• 28 Jul

    One of the most popular movies on BrainPOP UK is our Blog movie. We love to blog too. You might have noticed.


    In fact, we believe in it so much as a way to express yourself and your ideas that we’d like to showcase some real class blogs, or school blog initiatives & projects. Not blogs written by teachers. Blogs written by kids.

    We want to find 4 classroom blogs to form our new blogging series: “Digitalk - classroom voices”

    We’ve seen some extremely interesting, passionate, engaging classroom blogging happening in UK schools and we want to spotlight your work on the POPtalk blog. We want to email interview and feature class blogs written and run by kids, of any age. Why? For fun and inspiration.

    Or, if you’re feeling creative, you can present your work in any digital form/tool you like e.g. video, audio, presentation, animation…as long as we can embed it and write about it here.

    This is an opportunity to tell the world about YOUR blog. For example:

    • What sort of things do you blog about?
    • What are the best/worst things about blogging?
    • How do you decide what to write?
    • What have been your biggest success stories?
    • What’s the hardest thing about writing for a blog?
    • How do you combine it with school work?
    • Do you use multimedia or social networking in your blog? If so, how?
    • If you could say one thing to an aspiring class blogger what would it be?

    Your blog doesn’t have to be slick, cool or popular - it just has to be authentic and interesting. Watch this video “What pupils at HeathfieldCPS think of blogging!”:

    We will feature one blog a month between September and December 2010. Your interview (with any multimedia you can give us like screenshots, videos, podcasts etc) will appear here on POPtalk and will hopefully encourage our readers to check you out and be inspired.

    Think your blog fits the bill? Does your class deserve to be one of the 4? Are you a teacher who would like to nominate your class’s blog?

    Then email info@brainpop.co.uk and we’ll be in touch.

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  • 26 Jul

    It’s essential that the numbers add up in these rough and tumble financial times which is why we’re doing a Managing Your Money Spotlight in September.

    We think it’s time to take stock, invest your interest and give credit where credit’s due as Tim & Moby get clued up on money matters. The Spotlight will feature Maths topics like Basic Probability and Finding Percentages as well as personal finance topics like Stocks and Shares and Credit Cards.

    Here comes the interesting bit…

    Teach Primary magazine are putting together a special Maths focus for September which ties in ever so nicely with our Spotlight. So we’ve booked one page in the magazine to showcase a KS2 teacher’s thoughts and opinions on teaching financial skills and understanding to 7-11 year olds. This is your chance to share what works in your class with over 20,000 Teach Primary readers.

    What do you do in your classroom, or see reflected at home with your kids, to teach them how to save and spend wisely?

    • What resources do you use?
    • Are your kids “money sensible” or total spendaholics?
    • Do they understand credit, interest or saving or the ‘value’ of money?
    • How have you explained the “credit crunch”?
    • What worries your pupils about the current financial crisis? What questions are they asking?
    • How do you use Maths in your financial literacy lessons?

    So, if you think you can help us, please submit your idea(s) and we’ll discuss the next steps. The article is 500 words and will be published in the September issue of Teach Primary magazine. The deadline for submission is 5th August. If more than one teacher submits an idea we withhold the right to approve the final decision as to which author we choose.

    We promise it’ll be fun and a worthwhile thing to do. We’ll also promote your article in POPtalk with the BrainPOP UK community. In return we’ll recompense you accordingly with an economically viable free 6 month subscription to BrainPOP UK and a goody bag too.

    Email info@brainpop.co.uk as soon as you can and we’ll get back to you with more information.

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  • 26 Jul

    **This position is now closed as of 6/10/2010. Thank you to everyone who applied**

    Fancy working with a fresh and remarkable elearning provider based in the glorious city of Oxford?

    You will be:

    • Running a set of daily lead and customer processes, so you have to be diligent and organised
    • Managing data and producing reports. The idea of playing with spreadsheets must fill you with excitement
    • Regularly talking by phone to our customers so you must be personable, persuasive and confident
    • Researching customer data, issues and opportunities
    • Conducting general administrative duties for the team as required

    Essential:

    • Experienced with the internet and MS Office suite – data manipulation, mail merge, diary management
    • Happy to help – you will be the team’s “go-to” Admin/Support person
    • Excellent data management and manipulation skills
    • Likeable, sunny, engaging phone manner
    • Totally customer-centric. We really mean this one!

    Desirable:

    • Internet and social media savvy
    • CRM experience, with the ACT! CRM system if you have it
    • An understanding of the UK Education market
    • Telesales or call centre experience

    The role will start on 24 hours per week. We’ll need you in the office every day but we’re flexible if you need to discuss setting your own schedule. Salary and benefits will be discussed on application but we’re not cheapskates as our standards are high. We don’t expect the successful candidate to be less than deserving.

    If this seems right up your alley, get your CV to Louise Hughes before 10th August 2010. Email louiseh@brainpop.co.uk.

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  • 21 Jul

    We think we offer one of the easiest and most flexible school subscription models around but we also are well aware that this is only an assumption! This article is intended to help establishments that are considering subscribing to BrainPOP UK.

    Click to download our order form

    This article covers:

    • How to decide on the right subscription type
    • Different school types
    • Renewals
    • International customers

    Choosing the right BrainPOP UK subscription type is easy. You just need to answer these 3 questions:

    1. How many people do you want to buy access for (students, teachers, support staff, parents etc)? Just you? The number on roll? Teaching staff only? Teachers & Pupils from a particular Key Stage? Find the user band that fits your audience size.
    2. How will it be used?
      • Will it be used in school only?  Then choose the School hours only 8am-4pm option.
      • Do you want your teachers and pupils to access BrainPOP UK outside of school for revision, extension activities, lesson planning, parental engagement and so on? Then choose the 24/7 option (most schools do).
    3. How long do you want the subscription to last? Our standard subscription is 12 months – the price goes down if you buy 2 or 3 years up front.

    So…no. of users + access time + length of subscription = the subscription that’s right for you. Have a look at our BrainPOP_UK_School_order_form to see the different subscription types.

    A few examples:

    1) Stuart, a Deputy Head at a secondary school in Manchester, asked his management team to review BrainPOP UK during his free trial. He got great feedback across the faculty, he had the budget so he decided to buy for the whole school. He especially noted its benefit as a homework tool. His no. on roll was 1376 pupils so he choose the Blue Whale (500+ users) with 24/7 access for 12 months. They paid £699.

    2) Dawn is a Senior ICT Teacher at a Primary School in London who wanted BrainPOP UK just for KS2 pupils (she teaches Y5/6). There were 180 pupils in KS2. So she subscribed to the Lion (100-249 users) for School hours only. She also made the order within her trial period, thus securing an extra 10% discount on top. Her school paid £269.10.

    3) Robert is a Geography teacher who loves BrainPOP UK resources but the school did not have the budget to buy it for all pupils. But that didn’t stop him – he used his departmental budget to buy a Single Teacher (1 user only) which gives him 24/7 access. He was invoiced for £99 and he regularly uses it as a front of class resource as a topic starter.

    I want the School hours only subscription but my school is open 7am-5pm, not 8am-4pm.

    We can be totally flexible and set the limits bespoke for your school, within reason. Just ask.

    I’m a school and I want to use it in and out of school hours.

    Then you need to purchase the 24/7 subscription type which can be accessed anywhere you can get to the Internet.

    If I buy the 24/7 version how do my pupils log in outside of school?

    BrainPOP UK is a single sign on resource. So buying a Lion licence does not mean 249 different user names! Everyone uses the same username and password. As the product is licensed to YOUR establishment you will need to provide out of school access or authentication details via a VLE, Gateway or protected page. You are NOT allowed to publicly display your log in details. We also can offer Shibboleth authentication and IP restricted access – contact us for details.

    Can I buy BrainPOP just for e.g. Science?

    Yes, but we don’t offer a segregated “Science” subscription, or limit which topics you can access. Think about it this way: it’s likely that your Science intake numbers will fall under the Monkey/Small size subscription (up to 99 users), or possibly the Single teacher (one user only).  Either of these subscription types will give you ALL the Science topics AND all the other BrainPOP UK resources.

    Can I buy BrainPOP UK using a school credit/debit card?

    Yes. All you need to do is tell us that you want to pay by this method when you order and we’ll invoice appropriately. We’ll be in touch to organise a secure payment.

    Can I upgrade or downgrade my Subscription?

    It may be that you want more users to have access to BrainPOP UK later down the line, or indeed, less. We’re happy that you just keep BrainPOPping. You can upgrade your subscription type any time (we simply invoice you for the difference) but only downgrade when your current subscription expires. So get in touch and we’ll organise the shift.

    Can I buy for multiple schools at once? Should I buy per school or add up the number of potential users?

    Sorry not to give you a direct answer but this type of thing would need to be discussed with one of the BrainPOP UK team to make sure we build you the right subscription with the right access at the right price. It’s entirely possible though and buying for more than one school at a time will definitely save you money. We facilitate cluster group purchasing more and more these days.

    I am buying for a virtual school  – how does this work?

    Virtual schools are treated no differently to any other school in terms of how you choose your subscription and how we invoice. The purchasing organisation will be the licensed institution and will be responsible for monitoring access and managing any renewal.

    I am an International school – can I buy BrainPOP UK?

    Of course! There are many schools around the world that follow a UK curriculum. We may have a re-seller agreement in your area though so please contact us before placing your order. We would usually convert the subscription price to the current conversion rates between sterling and your local currency. Otherwise it’s business as usual and we can issue an invoice to your school.

    How do I renew?

    You won’t be automatically renewed – we want you to choose to continue. We will be in touch at several points via email, phone and by mail towards the end of your subscription period so you can plan and budget. Don’t worry about losing access whilst you organise the renewal – we’ll make sure your access continues, just ask.

    How do I place my order?

    Download the BrainPOP_UK_School_order_form > fill it in > post or fax it to us. Or just call us up. Or email us. Or Tweet us. Or come and see us at an exhibition. You decide! We’re very nice, promise.

    Are there any questions we haven’t asked and answered? You can get in touch for a private reply or post your questions as comments below.

    Remember, above all, it’s more important to us to be flexible and help you than anything else.

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  • 12 Jul

    Last week saw the Queen addressing the General Assembly of the United Nations for the first time in more than half a century…but in other news, it’s the first time EVER she’s appeared on BrainPOP UK!

    More tea, your Majesty?

    In our latest UK specific movie, Tim and Moby describe the many intricacies of being The Queen.

    You’ll discover what it means to be Head of State; the difference between queen and government; how many countries are in the Commonwealth; and the conflicting views of the Republicans versus the Monarchists. You’ll also learn why the Queen visits all those overseas countries; why she frequently hosts garden parties; and how she honours those who have been of service to the country. And, just how long has she been in the job?

    We’ve made it our featured movie this week, so grab yourself a cuppa and sit down for an audience with The Queen.

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  • 07 Jul

    You might have noticed a new button on the home page of BrainPOP UK.

    Click that button and you’ll be whisked off to a new BrainPOP service – www.brainpopesl.com

    If you are reading this blog, you probably already know about Moby and Tim, but what you probably didn’t know is that Moby has lots of friends, including his newest buddy Ben, with whom he has recently started helping kids learn English.

    BrainPOP ESL is an international resource, designed to be used anywhere in the world, as there are kids who want to speak English everywhere.

    But why ESL? English as a Second Language is one of the many phrases that are used when introducing and teaching English to those who already have a language. There are many different terms, pedagogies and androgogies, but when it boils down to it – this is all about teaching kids to speak, read and understand English – as a living language.

    For many readers of this blog, it is most likely that BrainPOP ESL would support EAL sessions with kids arriving in your schools from elsewhere in the world, without enough English to take part in mainstream lessons.  Whether they are from Pakistan, Peru or Poland – Moby can help them to get a firm grounding in speaking and using English with confidence – and have fun too!

    This innovative program takes the student from the very beginning of English learning to a sophisticated level of English knowledge and competency. BrainPOP ESL has already won awards and been hugely well received. BrainPOP ESL offers comprehensive English learning content that is lively and engaging while providing rigorous, structured instruction. For further details see our BrainPOP ESL FAQs.

    BrainPOP ESL is managed by the BrainPOP US team and they will handle all invoicing and payments. Cost of access for a year starts at £50* for home users, or £76.10**  for schools.

    If you want to evaluate BrainPOP ESL simply sign up for free trial access .

    If you wish to purchase a subscription to BrainPOP ESL , or have any further questions, please get in touch!

    * (Family option, at current currency conversion rates. Please ask us when ordering for up to the minute costs)

    ** (Single Classroom option, at current currency conversion rates. Please ask us when ordering for up to the minute costs)

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  • 05 Jul

    The thigh bone’s connected to the knee bone…but this Spotlight isn’t just about bones, it’s about the intricate systems inside the human body: Spotlight on BodyPOPping.

    Moby's insides are very different to yours!

    We’ve collected our body “systems” topics together so, after you’ve watched them all, you’ll know exactly how your inside’s work and how the systems link together to keep you going day in, day out.

    Topics for the Spotlight on BodyPOPping include:

    Here are a few activities to reinforce the learning in the Body POPping movies:

    1. Scientist Moby (7-14 year olds)

    When Adam and Joe blogged about paper characters of themselves last year, we jumped at the chance to get some paper Moby templates made. We contacted Sally Grosart who kindly designed some fantastic paper templates for us. And now we’ve found an opportunity to share them with you.

    Fancy Moby as a lab partner? We would too! Make this scientist Moby to help you get your Science head on for this Spotlight:

    Click to start download

    What you need:

    • The Scientist Moby cut-out
    • Scissors
    • Glue
    • A little patience…

    What to do:

    Download Scientist Moby then print off on a blank sheet of A4 paper or card (use scrap paper or the side of a cereal box cut down to size if you can!).

    Using your scissors, carefully cut along the “CUT” lines. You might need an adult to help you with the slits for the arms.

    Once you’ve cut out all of the different parts, take your time to make the folds and glue where instructed. It might be easier to make Moby’s head first, it’s the easier part, so that way you get used to the gluing and folding. Don’t worry if you make a mistake, you can just print off another copy.

    Hopefully, you should end up with something a little like this…

    Send us a photo of your completed Scientist Moby and we’ll send you a special Einstein Moby badge (and a few bonus badges too). Email your photo to info@brainpop.co.uk and we’ll post it on Flickr and Facebook. You can see more of Sally’s work here.

    There are more paper template Moby’s coming in future Spotlights so watch this space!

    2. Taking your pulse (10-14 year olds)

    You might need help from a teacher or parent for this activity but, once you find your pulse, you’ll be able to find it time and again.

    Place your index and middle finger of your writing hand firmly on the inside wrist of your non-writing hand. Your fingers should be two fingers space away from the heel of your wrist.

    If you can’t find your pulse there, try placing your index and middle finger on the underside of your jaw, on your throat, instead.

    There  are more detailed instructions here.

    What’s my heart rate?

    Once you’ve found your pulse, count how many beats it makes in 6 seconds on the clock. Then, multiply this number by 10.

    This figure tells you how many beats your heart makes in a minute.

    Learn how the human heart works by watching the movie - Heart.

    3. Heart rate experiment (11-14 year olds)

    This is a fun activity to help you see how exercise affects your heart and respiratory system.

    What you need:

    What to do:

    Working in pairs, you and your partner should take note of your pulse on this sheet to record your results. Record this as your resting heart rate.

    Now for the fun bit…jump up and down, hop, skip or run for 1 minute! It’s even more fun if you can do this to music.

    When your minute’s up, take your pulse again and have your partner record it on the worksheet.

    Now it’s your partner’s turn to exercise for a minute. Record your partner’s pulse rate on the worksheet.

    After a minute’s rest, take your pulse one more time and record on the worksheet.

    1. What happened to your pulse after you exercised?
    2. What happened to your pulse after you took  a rest? Did it return to your resting heart rate?
    3. Why did your pulse speed up?

    Learn why it’s good that your pulse rate increases through exercise by watching the Fitness movie.


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  • 02 Jul

    Hayley is the newest addition to the BrainPOP UK team and she’s mega keen on all things gaming and ICT-related so last week she popped along to Channel 4’s 2010 Education Conference.

    The Conference “focussed on the latest Government policies and the Opposition’s plans; explored how innovators in education are responding to the challenges, and showcased some of Channel 4′s new education projects on citizenship, science and games.”

    So, bearing in mind the large variety of topics covered on the day, e.g. “free schools”, here are some of the highlights from Hayley’s day…

    I’d never actually been to the Channel 4 building before so I was more than a bit surprised when I saw their huge “4” sculpture made of umbrellas – just like their adverts!

    As a bit of a self-professed geek, the part of the day I got most excited about were the presentations by Matt Locke and Alice Taylor. Matt talked about what Channel 4’s been up to over the last year like their 1066 game, which surprised them all with its popularity, and Science of Scams.

    While last year’s projects are interesting, it’s what Channel 4 education is up to this year that I got really excited about.

    One that stood out was “The Curfew”. Really intriguing, it’s a game that looks at surveillance and authoritarianism set in an Orwellian near-future Britain. Immersive and interesting, it certainly looks like something I’ll end up playing when it comes out later this month. Plus, anything that helps young people engage with politics is a good thing!

    Author of Fun Inc, Tom Chatfield, gave a really interesting talk about the role of play in learning and how it transforms the notion of failure into opportunities, from “I failed” to “I haven’t done it yet.”

    I’ll leave the final note to Zenna Atkins, Chair of Ofsted, who summed up the general feeling of the day quite nicely by saying (and I paraphrase),

    “good teachers are absolutely vital and good teachers will use these instruments (new technology) to enhance what they are teaching.”

    We’ll make sure to keep an eye out for the transcript of the conference which should appear on the Channel 4 website soon and we’ll post a link here when it’s ready.

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