Shared writing - Part 1: Consumption Tools

Create a simple review to share with your class. Consider the cost, time
commitment, ease of use and final result. Add to the section and improve if you can.
Add a comment if you have a question. If you know of another ICT consumption tool,
add it to the list at the bottom.

Tool Target Cost Ease of Use / Resources available / Pros and Other
Name Audience Navigation end product Cons comment
s

Brain All students Free Very easy to Quizzes Pros: A very

Pop (Year 3 - use and Lesson ideas extremely good
Year 12) appealing to for teachers interactive teacher
visual Videas and resource
learners appealing for with
Mindmaps
Lots of students. It activities
information Games has a huge and lesson
with quick, Web links range of ideas.
simple access Interactive topics to
resources access. It is
also
appealing to
most
demographic
s and types
of learners.
Very easy to
understand
and good
explanation
of content.

Cons: Older
students may
feel that the
website is too
simple and
childish for
them
although
there are a
great number
of resources
for them.
Resources
may not
always be
appropriate
due to the
game-like
nature of the
site
Khan Year 5-12 Fre Easy to use Practice Pros: It has A good
Acade e Questions a large resources
my Appeals to Content range of for
visual, presentation topics to students
auditory, ideas for access. to revisit
logical teachers Easy to topics
mathematica Videos understand they find
l learners. and good difficult.
Interactive
explanation
resources
of content.
Coach
dashboard Cons: Khan
provides a academy
summary of instructors
class can take a
performance while to
respond to
comment. In
the
meantime
someone
else may
post an
incorrect
comment.

EdCan All Year free Easy to use Access to online video Pros: wide
on/ groups teaching resources/ variety of
Playpo easily edit longer videos online
sit content for a
variety of
subjects, can
shorten
videos and
export when
they are too
long.

Cons: Dont
think there
are any, great
tool!

Britannica Years 5-12 Free Easy Search Pros: Cons:

to engine. access to a Can
use, Videos, lot of only
simple images information access
interfa and via
ce information educati
readily onal
available instituti
on

Primary and Free Easy Qui Pros: Very

Behind secondary to zze -Colourful & informa
the News naviga s attractive tive and
te with - -Easy to suitable
clear Stories navigate for
 titles - -Covers a many
and Polls wide range differen
links Uses of topics t ages.
current - Caters for
topics to many Can
construct a different ideally
common age groups be
understand - Classic used
ing for
throughout Cons: primary
the class - may have school
too much student
information s
available at through
once to
middle
school
student
s.

ABC All Free Easy Ga Pros: Lots of

splash to me Fun, fun
use, s inter resourc
clearly Vid acti es,
target eos ve, would
ed at Digi doe be
kids. tal s more
Searc boo not suitable
h ks see for
functio m lower
Aud
n is like second
io
very wor ary, a
clip
handy. k bit too
s
Cons: childish
May for
not upper
be second
able ary.
to
find
dire
ct
links
to
curri
culu
m

Mathletics All grades $$$ Easy - aligned Pros: Lots of

to use to Very resourc
and curriculu inter es out
naviga m acti there
te outcomes ve for
and maths
 -designed cate questio
for all rs ns,
learning for games
styles. mult etc,
-animated iple howeve
support, lear r not
-interactiv ning are of a
e and styl high
video es calibre.
content Cons: Mathleti
-huge Pric cs is
e very
library of
high
printable quality.
eBooks. Compet
itive
and
great
tool to
incorpo
rate
when
have a
few
extra
minutes

Shodor - All grades Free Easy Interactive Pros- Gives Great

Interactiva to use activities visual to show
te and and tools examples student
naviga for a lot of of maths s what
te different concepts. happen
Maths Covers s with
concepts. wide range some
Also of levels concept
includes s when
dictionary changin
of Maths g
terms number
s. Eg.
Statistic
s.

YouTube All Grades Free Easy Most Pros: Lots of

(Ed/Tutori (ads) to use tutorials -Huge rubbish
als) howev are how to range of on the
er type, one- materials to site can
takes way choose be very
time consumptio from distracti
to find n; can be -Fairly good ng,
quality good for search especia
releva prevision/r function lly for
nt evision. -Free teenag
conte Wide -Available ers.
 nt variety of any time
pedagogy. -Variety of
pedagogy

Cons:
-Inflexible
-One way
lesson
-Can be
hard to find
quality
content

TEDed All grades Free Easy Basic Pros:

(ads) to use explanation - large
of multiple range of
topics and resources
ideas, and topics
great for -free
initial -good for
introductio visual
n to learners
concept. Cons:
- copyright
issues
- can be
slightly to
vague and
not content
specific

Education All grades Fee per Simpl Content Pros: gives Very
Perfect student e to delivery, continual useful
use multiple formative educati
choice, and onal
short summative tool,
answer feedback to allows
and teacher flip
extended about the lessons
response progress of ,
questions. every content
Can set student and introdu
tasks for the class as ction,
homework a whole. consoli
or as Structured dation
assessmen in line with and
ts. the WA revision
curriculum. .

Con: Availabl
Expensive, e for
although science
they are and
 usually english.
accommod
ating in
case of
extreme
financial
hardship

iTunes U Year 8-12 Free Simpl Educationa Pro: Availabl

e to l audio and students e as a
use visual tools can search free
from a for and and
variety of access include
sources academic d app
content on all
from iPads.
sources
outside of
the
classroom.
Con:
contributors
are limited
and may
not be
covered in
all areas.

Language All grades Fee per Simpl Content Pros: gives Availabl
Perfect student e to delivery, continual e for
use multiple formative most
choice, and langua
short summative ges
answer feedback to taught
and teacher in
extended about the Australi
response progress of an
questions. every schools
Can set student and
tasks for the class as
homework a whole.
or as Structured
assessmen in line with
ts. the WA
curriculum.

Con:
Expensive,
although
they are
usually
accommod
ating in
case of
 extreme
financial
hardship

BBC Years 8-10 Free. Very Research Pro: Great Availabl

iWonder - easy information research e
Shakespe to and a resource, publicly
are naviga timeline of easy to .
http://www te, Shakespea navigate, is
.bbc.co.uk and is res life. a
/timelines/ a trustworthy
z8k2p39 trustw source.
orthy Con: Not
inform interactive.
ation
sourc
e.

Itunes Secondary Mostly Simpl Range of Pro: Free, Great

podcast students free e to podcasts sometime resourc
use on a able to e for
number of listen to teacher
different world s to
topics experts in learn
their topics content
Con: Need as well
to search
for
appropriate
content,
most
podcasts
would not
satisfy
educational
requiremen
ts, little
oversight
for most
podcasts to
check facts
etc.

PHET All Grades Free Easy Wide Pros: Huge

Simulation to use variety of range of
s and Science simulations
Interactive Navig and Maths provided
simulation ate interactive with
s simulations background
information
for
teachers.
Simulations
 can be
downloade
d or
embedded
into
webpages.

Wikipedia All grades Free Very A massive Information There

easy online is not are
to use database always usually
and of reliable, acade
naviga information and it mic
te on a huge should not referen
range of be used as ces at
topics. an the
academic bottom
reference. of the
wikiped
ia
page,
which
can
provide
useful
links to
resourc
es.

Vimeo All grades. Free Very Currently, it Pros: Go nuts

easy is a small Pot and
to website, enti create
use, however, al to your
its there is gro own
pretty potential w acade
much for it to Eas mic
YouTu grow into y to resourc
be. an use es to
academic and share
hubb. sub with a
mit growing
Frie website
ndly !
user
bas
e
Cons:
Bec
aus
e it
is
quit
e
new
 , it
doe
s
not
hav
e
man
y
reso
urce
s
(but
this
is
cha
ngin
g
and
gro
win
g).
Not
very
well
kno
wn
abo
ut.