Embedding ILT in UK Adult Basic Skills - interactive sites for students and tutors

	ILT in Further or Adult Education - 'must visit' sites (all subjects and levels)
More sites in the Professional Development section of our Useful Links for Tutors page
	Adult Literacy Resource Institute of Massachusetts has some very useful research documents on using the internet with adult learners, along with an interesting presentation (with good links), ICT and Skills for Life, given by its director at a UK conference in 2001.
	LSDA e-learning and technology has a really useful ILT materials download page where you can find more than 60 useful handouts on topics such as: making your own ILT resources, using electronic whiteboards, dropdown menus in Word. etc.
	Learning tools has a great selection of free downloadable applications enabling teachers / students to create there own interactive resources. Tools include web authoring, timeline, image annotation designer, vocabulary memorisation and discussion extractor.
	Lesson Writer is a brilliant and truly useful, free web based tool that takes a pieces of text and turns it into a complete lesson. Once you have pasted or typed in your text it takes you through it step by step, giving you the option of creating cloze exercises, vocabulary, grammar and comprehension questions. It is particularly useful for ESOL teachers as it breaks the text down into different tenses, relative clauses, use of adjectives, etc. However it can be used for any topic /subject and is a fantastic starting place for creating DARTs (directed activities relating to text). You end up with a printable and editable lesson / worksheets and a lesson plan (these can all also be stored and managed online). Thanks to Ruth Wood for suggesting this site.
	NLN National Learning Network has masses of online interactive learning materials (all subjects including communication and maths) available free to colleges. For example, there are many maths resource suitable for Levels 1 and 2 (averages, area, estimation, decimals and fractions, etc.)
	INTUTE (formerly Resource Discovery Network - funded by JISC) has a virtual training suite with dozens of free online tutorials designed to help students, lecturers and researchers improve their Internet information, literacy and IT skills. Of particular interest are 5 new ones designed for Adult and Community learning (gardening, health, job hunting, etc.). Another good area is RDN Behind the headlines with links to specially selected resources giving background information on the latest headlines.
	Basic Computer and Internet Skills
	BBC Computer Tutor is a really good place for complete beginners and takes you through the basic of using mouse, keyboard and monitor with a 'real' talking, walking tutor.
	IT Buddy specialises in computer training and e-learning. Cordial one to one training can be provided in the Staffordshire area and video tutorials can be purchased. There is also is a wide selection (several dozen!) of completely free, screenshot style tutorials available (as PDFs). These cover using Adobe Acrobat, Internet Explorer, Vista, etc. plus practical information on USB cables, hubs and much much more.
	Learning Ladder has a wonderful step by step computer basics tutorial that starts with mouse use, and continues with keyboard skills, running programmes and using the internet.
	Public TV is a fantastic source of educational videos - many are also excellent for listening practice. Hundreds of videos on topics such as health, education, politics, business, etc.
	Quintura is a fantastic visual way of searching the web. Type you search item and then navigate the information cloud or pick links as usual from a list. ?you can also search for images. There is also Quintura for Kids which could be a great way of introducing web searching to preEntry- Entry 1 learners.
	Typist is small, simple and requires no installation. Great way to learn or improve your keyboarding skills. US or UK keyboard.
	Video Jug has videos for every occasion. You need to be selective but many are (try the DIY section) are fabulous for teaching listening skills, giving instructions, speaking clearly, etc. Many also slot well into vocational areas such as construction, beauty therapy, etc.
	Yahoo Creative Commons Search allows you to search for information and pictures that can be used freely in your own (or your students) materials without fear of copyright issues.
	Using standard applications to make the most of your teaching
	Digital Studio has some very useful Powerpoint tutorials including how to do some less well known things - don't miss the quick tricks page.
	Indezine has loads of Powerpoint tips and links, but the 'thing' that caught my eye was a free PDF article '5 Ways to Reduce Powerpoint Overload'. It might be aimed at business users but it goes into great detail about visual and auditory learning channels and is equally applicable to those that use Powerpoint for teaching.
	MMM (Making the Most of Microsoft) from JISC regional support centre in Scotland has a series of tutorials explaining how to make the most of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and FrontPage for teaching and learning. Plus exemplar materials in each category.
	Mousetraining provide training for all Microsoft packages (also Adobe products). They also have a fantastic set of free training manuals available for download (Outlook, Visio, Excel, Access, Word and more).
	Peltier Technical Services have some great online tutorial and help sheet explaining how to do wonderful charts and graphs in Excel: box and whisker plots, pictograms, and many many more.
	Web site estates have 100+ free Powerpoint backgrounds especially for educators. We like the clock, book and 'notes'.
	Accessibility (also see our assistive software section)
	AbilityNet provides advice, training, details of products and services, and much more. Plus 40+ free PDF fact sheets and skill sheets (try Accessibility options in Windows and Dyslexia Toolkit).
	AT&T research have a wonderful demo where you can type or paste in text - then choose a voice (UK female, UK male, etc.) and hear it instantly played back. There is also an option for retrieving it as a playable WAV file so you can use the audio again. Great for beginning writers to check what they have written, or for creating a quick audio file if you don't have a microphone handy.
	British Computer Association of the Blind has useful information including details of the Blind Trainer Certification Scheme (BTCS),
	Freedom Scientific are specialists in software for blind and visually impaired users. JAWS is their best selling screen reader and they have provided a step by step tutorial for VI users. Thanks to John England, City College, Coventry for recommending this site. He says: 'It's perhaps a little specialist; it's for VI users of JAWS who want to access the Internet, but it's a complete introductory course & I find it invaluable.'
	Microsoft Accessibility has many really useful step by step tutorials - how to set options for blind and partially sighted users, deaf users, etc. Here is just one example: set ClickLock option enables users to highlight or drag without holding the mouse button down.
	Read the words is an amazing site where you can type or paste in text, select one of 15 readers (inc UK English accents) and it will instantly convert it to an MP3 file that can be downloaded, embedded on a web site etc. 19/10/09 now with many new features
	TechDis provides specialist advice, information and resources to disabled staff and students using technology in the FE, HE and specialist sectors. Three huge searchable databases on resources, accessibility and knowledge.

Interactive Quizzes, Activities and other ILT ideas (sites suitable for pre Entry / Entry 1)
Shedd Aquarium in Chicago has a wonderful Build-A-Fish Activity - really a biology activity but great for introducing mouse use, reading simple instructions and (for Entry 2 ands 3) navigating and reading short texts and hyperlinks.
Embedded Learning Portal (DfES) has 92 interactive Skills for Life resources - these include activities for Milestone 7 & 8, and E1.
ESL Activities Online has a super cat and mouse activity for learning prepositions that is also ideal for these learners (and great for fun for higher levels too!).	Help sheet used in E1 Literacy as preparation for playing ‘Cat and Mouse’ preposition game (above). Print on acetate, cut up and use with an OHP to focus on spelling / reading key prepositions. Print on paper for students to refer to whilst playing game. Lit Rs/E1.1 Read simple sentences. Rw/E1.1 Read key words. ESOL Rw/E1.1a recognise key words. Rs/E1.1a Read and recognise simple sentences. 53K	DOC
Genki English is aimed at young children but has a fun phonics matching game (with sound), a talking phonics page and more.
The Internet Picture Dictionary is great - and can also be used for a variety of online games such as filling in initial letters or missing vowels, spelling flash cards and word scrambles. Also suitable for Entry levels and ESOL.
JigZone has simple (6 piece) photographic animal jigsaws (150+) that make wonderful mouse / touch-screen / tracker ball practice (when students have completed their picture use it as inspiration for talking, or writing a story, about the animal). Try the tortoise and the tiger or for something 'less busy' look in the foreign flag or food sections (all make good prompts for discussion). NOTE: use with a 'pop up' killer.
Learn How To Use The Mouse simple but effective online practice for right and left clicking (and double clicking) and dragging.
Letter TV has a talking alphabet keyboard and a 'Brick Wall' game for matching pictures to the correct word (not suitable for all adults due to childlike images, but we have had a lot of fun with it).
Mouse Practice is a simple series of fun pictures to click on for those that have never used a mouse before.
Mouserobics is a very useful site for those getting used to using a mouse - covers clicking, radio boxes, check boxes, drop down boxes, etc. in a thorough, fun yet methodical manner that allows lots of practice along the way.
Primary games has a nice alphabet game, simple counting fish, along with jigsaw puzzles, memory games., etc.
SEN Resources for teachers, parents and carers has some lovely online resources - phonics, letter recognition, numbers. Try the letter recognition activity and the lovely sight words which illustrates words such as on and off with animations or pictures.
SEN Teacher Resources has many online (and downloadable ) activities on its software page, including wonderful touch screen activities (or for introducing a mouse) for pre Entry learners and some excellent money activities for Entry level numeracy.
Learn to Read at Starfall has some online story books (with speech - US accent) - it does include child like mages but some stories such as the Greek myths and Chinese legends would be enjoyed by preEntry or Entry 1 learners. There are also many good phonic games - but again use with caution.
Symbol World is a fantastic site created by Widget Software where symbol readers can read up to date news reports (e.g. Live 8, Tsunami, Glastonbury) etc. You can also register for free to receive brilliant full colour printable newsletters written using symbols.
Toftwood School has Post a Letter plus stuff for slightly higher levels (see sections below).

Interactive Quizzes, Activities and other ILT Ideas for Teaching ESOL (many also suitable for literacy)
	Better (Business) English great selection of interactive activities, or sign up to receive free lessons. Suggested by Bob Davis, Basic Skills tutor - British Army
	ESL PodCards features free weekly audio postcards (ideal for self-study or classroom use). Each audio file is categorised (easy - up to pre-intermediate; difficult - intermediate and higher) and can range in length from 20 seconds to several minutes. There are currently more than 50 cards - listed under 9 different countries. The 'England' cards include Sheffield, Brighton, London, etc. Each pod broadcast has an accompanying printable worksheet.
	British Council has masses of interactive games and quizzes - aimed at children learning English but many are suitable for adults and they are handily arranged under 48 themes such as clothes, weather, transport, etc.
	Computers and English for Speakers of Other Languages loads of free lessons and teaching ideas. Take a look at the 14 lessons for introducing Internet Basics to ESL Student.
	City College Manchester has an excellent ESOL site (great for Literacy too) with many online worksheets, activities and quizzes. Try jobs or matching weather symbols for a taster. See our useful sites and printable worksheets pages for more on this site.
	Easy English loads of free tests and quizzes for ESOL, Literacy, and EFL students. Suggested by Bob Davis, Basic Skills tutor - British Army.
	EGO4U has dozens of online reading activities (could also print out). Read a short, illustrated, well-laid out text and then answer related grammar or comprehension questions. All neatly categorised e.g. countries (try the UK section), holidays, animals, etc. Lots of writing /punctuation tips - all with related mini tests. Plus a wonderful 12 page annual 2007 PDF calendar each page features a word game, crossword or vocabulary quiz - great for Elementary students (E1-2). Now also a great PDF 2008 vocabulary calendar (but it's still worth looking at the 2007 version as the activities are so good).
	10/08/2009 ELLLO is a fabulous listening /speaking site with 100s of audio tracks on every imaginable topics plus related printable PDF worksheets etc. There are also mini-lectures, newscasts, games, songs and much more. A very nice feature of this site is that the English speakers are not just from the UK but from across the world. Recommended by Janet Kinsey, Abingdon and Witney College.
	EnglishLearner.com has interactive grammar and vocabulary exercises. Some cloze exercises are good for higher level literacy students.
	The English Listening Lounge contains loads of free audio files. Most speakers have US accents but it provides useful listening practice at all levels from simple narratives, peopl talking about their daily lives, stories and traditional tales through to academic pieces. Length of pieces varies from about 1 minute - 3minutes. Suggested questions and transcripts also available.
	English-Zone.Com an excellent site with a huge selection of printable and interactive work sheets, handouts and other resources. 2/9/02 Unfortunately now a paying site although many parts are still available as trial pages. Good for spelling rules such as adding -ed and -ing also reading comprehension activities and useful list of Dolch words. E2 upwards.	Online editable Word worksheet: -ed and -ing endings, and irregular verbs.	DOC
	ESL Colourful Clothesline - short, simple and effective. Just one of the suggested sites to use in conjunction with our on-screen 'Describing People' resources and related printable word level games (see 43 page PDF link to right).	Teaching tips and key words ( help page with extension ideas to accompany our on-screen Fill-in, Quiz and Cloze activities on describing people).	updated PDF
	ESL Gold has some good audio resources for speaking and listening at a range of levels. There are also online comprehension and cloze exercises, although it's difficult to distinguish between ESL Gold activities and those that are links to other sites.
	Global English Salon has masses of interactive activities (with speech). Lovely sections on idioms (colours, animals etc.)
	Interesting Things for ESL Students huge selection quizzes and games. Catch the Spelling has 50+ games from E1 Dolch words through to L2 common misspellings. Vocabulary quizzes (match correct word to picture) are great for adults with learning difficulties and readers at EL1/2 and introducing nouns and verbs. There are also concentration games where words must be matched: Concentration Game 3-Letter Animals is ideal for EL1 (observation, word recognition) or any student that just wants to gain computer confidence Internet, mouse control, etc Try the Magnet Board - Easy Poem. Lots of hangman games too! Try this one (occupations - with clues) but there are dozens more. Try this lovely quiz on homonyms.
	Interlink has some very good interactive activities including listening and pronunciation (good one about -ed endings) with sound - speech. Also grammar, spelling, online reading practice and more.
	Learning English Online has some excellent activities (many also suitable for literacy students). Thanks to Vicky Abbott, Barnfield College, for suggesting this link. Vicky uses picture quizzes, word lists and fill in exercises with her E1 ESOL students.
	Macmillan English Dictionary has lots of useful and fascinating information (see our Level 4 Lit links for more details) plus two simple, straightforward but very effective drag and drop vocabulary games on football and 'Wimbledon words'.
	Oxford University Press English Language Teaching has activities for all levels. Thanks to Vicky Abbott, Barnfield College, for suggesting this link. Select your country, click on play, select book of choice (Vicky uses 'In English') and complete the activities/games. You can also use activities to complement the popular Headway series.
	Parapal (powerful active learning) has some really interesting and challenging activities - mostly for Levels 1-2. Aimed at ESL but also ideal for literacy where we used the excellent vocabulary quizzes after doing work on root words etc. Super section on letter writing includes online cloze, ordering, etc. And don't miss the listening section where short audios are accompanied by cloze and other questions.
	Podcasts in English has lots of free audios (for Elementary, Intermediate & Upper Intermediate). A small payment also provides related worksheets and transcripts. VERY useful. There are also some free sample worksheets and a great phonemic chart. Almost 60 podcasts to choose from and more are added all the time.
	Self-Study Quizzes for ESL Students (English Quiz Centre) definitely not just for ESL students! Many of the vocabulary quizzes are suitable for beginning readers / writers at E1&2. Students must however be motivated (and have some self-discipline!) as most quizzes require the student to "self-check" as they go along (some students like to jot down their incorrect answers to discuss later with tutor). Fifty + self-checking homophone quizzes for more advanced students (these could also be printed), plus dozens of grammar quizzes (a or an, sentence structure, cloze, plurals, etc.). Good quiz on negative prefixes.
	Time 4 English is a paying site but it has some great sample lessons (also suitable for Literacy) where you must listen to a story and then answer onscreen questions.

Interactive Quizzes, Activities and other ILT Ideas for Teaching Literacy (many also suitable for ESOL)
	BBC RAW (reading and writing) is a new 3 year campaign to improve the literacy skills of intermediate readers aged 25-57. Phase 1 encourages adults to check their skill levels and seek help if needed, phase two (next year) is all about libraries and reading for pleasure, and the final phases will focus on family literacy. Masses of downloadable resource snow available - book discussion packs, etc
	California Distance Learning Project hundreds of online student activities: interactive job application forms (with audio), 100+ news stories (try House Fire or Hunting Whales) with audio (some video) each has story, an outline, the original report, and 6 comprehension quizzes based around vocabulary, sequencing, conclusions, multiple choice, etc. For example Family and Work have about 24 articles ( healthy babies, AIDS, crime, kids safety, ...). Articles and reports and related activities suitable for E3 upwards. Audio and video great for listening work from E1 upwards (gist, key words, etc.).
	Cando's Helper Page is full of great phonics activities and much more (try the syllable or synonyms pages). Printable (and interactive activities). Link suggested by Maricristin Sealey, Thank you.
	Captured Wisdom on Adult Literacy inspirational site with videos and sound tracks from Basic Skills teachers demonstrating how they have successfully integrated technology into their classes. For example by going on electronic field trips to Mars, emailing a scientist in Antarctica and much more!
	Easy English loads of free tests and quizzes for ESOL, Literacy, and EFL students. Suggested by Bob Davis, Basic Skills tutor - British Army.
	The Learning Edge is a fantastic multimedia talking magazine from Wellington County Learning Centre. Edition 5 is just out (previous 4 still available) is all about finding work: excellent cartoon video about making telephone calls (job enquiries), 10 top ten interview tips, networking, using the internet to find a job. Previous editions cover health issues, safety , consumer awareness, writing, and much more. Something for all levels from preEntry to Level 1/2. See also Northern Edge.
	Grammar Bytes! a small selection of interactive quizzes (also available as printable exercises) on irregular verbs including one on lay and lie. EL3 upwards. Nice sense of humour. All exercises give excellent feedback and explain the relevant grammar rules which could be printed for reference.
	Guide to Grammar and Writing huge site with 170+ interactive quizzes covering spelling and grammar. Plus in depth explanations, verb charts, etc.
	Highway Code Quiz for UK Users not just for learner drivers! Great site for anyone working (E1 upwards) on word/symbol associations.
	Introducing Homophones is a compact but very neat and complete section (also offers printable versions of each page) of a much larger site with limericks, cloze exercise, and matching games.
	Lancashire Grid for Learning has some nice in-house exercises for plurals (7 exercises: -s, - es, end in o, end in y, -f and -fe, irregular and mixed); also match gender words (does not work in Mozilla), homophones and contractions.
	Learning support and Basic skills from John England has dozens of interactive activities hosted by Quia. We particularly like the two player plurals game.
	London Online is a new section of the TALENT web site and is the result of an e-learning training project where ESOL and basic skills tutors are being encouraged to produce online learning materials. Five sections - friends, health, jobs, neighbourhood, shopping; each with a set of activities. Lots of audio /listening activities (needs a fast connection). Some areas still under construction.
	Myths and Legends has a great selection of English (and other) legends that you can listen to (or print). This link suggested by John England (Thank you John) who has also contributed a set of comprehension exercises for three of the stories.
	Online Technical Writing: Instructions a fantastically detailed breakdown of instructional writing suitable for Level 2 students. Choice of 4 texts. Select frames view - students choose a feature (e.g. headings, imperative, list) and can then see them highlighted in the example text.
	Palma Sola Elementary School has some wonderful resources - for example, try out the homophones page with four interactive quizzes, printable practice sheets and more.
	Pop Word is a VERY addictive spelling game a bit like Tetris. I love it! More games on the same site here.
	Quia site has thousands of interactive activities in 50 categories. Created by educators across the globe. Using them is free but for $49 you can make your own (16 different types) which are then stored on Quia site where anyone can reach them. Just one example is this 1-2 player challenge board on words that are spelt and sound the same but have different meanings (homonyms?) that we have used very successfully in Entry 3-Level 1 Lit / ESOL. See also John England's plurals challenge board above.
	Read Write think has some really unusual literacy demos and activities ranging from What's in the Bag (pre Entry) to Hints about Print (evaluating non fiction) and Comparing and contrasting. Much emphasis on visual planning and graphic organisation. Note a very strong US accent is used that some students may not understand.
	Sentence Sense an offshoot of the Guide to Grammar and Writing (above), designed specially for online working. 200+ online exercises cover sentence structure, verbs and verb endings (adding -s, -ed , etc.), punctuation, writing skills and much more. With links back to the Guide to Grammar and Writing for those that need more background and theory.
	Southwark Learning has lots of themed interactive curriculum linked activities based on Entry levels 2/3. Reading (London), Writing (Seasons), Jobsearch and Numeracy (shopping). Unfortunately this site refuses to run in Mozilla - needs IE.
	Spellzone written by an experienced English teacher who specialises in teaching dyslexics. 30+ sections - each with clear information complemented by audio, interactive exercises, and checks. Two units are free including an excellent unit on spelling strategies with useful mnemonics and other ideas. For a free trial of the full course, please email info@spellzone.com
	Teaching and Learning Resource from Diane Hawkins has some very clever Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check exercises done in Excel including the original file so you can make your own.
	THRASS UK (Teaching Handwriting Reading And Spelling Skills) have just released an excellent new version (4) of their THRASS Phoneme Machine. Now available for free download from a new dedicated site at http://www.phonememachine.com/. The programme uses moving human lips and the International Phonetic Alphabet to teach learners of all ages and abilities to read and spell in English. It is also very useful for students of linguistics, phonics, etc.
	UK Speller is a spelling tutor and game (uses synthesised speech) with 400 lists (10 spellings per list). Would be good for self-study. Oz-speller and US speller also available.
	Western Pacific Literacy Network from CNN News company, a huge selection of news stories. US flavour but a new story is added every week or two. Read online in full or abridged form, along with associated comprehension and vocabulary questions and topical links. EL3 to L2.
	XML Education has some really useful Flash applications. My favourite is Word Magnets. (Select Demos - not Gallery - to find it. Then, to enlarge to full screen right click whilst it is running and select zoom-in.) You can type or paste in your own sentences/text and, because the 'magnets' can be coloured it is great for working on sentence structure and parts of speech. Other useful general applications include spinners, timers (although there only seemed to be a picture of this not a working version).

	Blogs, Interactive Quizzes, Activities and other ILT ideas (sites covering both literacy and numeracy)
	Ambleside C.E. Primary School don't be put off, many activities suitable for adults. A Look Say Cover Write Check program with a moving hand - can use your own spelling list, homophones, plurals and other interactive literacy activities. Interactive angle measuring activities with movable protractor, fractions, tables, number squares and lines.
	BBC GCSE Bitesize Revision great for background info, notes and on line tests for Level 1/2. Maths area covers many Number, Data Handling and MSS topics from the adult curriculum. The English non-fiction section is also suitable for adult learners.
	BBC Keyskills: an excellent site for both students and tutors involved in Key Skills at levels 2 or 3 (KS L2 number and communication tests are identical to adult literacy and numeracy level 2 tests). Includes interactive 20 question practice tests, and a very good tutor toolkit for Level 2 number with masses of information sheets explaining exactly what students are expected to know with sample test questions etc.
	BBC Skillswise: an ever-growing site aimed at Level 1 students. English games and quizzes are accompanied by fact sheets, worksheets, information and extra ideas for tutors. Maths section is equally good. Tutors can sign up for a useful weekly newsletter and there are message boards for both students and tutors. Also has a separate Entry 3 section - with a huge numeracy section.
	Basic Skills Online has practice assignments and other activities such as word searches at each level of the literacy curriculum. Most can only be accessed if you are a member but there are are sample free activities at each level. For example, at Entry 1 the online literacy assignment (entitled 'Retraining') looked like very useful practice for students working towards City and Guild E1 assignments. There is an equally useful numeracy assignment (A trip to the Library) and several short tasks. Membership of only £5 gives you access to all the resources (or you can pay £10 if you would like additional support by email) .
	BT Education Service has masses of downloadable or online resources - particularly for listening and speaking. You must register (free) but it's worth it just to watch an excellent series of interview videos (with downloadable comment sheet to complete) , there are also games and many listening and speaking worksheets /activity ideas. Plus a very good 'Question Time' pack.
	Camelsdale First School has dozens of literacy and numeracy PowerPoints designed to be used with interactive white boards. Some are too childish but many are suitable (or adaptable) for entry level (tricky to download as are zip files but well worth the effort).
	Coxhoe Primary School has some wonderful online quizzes and clozes, plus many PowerPoints - we particularly like the Year 4 area where there are many resources on synonyms, suffixes and apostrophes.
	Chris Jackson at Manchester City College has created many curriculum linked online quizzes. Spelling, punctuation, maths, reading, etc. Chris's new Skills for Life blog also interesting links, resources and news.
	Embedded Learning Portal (DfES) has 92 interactive Skills for Life resources - covering literacy and numeracy from Milestone 7 to Level 2. Please note if you have difficulty viewing these on lower resolution monitors use the F11 key.
	We don't normally list links pages but Learn Anytime has hundreds of really well catalogued links. Each main topic (e.g. Maths, English) is broken down into sub-topics and then, very usefully, into 4 further groups: to demonstrate, to extend, to practise, to test.
	Money Matters to Me has loads of practical advice and interactive ideas. These include a cash machine (great for Entry level numeracy AND literacy), cheque wrting (not easy to find but very good - includes option of printing realistic blank cheques for extra practice), reading electricity meters, financial word searches and more. Plus tips on VAT, 10%, etc. History of money, other background info.
	All NLN online materials are available via Bournemouth and Poole College web site. Not only that but they are all run from an easy to use menu system - masses of Level 1literacy, Entry 3 and Level 1 Literacy in the Basic Skills Section but don't forget to check out other vocational areas such as as Beauty Therapy, Horticulture, IT etc. if you are teaching embedded literacy or numeracy.
	The Northern Edge is a fantastic multimedia talking magazine from the Northwest Territories Literacy Council that covers both literacy and numeracy issues. Edition 5 is just out (previous 4 still available) has features on nutrition, managing a budget, students' lives and climate change. Includes videos, articles, quizzes and much more - based on the equally good Learning Edge. Something for all levels from preEntry to Level 1/2.
	Peter Symonds College have masses of excellent curriculum linked (use the 'list by area' option) Interactive Resources. They can be used online or downloaded as zip files to install locally. There are now 100+ themed sets of resources. Sets can include any of the following: interactive PowerPoints, Word documents (including drag and drop worksheets and embedded sound), links to external web sites, Hot Potatoes quizzes and more. Covers many areas of both curricula across all Entry levels. Try Trip to the Zoo, Around the House, and Everyday Signs with Entry 1 students. Please note the download facility is no longer available - however anyone wanting the complete set can email Peter Symonds ACE ace@psc.ac.uk and request a CDRom.
	Primary Resources is aimed at school children but has excellent online activities. We have also used the Make a cup of Tea and Sticky letters in Entry Level literacy. There are equally good numeracy activities including estimating angles (Level 1/2 numeracy), moveable coins, symmetry, reflection. We have also used interactive church and PowerPoints such as CVC words, divisibility tests).
	Quizbusters is a block busters style ICT quiz - great for plenary sessions. Originally made by Angela Bell, Suffolk Basic Skills, for her ICT-literacy group but woudl also be useful for Key Skills or Skills for Life ICT classes. Thank you Angela.
	Red Kite Learning is a registered charity that helps adults improve their skills and hence their quality of life. The site includes 24 wonderful interactive worksheets arranged under 4 topics (reading, writing, numbers, job skills) these are aimed mostly at E2-E3 although some, such as 'formal letters', are higher. The site also includes a really useful CV Wizard and 'interview assistant' (check out the body language photos which I'm sure would be useful for many speaking and listening lessons.).
	Saxon Publishers have masses of online activities especially good for maths and phonics..
	SMART Education from the Faculty of Education at Canterbury Christ Church University College is overflowing with resources. Special emphasis on Smart Board resources but loads of other resources and links. It's easy to miss stuff so start at the sitemap. Free downloadable resources for literacy - these are arranged under text, sentence and word level and demonstrate how you can use Word and PowerPoint to create useful resources. Numeracy section has Excel, PowerPoint and Word downloads. Registration required (free)
	Southwark Community Learning have some great activities (you will need I. Explorer - does not work in Mozilla) such as this great Potted History of the Thames cloze, shopping trolley activity, sightseeing tour and many others.
	St Ambrose Barlow School has a good selection of online spelling and maths quizzes - includes homophones, prefixes, tables, shapes.
	Tarsia Formulator is a brilliant free program that creates wonderful matching jigsaws (rectangular, hexagonal, etc - with between 12-24 facts to match), dominoes and follow me cards. Although designed for maths use (built in formula editor etc.) it can be adapted for any topic and allows images to be imported. Thanks to Dave Clapham, Park Lane College for recommending this program. I hope to build up a collection of Tarsia files for all levels in both Literacy and Numeracy. Please download and send in your contributions!
	Teachers TV Skills for Life section has a set of 7, 15 minute videos that show why literacy and numeracy are so important at work. Videos include: home carer, gas fitter, beauty salon, motor mechanics and all have been specially written for 14-19 yr olds on vocational courses. more. Check out the maths and English sections of Teachers TV for many more useful videos
	Toftwood School has a selection of maths activities (need Flash) our favourites (mainly Entry Level 1/2) include Scales Reader, Shuttle (excellent illustration of the bridging method) and Post a Letter (pre Entry). Plus another equally good, robotic looking version of Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check.
	Topmarks has a great selection of links to interactive whiteboard activities (literacy and numeracy) - some are their own and some are external links. The literacy selection covers similes, contractions, adjectives and much more - some gems in here but beware of childlike graphics in some as this site is aimed at primary school students. There are dozens are excellent numeracy options (most without childlike graphics , making them ideal for Entry level) - my favourites include odd/even nos., Carroll diagrams, weighing scales and addition of 2 or 3 digit nos. showing regrouping.
	tv411 is a Kentucky TV channel for adults that want to improve their basic skills. Most activities start with a short slide show that tells a story and explains the topic using an everyday, real life situation (e.g. parts of a newspaper, summarizing, scanning, reading maps) followed by interactive practice). The maths and writing sections are equally good, and the vocabulary section covers word roots, prefixes, etc. Great used for introducing a topic (on a large screen) and promoting class discussion.
	Whiteboard Resources from Birmingham City Council has links to dozens of great online resources for Foundation through to Secondary.
	Wisconsin online resource centre has masses of interactive slideshow and other activities - ideal for displaying with data projector or interactive whiteboard. Click ABE/ESL button to find 18 English activities inc. 'art of listening', commas, essays, leaving phone messages, pronouns; 38 maths activities inc. place value, right angles, rounding, percentages, key words in problem solving.
	World of Teaching has more than 800 free PowerPoints covering all topics in the school curriculum (mostly secondary level) including some useful maths and English titles suitable for Levels 1-2
	World Wide Water with interesting subtitle 'A numeracy curriculum for literacy and language learners' is an interactive series of 22 activities including short quiz, reading texts (2 Word documents available at L1 and L2), cloze, interpreting pie charts and bar graphs, idioms and vocabulary, looking at a water bill, percentages, etc.

	Interactive Quizzes, Activities and other ILT ideas for teaching Numeracy
	AAA Math has dozens of online activities - each with a learn, practise and play section, and a very nice interactive place value chart.
	BODMAS a great site where Keith Burnett posts topical numeracy links, comments and resources including an ILT in Maths page with examples of using Excel and lesson plans.
	University of Plymouth Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching - Mathematics Enhancement Programme now has a series of excellent interactive tutorials based on their excellent printable worksheets. We will eventually be linking these to specific curriculum areas but for now check out the Year 7 and Year 8 tutorial pages. Students can complete online (good for paired work if you don't have a PC per student) and then print sheet with scores to put in folders or portfolios.
	Count On has something for everyone from reception through to A level, adult numeracy students and teachers. Highlights include: GCSE attainment random test maker; the Matrix interactive maths museum; and last but not least the Explorer section where you can find origami, famous mathematicians, divisibility tester, etc. Could spend a week on this site and still not find it all!
	Coventry University Maths Centre has some wonderful interactive demos to explain algebra and statistics. The section on charts is amazing - I never realised how many types of pie charts, bar charts, pictograms, box plots, polygons, scatter graphs etc. existed. Each fully explained and even comes with its own Excel template (including three templates for making impressive pictograms - stacked, area or stretched). The discussion area has useful commentary on what makes a good/bad chart.
	Create a graph allows you to create instant line, xy, pie, bar and are charts and graphs with full control over design, colour, fonts, labels, etc. Plus some good examples that can be adapted or used for discussion. Great fun!
	Ed's online learning resources and quizzes for schools Ed teaches in Northern Ireland and has made his fantastic interactive maths and science resources available free. Something for everyone from Entry level to GCSE - fractions, standard form, money, bar charts, angles, BIDMAS, measure, level 2 test. Would be fantastic with an interactive whiteboard.
	Emaths is run by Mark McCourt, an Advanced Skills Teacher in Nottinghamshire who is keen to share good practice. There are masses of PowerPoints including a great section of mental starters suitable for Entry 1 (try the money PowerPoint) up to Level 2 (try scatter graphs) and a wonderful 'Types of Charts' presentation where students must interpret charts and related statements. Thanks to Di Mellor, Darlington College for this link.
	Explorelearning is full of 'interactive gizmos' that would be fantastic on an interactive whiteboard. You have to pay but you get a free five minutes on each gizmo and can register to get a longer trial period.
	Futures channel is an amazing selection of movies for teaching mathematics (and science) - the emphasis is on real life problem solving. Examples include: building the set for Star Trek (Doghouse), designing a backpack, etc. (there are hundreds). A US site so beware of non-metric units! Many movies would be ideal to prompt discussion of the importance of maths skills in everyday life.
	Learn about money is a very lively and interactive site with loads of info on pensions, taxation, budgeting and more. It includes some good quizzes.
	LLU+ (Southbank Uni) has some good interactive games that you can set up in 'workgroups' for your students to follow in a set order etc. They would also be great displayed on a Smartboard for group work and warm up exercises. Lots of fast paced games in 'spin the wheel' and other formats - covers money, tables, metric units, telling the time and much more. Thanks to Jean Thomas, The Henley College, for suggesting this link.
	Print your own PDF Free Graph Paper from this wonderful site. Metric, imperial, isometric and much more. There's even a ruler and protractor you can print.
	Maths Dictionary has definitions for every conceivable term - click to see a graphical (and often interactive) explanation. Brilliant - although may not be suitable for all adult classes because of childlike graphics and references.
	MathsNet is aimed at all levels of UK school maths (good AS/A2 section and interactive activities for lower levels too). Read the instructions carefully or you'll miss half the action! Great demonstrating concepts or introducing new topics on a large screen. Try aerobi-graphs, shapes and angles, fractions or the mathswalk puzzle to get a taster.
	Maths Online is a subscription site for UK school teachers, but take the free tour to find some useful free resources for interactive whiteboards such as the decimal number line and tossing coins simulator. And don't miss Behind the Blob game!
	Mathsroom is full of links to online interactive activities for the Scottish school curriculum (age 5 to advanced Higher) neatly arranged under topics and levels.
	Maths Stuff from teacher Duncan Keith is an Aladdin's cave of fascinating and useful resources from printable grids and graph paper, fonts for tallies and calculator buttons plus lots of great slide shows (revision topics, GCSE maths course work including the classic "stairs" investigation) and downloadable maths games.
	We don't normally list links pages but Mathszone is very well arranged (by level and objectives) and collects together masses of free interactive resources. Aimed at schools but much is suitable for adults. Covers KS1 - KS4 (i.e. ages 5-16).
	Mr Barton Maths has some excellent PowerPoints (and other resources) for Key Stages 3 and 4. These are great for Level 1 and 2 numeracy. The number section is particularly good - check out the BODMAS fill in cloze PPT, the fabulous estimation PPt and the negatvie number question board.
	Multiplication Tables Applet simple yet brilliant tables square that also shows the multiples (difficult to explain - try it and see). Ideal for: introducing the concept of multiplication, learning how to get information from a simple table. E2 upwards.
	National library of virtual manipulatives for mathematics is a fantastic site with hundreds on interactive Java activities for practising and demonstrating numeracy topics. Great for those with smartboards. Something for everyone from Entry 1 (counting) through to level 2 (simple algebra). Good demos of lattice method of multiplication, sieve of Eratosthenes (prime numbers), probability and much more.
	National Numeracy Strategy Publications page has 30+ interactive maths activities (fantastic if you have an electronic whiteboard or large screen) most are available as online Flash files or downloadable Windows and Mac programs. Something for all levels from E1 to L2: try Symmetry, Multiplication (grid method), the handy graph, place value, sorting 2D shapes, difference or thermometer.
	Numbers is just one of many websites (including other numeracy ones) from Jo Edkins. It includes masses of fascinating historical information on number systems and measures. Plus many, many useful interactive activities including a great pictogram maker (although, sadly, it doesn't allow fractions of pictures), tessellation designer, symmetrical drawing designer, net games for work on 3D objects.
	Numeracy Software has many resources (aimed at secondary) to buy but also some great free PPTs (lots of shapes and symmetry) and also useful data files (food, climate, etc.) and related data handling worksheets.
	Pi Factory teachers resources has some amazing free Excel resources - great for use with smartboards. Try the number line which adjusts from thousandths to thousands (great for reading scales) and also includes equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages. There are equally good random question generators, grid multiplication, place value displays, and much more.
	Play 'Perfect times' and see how fast you are at your 9 or 24 times tables (and take part in a national experiment!)
	Room 108 is a strange mix of many things! Try 'carrying over' for step by step explanation of column addition with voice, and tell the time for a clock with draggable hands.
	Scientific Calculator full working calculator. Great for display on large screens. Complete with help button that explain functions and many tutorials.
	Shodor Interactivate has dozens of Java applications to demonstrate mathematical concepts, many with lesson plans.
	Teaching Treasures has many interactive maths activities - from pre-Entry simple counting up to Levels 1 and 2. The only drawback is that each activity has the year group at the top which may be off-putting for some adults.
	Ultra Converter fun site that converts almost anything (e.g. moon diameters, barrels) including some useful metric units. Good fun for exploring, and building confidence and making rough estimates in ones head first. Beware of US spellings and measures! L1/2.
	View from a back of an envelope is a unique way of looking at maths. Much is advanced but there are some great visual demonstrations that really help learners grasp 'what large numbers look like'. E.g. a working clock that shows you one dot for every second of the day, a million dots on one web page, how big are things? etc. Great!
	10/08/2009 WMnet (West Midlands) has a good selection of interactive whiteboard applications including this very good interactive clock (lots of options inc digital, analogue, time in words, etc.). Recommended by Helen Baldwin, Worcester Sixth Form College.
	Woodlands Junior School has a very good numeracy section especially on times tables.

	More basic skills links on our useful links for tutors and printable resources pages

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PART A - computer skills and accessibility issues
ILT in Further Education	Using standard applications	Accessibility	Basic Computer Skills