www.folens.com

So you’ve got your laptop to take into the classroom, there’s a PC projector so the class can view the screen and if you’re lucky there might be an interactive white-board to play with. But what exactly are you meant to do with all this technology?

Well from Folens we have this latest CD-Rom in the Whole Class Maths Using Powerpoint series from Folens, which is easy to both load and use. As the name suggests the system is based on a set of Powerpoint slides with a term’s work on each CD-Rom. The version I looked at covered Year 7 term one, which is broken down into 13 units. Each unit is subsequently broken down into various lessons that are a collection of slide shows.

The first thing that strikes you about this CD is how well it is put together, with the slides looking bright and colourful. As an introduction to topics it could work well, although some of the language used may be beyond that of lower ability Year 7 pupils and the lesson would need careful preparation for the class to get the most out of it. Also what do you do if a pupil doesn’t understand the explanation, as re-viewing the slide again isn’t really going to be of much help? Another problem is how would you fit these CD-Roms into an already constructed scheme of work, if the topics taught in term one aren’t the same as the ones covered by you? The best idea would be to have the entire set and dip into them when they are needed.

These CDs are a colourful introduction to certain topics, but are not the end of traditional teaching.