POPtalk

Adding a shortcut to your computer desktop is a simple way to provide quick access to the BrainPOP UK website. It can be replicated onto every school computer too.

To help we’ve designed a colourful “Moby” desktop icon set that can be used on any Windows or Apple Mac machine.

Simply create the desktop shortcut, link it to www.brainpop.co.uk and then replace the icon image with one of our specially designed images.

READY? LET’S START

Step 1: Download the right icon file for your computer (download the .zip file to your computer and unzip to somewhere the icon file can be permanently stored)

• BrainPOP UK desktop icon WINDOWS
• BrainPOP UK desktop icon MAC

Step 2: Create the desktop shortcut

• To create short cut in Mac OS X visit this page: How to create weblink shortcut in Mac OS X by Apple support
• To create short cut in Windows visit this page: How to create a weblink shortcut on the desktop by Microsoft support

(Subscribers have the option of requesting an “automatic login link” that not only takes you to the BrainPOP UK website but automatically logs you in at the same time. If this is something you’d like please get in touch.)

Step 3: Change the shortcut picture

Windows:

This is pretty easy but there’s so many versions of Windows out there it means there’s probably subtle difference between each method. The following method works on Windows XP and is likely translatable to other versions of Windows:

1. Right click desktop icon > select “Properties”
2. On the “Web document” tab click “Change Icon” > click “Browse” > browse to wherever you stored the .ico file from Step 1 and select it.
3. Click OK, then OK.

Mac OSX:

1. Open the “Moby-desktop-icon-Mac.icns” file in the Preview application
2. Select ALL images (should be 6 in total) and COPY them.
3. Open the info page for the desktop shortcut by hitting COMMAND-I or right click (hold the control key while clicking) on the item to display the context menu and choose “Get Info”
4. PASTE over the little icon in the upper left corner by hitting COMMAND-v to paste the image
5. You should see the icon graphic change to the BrainPOP image

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We’ve added a new feature to BrainPOP UK this year which will make using our movies even more interactive – whether you’re in the classroom or at home.

A sizeable number of topics on the site now include typeable and printable activities. And while we aim to have activities on every single topic by September you can rest assured that all new movies we’ve added from March forward are guaranteed to include activities.

Here are our 5 top tips for classroom and home use.

1. Thinking ahead 

All activities are typeable and printable so, while they’re great for kids to fill out on-screen after watching the movie, they’re also a good tool to keep in mind when you’re planning.

Because activities can be printed ahead of time students can fill them out as they interact with the movie too.

Here’s a great effort at a “Complete the passage” page from a mini BrainPOPper:

Some activities include recall questions, as well as higher order thinking tasks, e.g. “Think about it”. The History of the UK activity sheet above contains a good example:

This activity could be completed as a whole class but would probably work best in small groups or as homework.

2. Get organised

Some activities include creative graphic organisers such as this one from our new Main Idea movie:

We also have blank graphic organisers available on the site which are great for you to use in a variety of lessons, BrainPOP and otherwise.

3. Vocabulary sheet

Every single activity has at least a vocabulary sheet. You can use these with students before watching the movie to assess prior knowledge, focus attention, or demonstrate understanding. Using the vocabulary sheet helps familiarise students with key vocabulary they’ll encounter in the movie.

It can also be used whilst your viewing the movie to practice note-taking skills. Remember to pause so students have time to write down definitions. Helpfully, words are listed in the order in which they appear in the movie.

Here’s an example of a vocabulary sheet from the History of the UK movie:

4. Hands-on practical

As well as activities which work on expanding vocabulary, exercising literacy and numeracy skills, we have included activities with a more “hands-on” practical element. For example, our Space Flight topic challenges the student to design a real rocket launch:

5. Time to spare? 

In addition to integrating BrainPOP into lesson plans, remember that it only takes a few minutes to show a movie and take advantage of those in-between – unplanned – times by transforming them into teaching moments. Our class discussion page provides helpful tips on how to easily fit a lesson based on a news event into the curriculum you follow but you can also rely on activities to fill a quiet five minutes before lunch.

For example, the Elvis Presley topic features a word search:

However you choose to use them, make sure to take advantage of the pedagogical benefits available. A quick summary:

• Activities are typeable and printable
• Activity sheets are a helpful note-taking tool while watching the movies
• Activities can be completed either as a whole class on an interactive whiteboard, individually, or in small groups
• Return to the activity pages after watching the movie
• Assign activities for homework

As ever, if you have any classroom tips for how to use activities in lessons, we’d love to hear from you! Email info@brainpop.co.uk with lesson plans, tips and tricks.

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Does your school subscribe to BrainPOP UK?

Is your school a Google apps user with a Google apps domain?

Then pour yourself a nice hot cup of tea, sit down, and take a deep breath. We’ve got some major news for you.

We’ve teamed up with Google to provide schools and LAs that are Google Apps users with a Google Apps domain to access BrainPOP UK resources via your Google account AND to be able to export quiz results directly into a Google Doc spreadsheet.

And the app is completely free.

Bet you’re glad you sat down now, eh?

Look! It's BrainPOP UK in your Google toolbar

Single Sign-On

If you’re logged into your school Google account you can now access BrainPOP UK straight from your toolbar.

1. Ask your Google Administrator to add the BrainPOP UK app. Search the Google EDU Marketplace for BrainPOP UK.
2. Click ‘Add’.
3. Under “configure” you add your BrainPOP UK login details. This links your Google account with your BrainPOP account.

You will now be able to access BrainPOP UK seamlessly under your Google toolbar under “More” alongside other apps you’ve installed.

This means you now have the convenience of a single sign-on. Teachers and students will be able to access BrainPOP UK directly using their Google Apps account. Cool, huh?

That’s not all. The REALLY cool bit is next.

Track and Store Student Progress using Google docs

After completing any BrainPOP UK graded quiz, a 4th option will magically appear – “Send to Teacher’s Google Spreadsheet”.

Send your BrainPOP UK quiz results to your teacher's spreadsheet

Once they do, the student will be prompted for the teacher’s email address. The results will be automatically sent to a spreadsheet that will appear among the teacher’s Google docs. Within the spreadsheet, each topic the teacher assigns gets its own worksheet (“tab”), storing students’ first, second, and most recent quiz score along with their names and Google App IDs. A summary sheet is included to help teachers further customise the data.

Remember – students will only have the option of sending their answers to their teacher’s spreadsheet if the student has logged in to BrainPOP UK through Google Apps. If you log directly into BrainPOP UK this 4th option will not appear.

Stuff you might want to know

How do I integrate my BrainPOP UK account with Google Apps?

When the app is installed, the system administrator will be prompted to integrate the accounts. If you do not integrate the accounts, or you do not have a BrainPOP UK account, you will still be able to access our free content through the Universal Navigation Menu and enjoy the integration of our quizzes with Google Spreadsheets.

Can I sign in to BrainPOP UK manually and still send my results to a spreadsheet?

No, the ability to save quiz results to a teacher’s spreadsheet is only available when you access BrainPOP UK directly from Google Apps.

When I choose to send my results, I’m asked for my teacher’s email address. Which one should I use?

You’ll need to use your teacher’s Google Apps email address to make sure the quiz results are sent properly. Ask him or her what that is.

Why can’t I resend my results after choosing the “Retake the Quiz” option?

You can’t send your quiz results more than once in a single session. The next time you visit BrainPOP UK to take the quiz, however, you will be able to.

I use Google Docs at school. Am I able to take advantage of this integration?

While Google Apps does utilise Google Docs and Google Spreadsheets, your school must be a Google Apps user with a Google Apps domain.

Learn a little more from this Google video about the EDU marketplace

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One of our most unassuming (but most visited) pages is the New Movies page.

It simply does one thing very well: it shows you the latest movies to the site. But we think it can do a little more so we’re having a look at how it can be improved (suggestions below please if you have them!).

In the meantime, you may not have noticed but we upload at least two fresh topics every Monday (we call it “New Movie Monday”. Yes, we know that’s not exactly the height of originality but at least you know what you’re getting). If you’re so inclined follow @brainpop_uk on Twitter as we often tweet when the new movies are live.

These are movies brand new to BrainPOP UK and come from all the areas of the curriculum. They are each fully fledged topics and come with the wonderful POPquizzes and FYIs you know and love.

So banish those Monday blues and check in with the new movies page. You never know what awesome stuff you can learn to kick start the week.

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There’s been a discreet but powerful new tool added to BrainPOP UK movies: Subtitles.

If you look at the movie player bar on any movie you will now see an “S” button.

Clicking this button will show and hide subtitles for that movie. Like this:

Why have we added subtitles?

There’s a range of benefits to transcribing the movie and displaying subtitles.

1. The most obvious benefit is to students with a hearing impairment, or even students at the back of class who may not be able to hear Tim & Moby as well as those at the front.
2. Subtitles encourage reading – just having the subtitles showing will make the students read without even knowing they’re doing it (stealth reading?). Be default this will improve reading and spelling skills.
3. We highlight key vocabulary in the movie directly where we can but the subtitles means that ALL vocabulary is picked up and displayed.
4. Some schools have headphones in their ICT suite and some do not. Or as a teacher you may not want the noise of a movie playing on one machine to disturb other parts of the class. Subtitles mean the sound can remain off, if needed.
5. Shared multimedia text – the class will be reading the subtitles, hearing the audio and seeing the animation as as a group. This means that reflection or extension work post playing the movie can be confidently delivered knowing the subtitles will have helped everyone to better understand the concepts Tim & Moby are delivering.
6. Pausing – stopping the action is a tip we’ve promoted before. But with subtitles on you can stop and focus on key vocabulary too, encourage note taking or allow the class to catch up on specific points.
7. You can turn the subtitles on and off at any point, without interrupting the movie. This means you remain in control of displaying the text.

We’re sure you will find other ways to use the subtitles to suit certain teaching experiences. If you have a tip or trick of your own please share it below.

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We’ve been busy making some oh so subtle yet brilliant updates to the site. So brilliant, in fact, you might think BrainPOP UK always worked this way.

We’ve improved your topic journey so that now, when a movie has finished playing, not only can you replay it but you can quickly opt to take the POPQuiz or check out the FYI. Especially handy if you’ve just watched the movie on full screen.

And, we have added subtitles to every single movie:

The subtitles button is right next to the full screen button below the movie. You can click on it any time during the movie to see the subtitles then, if you don’t want to see them anymore, just click the same button again.

These two small, but significant, updates should make your BrainPOP UK experience smoother and more enjoyable.

Think of us as a swanky sports car, if you will…where you receive the newest model without having to ask or pay any more!

Remember, we are always open to comments and feedback on our site – as we make it for you! Do you like these changes? Would you like to see any other enhancements to your BrainPOP UK experience?  Let us know, either by emailing info@brainpop.co.uk or comment below.

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To celebrate the launch of a brand new feature to BrainPOP UK – the ‘FYI’ resource that now accompanies every topic – we asked you to record yourselves saying “For Your Information” And boy, did you come up trumps with some really creative ways to say “FYI”!

Thank you to @relativism, Amanda Morgan, David Rogers, Chris Hall, Margaret Ashworth, Dave Morrison, Leisel, Peter West, Jenny Campbell, Harriet Brinton, Lestat and Leroy, Rumi, Hazel, Nathan, Zoe and everyone else for your submissions. And congratulations to @relativism who won a free 6 month school subscription for her class submission.

So visit BrainPOP UK today and select any topic. On the topic page will be a button that opens up the FYI. Bear in mind that you need to have a free trial or subscription to view them.

Have YOU subscribed to BrainPOP UK yet?

If not, this could be your lucky day. We are offering you the chance to claim a 15% discount off any annual school subscription until midnight, Monday 30th September 2010. Simply quote “hifyi” when placing your order.

What are FYIs?

• Every single topic now has a brand new FYI with Graphs & Stats, Famous Faces, In Depth, Way Back When, Real Life, Q&A…and more. Each FYI contains up-to-date facts, figures and fun.
• We believe the best learning happens outside school; FYIs not only encourage curiosity in the world around us but encourage further research and investigation.
• After introducing a topic for the first time with a short movie and quiz, an FYI can often be the best way to fuel that initial interest and desire to learn more.
• If you’re doing a class project in a certain subject area, FYIs can provide additional breadth – including a broad range of cross-curricular info.

FYIs offer oodles of extension material for further reading, homework, class projects and, most importantly, fun, engaging, learning. Why not visit your favourite topic and check out the FYI now? www.brainpop.co.uk

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Packed full of further information, FYIs are coming soon…

• Around the World
• Graphs, Stats & Numbers
• Arts & Entertainment
• In practice
• Quotables
• Comic Strip
• Did you know?
• In Depth
• Flora & Fauna
• Design
• Trivia
• Q&A
• Careers
• Mother Nature
• Language
• Gadgets
• Unsolved Mysteries
• Myths
• Discoveries & Inventions

…and more!

FYIs are coming to every single topic, in each subject area, all at once.

One to whet your appetite? Here’s an FYI from one of our brand new topics, Measuring Matter.

You still have time to submit creative FYIs here. Deadline is 5pm Thursday 9th September.

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• For Your Information – The Movie

We’re about to welcome a brand new feature to BrainPOP UK: The FYI.

FYIs contain astonishing facts, figures and information, to be used as extension material to the BrainPOP UK movies. Every movie will soon have its very own FYI.

And, just for fun, we’re putting together a little viral movie that we want YOU to star in called “How many ways are there to say “For Your Information“?

It’s very simple.

1. Video yourself or create an image saying/displaying the phrase “For Your Information“.
2. Say it, shout it, whisper it, sing it, sign it, synthesise it. Write it on a blackboard. Create it in alphabetti spaghetti. Ask your parrot to repeat it. Any way you like (be creative but no naughtiness please).
3. Submit your video or image using the form below or by email to info@brainpop.co.uk

Some last things:

• It has to be your own original work. Don’t include any commercial music or anything as we won’t be able to use it.
• The final edit will be going on our Youtube channel as an embeddable, sharable movie.
• The best/most creative/funniest “For Your Information” will win a 6 month subscription to BrainPOP UK. Editor’s decision is final. Everyone who submits an entry will have a sneak peak at some of the FYIs in advance.
• The cut off date for submissions is 5pm 9th September 2010, so you’ve only got about a week to join in. Its premiere will be 13th September, alongside the FYIs.

So go for it! Tim, Moby & The BrainPOP UK team cannot wait to see what you can do.

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Up for a rescue mission? Taking responsibility to reboot, recycle and reuse with this Spotlight on your world.

Topics included in Reboot, Recycle, Reuse include:

• Air Pollution
• Energy Sources
• Extinction
• Fossil Fuels
• Natural Resources
• Nuclear Energy
• Fighting Hunger
• Global Warming
• Greenhouse Effect
• Organic Food
• Population Growth
• Recycling
• Water Pollution

We put a request out last month for any recycling ideas you’ve used in school so we were really pleased when David Rogers (@daviderogers), Curriculum Leader for Geography at the Priory School in Portsmouth, sent us this super cross-curricular recycling lesson idea. Let us know if you use it!

David Rogers’ Recycling Lesson Idea: “We do this at my department, and are always really surprised at the fantastic ideas!”

“This lesson aims to get young people involved in changing their school community. Through a geographical enquiry, pupils will investigate the current state of recycling in the school and suggest improvements to the Headteacher.

To start: Investigate the ideas behind recycling. A good introduction is the BrainPOP UK movie on Recycling.

It would also be a good idea to follow up the idea with the POPquiz.

The key question to consider is whether recycling is a good idea.  Use the Learning Event Generator to give the class some random choices of how to present their argument.

The next stage is to discover whether recycling goes on in your school. This takes the place of a Doorstep Geography investigation.  Expanding some of the ideas covered in the BrainPOP movie, pupils work together (getting in some nice PLTS action) to create a questionnaire and data collection strategy.

For example, pupils could:

• Count the number and type of recycling facilities that the school has
• Find out what local facilities for recycling there are. You could even organise a trip to a recycling centre or get a guest speaker to come in. This is important, as different local authorities have different approaches to recycling.
• Speak to key staff such as the catering manager, curriculum leaders, senior leaders…
• Question their peers about recycling habits

After this, the class should be able to crunch the numbers in order to present their data.  What have they found out? Is your school good at recycling?

I then give my classes a number of options.  In order to link in to Citizenship, we give each class a real budget in order to run a campaign.  This could be either a campaign to reinforce the recycling message, or to suggest how the school could do better at recycling.

Get the class to decide on ideas. For example, will they create posters or send emails to the Head? The budget covers things like photocopying and gives a realistic insight into enterprise – how effective will their campaign be? Pupils may find that staff do not recycle because of a lack of facilities at school.  They could campaign for better facilities.

This is a simple idea that extends some of the ideas behind the BrainPOP movie and empowers students to take an active interest in their community.

By learning about responsible protest, they become better citizens!”

We’d love to hear the ideas your students come up with. If you’re not based in a school, try this idea out at home. Instead of suggesting improvements to the Headteacher, how about suggesting improvements to parents?

To encourage you to get started, we’ve produced a Reboot, Recycle, Reuse poster especially for this Spotlight:

Click image to start download

Download and pin it up at school or at home so you always remember Tim & Moby’s tips on being green.

P.S. You will need a PDF reader such as Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the poster. Download the latest version here: http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/

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