FlashICT.net

Using the tools I developed for the SchoolHistory.co.uk games search, I’ve now launched a simliar feature for my ReviseICT.co.uk website.

Unlike SchoolHistory.co.uk’s wider remit, the ReviseICT.co.uk website is much more focused upon just interactive games and activities so I hope that the dynamic Flash menu will become central to the website. As additional games and exercises are added, I just update a .swf datafile and the various menus across the site will all be updated.

The ReviseICT.co.uk version isn’t quite finished yet, but I’m pleased enough with it to make it an active feature. It has slightly different features to the SchoolHistory.co.uk one. The main difference being that it is tightly linked to the KS3 ICT curriculum with a drop-down choice for each of the units. If a user selects one of these, it automatically triggers a search for anything connected. Whilst it certainly isn’t anything like Google, it does work - and I’ve already seen students finding materials much more easily. That is the key goal.

As the ReviseICT.co.uk site grows with games for each topic / unit of work at each of the key stages, I think this search tool will prove very useful indeed. The fact that pre-prepared searches can be hyperlinked is also really useful. For example, where I’ve got a collection of games all on the same topic that I wish to link to, I don’t have to link to all four separately. Instead I link to a pre-prepared search. How about a collection of games about Access?.

Ok - we aren’t talking anything revolutionary here at all. Yet I do feel (or simply just hope) that this is an effective use of Flash. With growing collections of materials I’ve found that students can become very easily confused. This tool is a custom developed solution. Guess I just have to see how well it works!