Collaborate with other teachers on tasks
You now have finer control when setting tasks for your students:
- You can set tasks for individual students or selected students within a class rather than simply for the whole class
- You can add (or remove) students from tasks after the tasks have already started.
- You can specify other teachers to collaborate with you on the task, for example to help with answering student questions, grading or supervision, and can also add (or remove) teachers after the task has started.
The task setting functionality is available to Schoolshape subscribers only. Please request a free trial if you would like to find out more.
CloudCaster - a collaborative recording app for MFL
Schoolshape announce the general availability of CloudCaster, a collaborative recording app.
CloudCaster enables
- students to record themselves speaking a foreign language;
- students to send recordings to teachers or to exchange partners for assessment;
- recordings and assessments to be kept in student portfolios;
- teachers to give feedback via text or by recording audio; and
- "penfriend conversations", whereby a student and his/her exchange partner can practice their speaking skills by recording a conversation together over a period of time, one sentence at a time.
CloudCaster currently functions on Chrome, Firefox and Android, and will be made available on iOS in the near future.
CloudCaster is available for free to everyone with standard audio quality. Higher audio quality along with management and supervision tools are available to subscribers.
To try CloudCaster now, visit schoolshape.com/home and select "Speak"
Schoolshape Worksheets are now automatically graded
We have added automatic grading to Schoolshape worksheets. Partial credit is available for reattempting an incorrect answer, and teachers can also change and set their own grades.
Worksheets gain support for assigning tasks
Schoolshape subscribers can now assign worksheets as tasks which appear on student todo lists. When the student starts completing the worksheet, you will be automatically given access to their answer.
To assign a task, click the "Assign" button on any worksheet, and choose which students you wish to assign the task for
Papplewick School Language Conference
On Wednesday 22nd February, the Language department at Papplewick school hosted its annual conference under the banner of sharing good practice. The conference called ‘Language skills in a modern school: sharing good practice’ brought together teachers from both the prep and independent school sectors.
Attendees (from Pangbourne College, West Hill Park School, Hall Grove, Charterhouse, Caldicott School, Lockers Park, Thorngrove School, Brockhurst and Marlston House, Hoe Bridge School. Amesbury School, Durand Academy Boarding School, Dragon School, Hampton School, Ashdown School, Bishopsgate School and Fulham Prep) spent most of the days discussing and applying to bring good impact in their classes.
Delegates took part in 4 workshops:
Maïmouna Cissé, Head of MFL, presented “Reinforcing sentence structure and
complex grammar rules”
Jeremy Ward “Using target language from the start”
Laëtitia Langue “Using games to embed speaking and writing skills”
James Smith, CEO of Schoolshape, presented CloudCaster and CloudWriter
The school is equipped with a language laboratory as well as iPads constantly used for the delivery of the 4 Modern Foreign Language skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening). The MFL department teachers hosted each a workshop aimed at covering the various aspects of the language skills in the classroom and the best ways of implementing them. Throughout the day, teachers engaged into workshops ranging from instilling the use of target language from the start to using interactive games and activities to challenge speaking and writing in the classroom. Delegates also shared tips on the various ways of supporting their students and much focus was spent on lesson tips with starters and plenaries as well as useful websites.
A session in the afternoon was also dedicated to working together on Schoolshape Language Laboratory which is especially effective in supporting mobile assisted language learning as well as teaching with the communicative method.
