Espresso Primary

Espresso Primary https://www.espresso.co.uk has received many awards since they started 1997 and they received the Bett Awards 2014 (British Educational Training and Technology).

The School I work for subscribes to this website, hence it is available to all faculty and students, used mostly from Pre-K to grade 5 in elementary school.

This website caters for all subjects, levels, learning and teaching styles. It is available at school and for home use, it even has a parents’ guide. Not only do we use the website for classes, but also as a reward for the students. For example, on a Friday the students get  “free time” on their computers/iPads, as long as they stay on the website. Usually the students will end up working together, finding new areas of interest. You will find that Espresso is visual, auditory, kinesthetic, musical and intrapersonal.

There are minimum technical requirements and recommendations for internet connections, computer hard-and-software, as well as for tablets and mobile devises. You can find everything specified by using this link  https://www.espresso.co.uk/subscription_pricing/#tab=2  and then choose to download the various requirements.

 

 

Their subscription fees are not stated on their website.. The website welcomes you to contact them for more information. You are also welcome to sign up for free samples of Espresso, just click on free sample and you will be able to sign up for a trial.

It can be used by head teachers, teachers and  ICT. If your school subscribes to Espresso there is also guidance and professional development available for faculty. On the website you’ll have access to – and help with – the new curriculum 2014 http://www.espresso.co.uk/nc2014 . There are webinars to keep teachers updated. For the new curriculum 2014 there are specific grade level videos showing the changes for the different subjects. You will find yourself spending much less time on finding suitable lesson materials and you will work with the newest material at all times. Since it  has the different sensory approach you know your lesson will cater for all learning styles including different learning disabilities, EAL, as well as behavioral and physical issues. Your students will be challenged but not overwhelmed.

Students loves games ! So embrace their love for games. They are able to learn at their own pace while playing and having fun, and you as a teacher are able to plan individual lessons, set targets, or have the class practice at home. When an 8-year-old has fun learning new vocabulary, times table or even geography, he is more likely to acquire this knowledge as opposed to just memorizing it.

Espresso has added espresso coding recently. It won a Brett Award 2014. as well. Espresso coding teaches how to code and make your own apps. It teaches how to program in a fun age-appropriate way. You can find out more and try for free until  the end of October 2014. It is amazing to see how we all can be in charge of our learning when we understand a little bit more on how the tools work. http://www.espressocoding.co.uk/espresso/coding/index.html

ENJOY! 

Christina Noren Zanoni