Download free multimedia resources at the resource site.
A decade ago, I started a small email-based discussion group at onelist - now part of Yahoogroups. The premise was quite simple, at the end of the 1990s, many of us could see the potential that integrating use of the internet into the curriculum could bring.
In particular, we caught hold of a vision of our students actively participating in the construction of interactive multimedia projects to share with their peers.
I joke that what you do in the classroom out of necessity, will be hailed a decade later as a revolutionary breakthrough. Classroom-web interactivity has been seen by some as a luxury that, in an age of government-imposed 'initiatives', there is insufficent time to address. If it's not tested, it's not going to be taught.
For a long time, the most popular features on the site have been the example interactivities - more proof of concept than polished product - forming the Arithmetic Arcade. Simply because there is a demand for simple interactivities that have already been written by someone else. Many teachers don't have the time to put together tools like these.
I know that feeling. I also haven't had much spare time over the past few years. I have always made it clear that my own children come first - so, bathtimes and bedtime stories have made for less time for web development. Now that I have a little more time, I shall invest it in producing some more timesavers for busy teachers.
To be brutally honest though, while my children were small, I didn't feel like I'd missed anything at the cutting edge of development in schools. Content management systems and development tools have become more sophisticated. Wider availability of broadband access makes some initiatives more feaisble. But what about the curriculum?
Now, I am starting to see a change. Project-based assessment is coming back. Edexcel have brought in electronic portfolios for both the GCE Applied ICT and CiDA/DiDA courses (which both feature a strong multimedia component). People are discussing what an electronic portfolio should actually consist of and achieve in terms of learner outcomes.
E-learning is becoming more than just a buzzword, as we see real gains being made by students where virtual learning environments are used effectively. Increased international collaboration and communication will follow as teachers find way of sifting the gold from the straw in Web2.0 technologies. So, I'm optimistic about the future of the latest phase of development here. It will be interesting to see what 2009 brings.