If you spend time hanging around education blogs and social networks, you will have noticed the rising number of elearning trends out there, most of which claiming that they are the ‘ultimate’ one. In this context, it might be difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff and select the… Read More

We all know someone who is outstandingly brilliant at learning. They are the Stephen Hawking or Marissa Mayer of your class and you’re probably scratching your head wondering why you can’t do it too, am I right? Many students lose motivation when someone else is thriving and you feel as… Read More

Continuing the transformation of our Notes tool that began earlier this year, we’ve added 3 new features for you to try out.  These new additions improve the design of your online notes plus boost their usefulness for your study routine. What’s New? The new features fall under 3 areas; themes,… Read More

A version of this blog post is published on the GoConqr blog here. Learning is about achieving your full potential, not just passing exams or tests. We developed ExamTime to create better learning experiences. As we’ve continually added new features to the platform, we’ve realised the potential for using ExamTime… Read More

At GoConqr (formerly ExamTime), we believe that learning is not just about passing exams. For us, learning is about acquiring knowledge and life-skills that can be applied to solving real problems. This idea is why we love PBL (Project-Based Learning) and the reason why today, we have invited Suzie Boss,… Read More

Every student who aims to become a high-achiever will experience exam stress. It’s an unavoidable part of student life that can be a tough nut to crack. Remember, stress exists for a reason and you can choose to let it be your downfall or use it to drive you to… Read More

It’s time for the hard facts. Final exams are just around the corner and your study in the coming weeks will play a big part in your exam performance. To make sure you obtain the best results you can, you should face these tests with a different approach to the… Read More

Avoiding Summer Reading Meltdown If you are a US high school student, you are probably tired of hearing this, but have you started your summer reading yet? Summer is half way over, and I bet you have barely cracked open a book. Despite popular opinion, your school’s English department did… Read More

Yeah, we all know how much students like to text, right? So, why not take advantage of the SMS Generator, a nifty online generator that mimics the real thing. This cool tool—part of the suite of educational resources available on the ClassTools.net web site—is super simple to use as well as a visually engaging way to allow students to demonstrate knowledge in a way that is super familiar to them. Plus, there’s nothing quite like using a gimmick to grab our students’ interest and attention, right? Working with the SMS Generator goes something like this: After accessing the web site, use the toolbar shown below to create your masterpiece. Click one of the gray or green text messaging icons to begin formulating a conversation. Then continue to click on one of them to add dialogue to the chat. Once the mock exchange is complete, users can do the following with the remaining items on the toolbar: The blue save button does just that—allows users to save the project in order to access and/or edit the message at a later time. The blue gear icon provides users with multiple options including a URL Link, Embed Code, QR Code and/or the ability to Download a Web Shortcut. From here, users can add the image of the text messaging convo to a project, web site, wiki, blog or favorite social media outlet. Is that way cool or what? Oh, and did I mention that this resource is a freebie and requires no registration? As an educator, that’s what I’m talking about! Check out an SMS Generator example shown below—one between characters in a popular novel.  Can you guess which one? Here’s another sample—one between two historical figures. And finally, encourage students to add some wit, humor or sarcasm to a conversation between concepts being discussed in a particular content area—science, math, computers, etc. Classroom Connection: The SMS Generator can be utilized in a variety of ways in any subject area to allow students to practice reading and writing dialogue. Here are some additional ideas to help get you started: » Conversations between two famous people, book characters, animals, friends discussing a movie or event, etc. » Formative assessments for independent reading » Displaying vocabulary and definitions in a fun way » Writing prompts » Poetry activities In addition to these literacy activities, the SMS Generator could be used to teach students proper texting etiquette and digital citizenship.

Your or you’re? There, their or they’re? I suppose it’s the eternal teacher in me, but there’s nothing that makes my head spin like the Exorcist more than seeing the inappropriate use of these words—in the classroom and beyond! As much as I appreciate gadgets and the digital world in which we live, I would probably have to say that I believe all of the quick and casual codes that are often associated with texting, email and social media have somewhat contributed to the massacre of the English language. Don’t get me wrong: I’m guilty of using my own form of communication when I’m banging around on my mobile devices, but when I need to write formally or effectively, I can and do. I sometimes wonder: Can our students do the same? But enough of that totally serious stuff… This was supposed to be a lighthearted post not a debate about technology and its potential effects on grammar. Or is that it’s and affects? Just kidding! Check out the infographic shown below depicting 15 of the most common grammar goofs. It made me laugh (OK, sorta!). If nothing else, learn how you can help your students avoid looking like total hillbillies! A shout out to the Copyblogger for creating and sharing this useful infographic. Classroom Connection: Although this visual certainly does not contain all of the grammar goofs that our students (and colleagues!) are guilty of making, this infographic could be used as a quick reference guide and/or as a fun classroom poster that displays some of the most common grammatical errors.