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Top tools for teachers

James Thornton

James Thornton

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cap.jpgAs Dan Quayle once so eloquently philosophised “teachers are the only profession that teach our children.” We’ve decided to pay tribute to this noble breed by suggesting some ways in which teachers can make their working life easier. Kicking off a new series on insideTonic spotlighting the top software for certain professions, we’ve plucked a collection of tools designed to help teachers get their message through those thick skulls they so often have to work with.

e-Pointer – If you’ve got a class full of students that need things to be spelt out to them then e-Pointer could make things a little more bearable. The program arms you with a pointer that you can use to draw on screen in order to highlight what you’re talking about or draw attention to a particular area. You can even use it to zoom in on a part of the screen.

Teachers Report Assistant – Producing pupil reports can be one of the most irksome aspects of being a teacher, but this little program could be your next teacher’s pet. The free app allows you to create professional-sounding, individualized report cards in the shortest possible time. The program uses a set of statements written by the teacher or downloaded from the web, which can then be tailored to suit individual students.

Math Test Generator – If your pupils are more interested in climbing tables rather than learning them, you may find that Math Test Generator helps them focus a bit more on their mathematics. Designed for children in grades 3 and under, the program can be used to quickly produce addition, subtraction, multiplication and division tests.

LANvisor – Keeping tabs on what your kids are up to must be a constant battle, so to save you running around each of their desks, you can monitor their activity using LANvisor. You can use the software to see what users do on remote computers and automatically take screenshots, allowing you to keep an eye on the flow and completeness of students’ tasks.

Opus Headstart – A great tool for anyone teaching at primary level, Opus Headstart lets you create interactive learning experiences for your children. The program lets you animate text and graphics easily and incorporate digital images, sound, music or video. The powerful application also creates multimedia internet sites, screensavers and simple games, and you can use it to make comments directly on pupils’ work, on screen, and/or email projects for comments by colleagues.

School Tycoon – At some point in your career you must have thought to yourself that you could do a better job of running the school. Well, here’s your chance to prove it and to escape the pressures of the real life classroom at the same time. Your mission in this game is to build your school complete with classrooms, administration, offices, and sports facilities, before populating the school with teachers and attract students. Don’t forget to keep an eye on pupils and make sure they’re learning otherwise it’s time for detention.

James Thornton

James Thornton

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