Learning a new language is never an easy thing - especially if it is the first attempt at a second language. But here is an educational language lab application the provides a great way for language students and teachers to get together online and practice their reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. Schoolshape lets teachers individually oversee each of their students' work and students of all levels can build and submit their portfolio of work simply and easily making this one of the better online language lab apps available. Schoolshape Language Lab is a ... More
Once upon a time, the most frustrating aspect of a meeting away from your office was when you checked in your briefcase for a certain piece of paper only to find that you had forgotten or mislaid it. These days, with a computer close at hand, we seem to have alleviated much of that problem. Away from the computer is a different matter, however. Unless you had the forethought to email yourself the information so that it was easily accessible you still have the same problem. Your information is at one place and you are at another. PDF stash is a cloud-based productivity app that organizes ... More
Let's get this straight from the start. I'm big on good grammar. Anything that can be done to improve the writing capabilities of our students has got to be a good thing. If you are a reader, you will know that there is a big difference between the quality of writing of people like Bill Bryson, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling and John Grisham compared with lesser writing mortals like James Patterson and E.L. James. While we are not suggesting that a grammar checker will propel your prose to those heady heights, Grammar Checker Academic HD is an iOS education and language application that will ... More
I was running a movie rental business a few years ago and the owner asked me one day how we could improve the efficiency of the staff. Rather than sending everyone on a customer relations course my answer was to put them through a typing course. The point of the matter is that it's possible to achieve better results by improving on what you already have rather than taking on more. Legentas is an education application for schools, businesses and lecturers that will teach you how to read at least twice as fast as you do now. This increases productivity as well as looking good on your CV. ... More
It wasn't that long ago that I had an idea to write my first novel. I was fascinated with the concept of so many celebrities dying at the age of 27 (check it out...I'm serious) and I was thinking f a way of weaving the idea into a credible story. Needless to say, the idea of typing the whole thing out and working out various plot lines with little or no blueprint to work from got to me and the project got put on the back burner. The next thing I know, I'm casually doing an Internet search on '27' and there it is. Someone had written a screenplay and made a movie of the story that I wanted ... More
Ever since the introduction of the iPad it has been hailed as the missing link between your computer and your iPhone. There are many apps that simply wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the tablet format because of its size, it's robustness and it's all round user-friendliness. AniMoby Standard offers yet another brilliant concept by virtually turning your iPad into a mobile classroom in a second. It lets you create fabulous looking and quick presentations and lessons using an interactive whiteboard where you can simply write, draw, vocalize and share your pages easily with your students. ... More
Some students are naturals when studying and note taking while others have a few problems maintaining concentration when learning. It's a fact! Some just have those organized minds that can note take and retain information in a logical way but it's not so easy for the rest of us and we may need a little help to bring us up to scratch. Classmint is a new learning and education application that helps make studying easier and makes it easier for the student to retain more information. It does this by adding a fun and interactive aspect to study and note taking. Many students find it ... More
For one reason or another there are more and more parents pulling their kids out of the regular school routine to teach them at home. Its more often when they are younger rather than later in life but it's a growing trend that can't be ignored. Many live in outlying communities and it's not feasible or, in some cases, not possible to get to a school. So, homeschool is a great alternative as well as much as it is for the many that have decided to drop out of the system and reckon they can do it just as well or better themselves. However, even though you are doing it yourself, it doesn't ... More
They say that the only way you can really master another language is by conversing with native speakers in a one-on-one situation. This, however, can be an expensive and time consuming business. However, given that so many of us have webcams connected to our computers these days, it seems like a sensible idea to hone your language skills up online. Fluently takes advantage of this by offering 30 minute language learning sessions - with native speakers with a shared interest, no less - at probably the cheapest rates that you will find. Fluentify connects language learners with real ... More
You may be a good teacher but transferring your undoubted classroom skills into an elearning situation can prove a little problematic -especially if your computer skills aren't all they could be. However, now there is an easy way. Course Toolkit is an educational application where you can either create brand new, media rich and professional looking courses from scratch or import your own existing courses from HTML files. This very flexible app lets you add as many pages as you want, create tests that can be automatically or manually marked and provide a very classy service for your ... More