Website and app reviews

By Nigel Paull

Website and apps reviewed for school library staff.


Australian Girls Choir

http://ausgirlschoir.com.au
The Australian Girls Choir has been offering girls eminent performing arts education and opportunities to perform for over 30 years. Its website features background information, enrolment details, training levels, performance highlights, and policies.
SCIS no. 1870561

Australians on the Western Front

https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/history/conflicts/australians-western-front/australian-remembrance-trail
With the centenary of the end of the World War I in November 2018, history students may be focusing on the battles on the Western Front and the Australian Remembrance Trail. The comprehensive and authoritative resources on this website feature multimedia, first-hand accounts from soldiers, timelines, memorials, and details of the new Sir John Monash Centre.
SCIS no. 1870575

Bangarra

www.bangarra.com.au
Bangarra is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation and a renowned performing arts company. Of particular relevance to schools are details of school-based performances and workshops, outreach programs, education resources and teacher-specific seminars.
SCIS no. 1761017

Bloomz: For Teachers & Schools

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/bloomz-for-teachers-schools/id690437499?mt=8
Schools and teachers wishing to keep parents informed may find the attributes of this free, award-winning app beneficial. The app offers quick class updates, real-time communication, student portfolios, behaviour tracking, class calendars, and photo sharing, and is deemed to be safe and secure. Additional material is available via in-app purchase.
SCIS no. 1795234

Cassini’s Grand Tour

www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2017/09/cassini-saturn-nasa-3d-grand-tour
The Cassini spacecraft left Earth 20 years ago and began a journey across the solar system. The images, video, and data sent back are explored on a timeline mirroring Cassini’s voyage. Text and narration accompany the absorbing images.
SCIS no. 1870604

Financial Education

www.rbnz.govt.nz/education
This section of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s website aims to promote economic education to both primary and secondary students via graphics, video lectures, publications, and school visits. Topics include money, banking, regulation, and financial stability.
SCIS no. 1160886

Future Library

www.futurelibrary.no
School library professionals will be intrigued by the concept of this future library in Oslo, Norway. Each year an author produces a manuscript, unread by others, to be published in 2114. Trees were planted in a forest in 2014 to be harvested in 2114 to print this anthology.
SCIS no. 1870654

Monster Chords: Fun with Music

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/monster-chords-guitar-ukulele-fun-learning-game/id1107532469?mt=8
For students wishing to learn basic guitar or ukulele chords, this iOS app offers a quick and easy method. Students progress through different levels on the screen by matching chords to tasks in an integrated game. Initial levels are free; there is a small fee for higher levels.
SCIS no. 1871015

Nowhere to Go

www.wwf.org.au/get-involved/save-koalas
The World Wildlife Fund has published this portion of its website to highlight the fact that koalas in South-East Queensland are on the brink of extinction. Background information and evidence are presented by scientists, and their recommendations are outlined using reports, animation, and videos.
SCIS no. 1870757

Pottermore

www.pottermore.com
An engaging and stimulating website for Harry Potter fans, this resource has been updated and features new content from JK Rowling. Students and teachers will unearth a plethora of fascinating resources; current news; interactive discoveries; and background information on locations, creatures, and spells.
SCIS no. 1565959

Seeing Theory

http://students.brown.edu/seeing-theory
An undergraduate at Brown University initially created this website with the goal of ‘making statistics more accessible through interactive visualizations’. The easy-to-use site explores six topics: basic probability, compound probability, probability distributions, frequentist inference, Bayesian inference, and regression analysis.
SCIS no. 1870770

Ted Instagram

www.instagram.com/ted
With 3.2 million followers of TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), Instagram offers teachers and students a variety of ‘ideas worth spreading’ and topics that can be glimpsed or investigated further at a later time. Any accompanying text is incisively and sparingly written.
SCIS no. 1870777

Nigel Paull

Nigel Paull

Teacher librarian

North Coast, NSW