Curriculum Online
The Curriculum Online Portal
Curriculum
Online offers a database of certified resources,
searchable by Key Stage, subject and topic,
as well as publisher and software title. These
resources are provided byaccredited publishers,
teachers and public sector bodies such as museums
and galleries and, in the future, the BBC. On
completion of a successful search, users will
find further information about products including
publisher guidance, independent evaluations
and teacher reviews to inform their selection.
E-Learning Credits
This money is now in school as part of the standards fund (618) and can be spent on suitably badged products from qualifying suppliers. Software, as well as online content is eligible, but not hardware.
Although the funds are in the budget for the current financial year (to end March) schools have until August to spend Standards fund money. You will also receive a further allocation of e-learning credits in the new financial year and this is expected to continue to 2006. This means that schools will have time to plan their purchases and also to ensure that the software needs of other subjects in school are considered.
To visit the government's Curriculum Online Portal go to the Curriculum Online home page at http://www.curriculumonline.gov.uk
A useful glossary of e-learning terms is available at http://www.learningcircuits.org/glossary.html
What can we buy?
The purpose of e-learning credits is to enable schools to buy high-quality, interactive, curriculum-focused online content. E-learning credits can be used to purchase software as well as online content. As well as the curriculum online portal you could visit individual suppliers' websites, they have the accreditation badge on their homepage and most have listed the software that can be bought via the credits.
To search for resources visit the curriculum online portal (use the link above).
As members of the Yorkshire & Humberside Broadband Consortium, Kirklees schools have access to free or discounted online resources through the Yorkshire and Humberside Grid for Learning portal. Check out http://www.yhgfl.net/pages/viewpage.asp?uniqid=57
to see what is available. If you follow the URL you will see the list of companies that are offering a discount. In most cases you just simply need to identify on the order that the purchase is subject to the YHGfL discount. However these orders should be placed directly with the company. You should continue to check the website as new offers are being made by companies on a regular basis. (Also, a special offer for all secondary schools through YHGFL is a free copy of Europe in the Round - check the website for information).
Although the main purpose of the e-Learning Credits funding is to assist the purchase of subscriptions to online learning materials, schools can also use the funding to purchase other educational software, at least in the short term. The following companies will allow you to purchase software through ITCAS with discount, using e-learning credits (please make it clear on your order that you want to use your e-learning credits to purchase):
Cricksoft (Clicker) www.cricksoft.com/uk
REM www.r-e-m.co.uk
Sherston Software http://www2.Sherston.com
Granada Learning http://www.granada-learning.com/
Some suppliers are offering discounts directly on their web sites for e-learning credit purchases.
For ideas and suggestions of software and web sites to support the primary curriculum visit the updated resources area in ICT curriulum.
Updated July 2004