Easy Technology uses for Prep School children

I teach in a prep school, which is kind of like a primary school but we go up to year 8. That means that not everything I read about will work with the children I teach, so I pick and choose what I like to try out in lessons. There are obviously easy activities to do with the older children in years 7 and 8 but I find it a bit more difficult to pitch the right way to blend technology in with my years 5 and 6. Sometimes it takes them forever to type in a web address and even when I shorten them I find they often get it wrong and we waste half the lesson uploading a Padlet wall! Here are a few activities which I have found really work.

• Internet Search Races

I am super fortunate to have an Apple Tv and when we use the iPads I often ask my classes a question and then we have a race to find the answer with the winner being able to airplay what they have found on the board. This is very competitive and exciting and we often have some tense moments as they get close to the right bit of information. It's important to make clear that they need to know the answer, rather than just know they have the website with it on. I will get them to explain the answer they have found.

• Tellagami

This is something which I have only just introduced into my teaching. Currently it is not an app we have on all our devices so I can't use it extensively. But I used this as a real carrot today when we were looking at the difference between Reform and Orthodox Jews. The person who finished first and had written a very clear explanation would be able to record an avatar they designed explaining what we had learnt in the lesson. At the end we airplayed the video and watched it together. Doing this in the lessons and keeping the videos could be an excellent way to put together a learning folder which could be used when they come to revise for their end of year exams. It will be a digital reminder of what we have covered in the lessons.

The best thing about this app is how excited they were by it. They were all asking me the name and planning to go home and download it on their own devices.

• Youtube quizzes

The get very excited by videos and it is a great way to control the room as I know they will always pay attention. After we have watched one I can give them a quiz about what they learnt. Or get them to write down everything they can remember. A great clip we used recently when looking at the Torah was this one:

It was perfectly pitched for 10 year olds and they loved how fun it was.