=1&m=1&p=152,index

Learning Grid Secondary Resources

LGfL promises lots, but usually when I look it disappoints me. To overcome this, I've trawled the vast recesses of the Interweb to find suitable KS4 resources (or weblinks) for schools, via the other Learning Grids and similar sites. Here are the sites I have traced, with the exact link(s) to directly connect to:

Aberdeen links www.abernet.org.uk/index.php?name=Web_Links&req=viewlink&cid=5
Aberdeen resources www.abernet.org.uk/index.php?name=UpDownload&req=viewdownload&cid=17
Barnet http://cms.barnet.lgfl.net/web/bgfl/curriculum

BECTA http://schools.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=cu

Birmingham Revision www.bgfl.org/bgfl/8.cfm?s=8&m=146&p=1903

Birmingham www.bgfl.org/bgfl

Bradford Portal www.bradfordschools.net/content/view/3249/688/

Bradford student links www.ngfl.ac.uk/student1.htm#subjects

Bridgend www.bgfl.bridgend.gov.uk/Teachers/Resources%20KS4%20Index.htm

Bristol www.bristol-cyps.org.uk/teaching/teaching.html

Buckinghamshire www.bucksict.org.uk/Teacher%20Resources/internetsites.htm

Cambridgeshire http://c99.e2bn.net/e2bn/leas/c99/database/p2/listing.php?category=Curriculum&cat_id=69

Cumbria & Lancashire (CLEO) http://cleo.net.uk/index.php

Revision Time (It's now or never!)

Although some of Year 11 don't seem to realise it yet, it's GCSE time again. Here is a collection of suitable revision sites, and between these you should cover everything:

BBC Bitesize - the mother of all revision sites, with tests, clear facts and glossaries for all subjects www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize
S-Cool - Science, Eng, Geog and Maths covered at two different depths
www.s-cool.co.uk/subject_index.asp?stage=G
Greenfield Revision Links - Durham school links (Art, BS, Eng, Geog, Hist, Maths, RE & Science). Fantastic summary www.greenfield.durham.sch.uk/acGCSE_Revision.htm
BBC - general guide to revision www.bbc.co.uk/schools/studentlife/revisionandskills
SparkNotes Romeo & Juliet - quiz, facts, plot, quotations, character and other summaries
www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeojuliet
Know it all - good general and specific (Eng, Geog, ICT, Maths, Hist & Science) revision tips, but some subject links dead www.nwlg.org/pages/resources/knowitall/revision/revision.htm

Good range of resources (General, Eng, Geog, Hist, ICT, Maths, RE & Science) www.revisionworld.co.uk/gcse
Kapili (USA)- was a paysite but now free (We like free!). Covers Geog, Maths & Science www.kapili.com

What other sites should I include?

English (especially Shakespeare) Resources

WebEnglishTeacher appears to be an excellent Site for English. See www.webenglishteacher.com/tempest.html for The Tempest links, and www.webenglishteacher.com/romeoandjuliet.html for Romeo & Juliet.

An 'interactive portfolio' version of R & J is at www.canadianshakespeares.ca/folio/folio.html, and includes relevant videos, a full lexicon, audio and images by page and scene.

Geoknows Geography

An excellent geography source designed specifically for secondary students is at http://homepage.mac.com/luxborealis/geoknow/.

School Zone resources

Schoolzone UK provides a link to nearly 50,000 websites reviewed by individual teachers. You can search by keyword, subject, keystage or a combination, and sites are star rated with their reviews. You must register before searching the site and browsing the resources, and I found I needed to use F11 to cancel the full screen browse and scroll down pages. It looks well worth the effort.

See www.schoolzone.co.uk/resources/webguide/search/index.asp after registering.

By Teachers for Teachers

The Association of Teachers' Websites (ATW) set up a what it calls a virtual school at www.byteachers.org.uk/school.htm, although judging by the number of broken links for some subjects it may not have been updated for some time.

You may have more luck with the member sites page for secondary resources on www.byteachers.org.uk/sites.htm#secondary. Nearly all subjects are covered, but you may have to search for changed addresses where the links fail to work.

Teacher Express is not just quick

Teacher Express includes a superb collection of links, organised by subject & keystage. But what makes it unique is that after registering (it's simple & free) you can remove categories you don't need, change the background colours and, best of all, include your own favourite sites under My Links. It has real potential as a site which everyone could use instead of a regular search engine when looking for resources, regardless of subject.



See www.teacherxpress.com and be impressed.

RE Links

Time to include RE in the blog. I have mainly used links recommended by schools, so they should be relevant:

www.islamawareness.net - Not just about Islam, as covers Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism in summary as well
www.world-faiths.com - Site for pupils with teacher version
http://ks3.reonline.org.uk/teens_topicheads.php - Comprehensive KS3 section, with beliefs, festivals, history, symbolism etc links
http://gcse.reonline.org.uk/ - KS4 version of the above, with pupil and teacher versions
http://betterre.reonline.org.uk/ - Teacher advice site
http://re-xs.ucsm.ac.uk/ - Lots of information and many links for further info
www.rsrevision.com/schemesofwork - KS3 plans
www.rsrevision.com/GCSE - KS4 ideas

Look at the World in a new way

Worldmapper is a new mapping tool that draws the world according to variables such as education, drought and HIV. The results are clearly shown visually on a map of the globe.

Try www.worldmapper.org

Animation & Art

The Guardian has a collection of animation links on http://education.guardian.co.uk/egweekly/story/0,,2252166,00.html for use in Art or across the curriculum.

PowerPoint Tips 1 - PowerPoint and Sound

A good general guide to PowerPoint, led by Sue Special and Jim Jingle, is at www.actden.com/pp2003. If you can take the American whimsy, it’s a well written trip through the basics, with screendumps to clarify things.
(note - It’s for PP2003: we have 2002, but differences are slight)


To insert and play sound files automatically:
1. Save your sound with a filename you know
2. Insert > Movies & Sound > Sound from File
3. Find and select the file on the system & OK

4. Click Yes - the sound plays as soon as the slide displays.

Click No – you control the sound

To insert and play sound files when you want:
1-3 As above
4. Click No
5. Then decide when it will play. Click Slide Show > Custom Animation, then Right click the sound listed > Click Effect Options





6. Click Timing > Select Animate as part of click sequence & OK

To hide the sound icon:
Just drag the speaker that indicates the sound file off the slide, so it is not seen when the slide is shown

Audio play options
1. Click Slide Show > Custom Animation, then Right click the sound listed > Click Effect Options
2. Click Effect. If the sound needs to continue after this slide, set the Stop playing setting to the number of slides you want to display before the sound stops
3. To Set the sound volume, Click the speaker icon and use the slider
4. To play the sound more than once, Click Timing tab, use Repeat setting & OK

Topmarks Education

This site has collected links for many sites at KS3 and 4, for all curriculum subjects, from Art to Science. There are also whiteboard resources, but these are designated for KS1 & 2 - some may be Newhavened with a little effort

See www.topmarks.co.uk for details