Your School's own Virtual Desktop - Included in the Tool Suite is a secure online file store, desktop publishing tool, stop frame animation, voting, e-safe blogging, website and file distribution system, available to everyone at home and at school using your LGfL USO. (Get in contact with J2Easy on support@j2e.com.)
A Content Management System - J2Launch allows you to manage and distribute any digital resource including web applications, content and resources created in the Tool Suite. You can use the Launch Library to create a launch button for any web application or site from the list of existing buttons or by creating a new one.
J2e Infant Tools (JIT5) is a set of online educational tools specifically designed for younger learners, but should not be ignored further up the school. It has a colourful and friendly feel which appeals to reception and KS1, but tools such as chart are useful well in to KS2.
There JIT tools are outlined below:
A simple to use writing tool, ideal for stories. A choice of word banks are available to help support the younger pupils and pupils with SEND. Children will enjoy experimenting with presentation and style and different coloured backgrounds can be chosen to aid learning.
Paint is an easy to use creative tool. Children can paint freely with different sizes and colours. Shapes and stamps are easily selected, as well as colourful template backgrounds, and pictures from a picture bank.
Turtle teaches children the initial concepts of direction and simple programming. Children can design their own ‘turtle’ and plan a route for it to follow. Fantastic nursery rhyme and adventure templates are also included, so for example the Big Bad Wolf has to be directed to the first, second and finallt the third of the three Little Pigs' houses.
Chart gives the simplest introduction to line, block, pie, and bar charts. Simply mix one or more chart type together on the page. You will see the charts update instantly as the numbers in the table are changed.
A fun introduction to data handling. Pick from a range of topics such as colours, pets or favourite fruits then click the buttons to add or take away the relevant pictures. Draw your own pictures or select from the picture bank.
Animate is a tool for creating simple but exciting animations. It is a natural progression for children to draw a picture in paint, then use animate to make part of it move. Make snowflakes fall, crabs scuttle, and cars race.
Branch brings sorting and sequencing to life by making it very simple for pupils to create their own branching database. Select a group of images or words and use yes/no questions to sort them and create a branching database.
Blend together any of the other tools into a mini e-portfolio. Add a picture to some text on one page, then move on to an animated story on the next, for example.
The Just2Easy Team have just further updated J2Toolsuite. They have improved the use of images from online within their package. J2e images now have pre cut out shapes so the the images can more successfully be applied into the JIT and J2e Tool Suite. There is a new line art feature as well, increasing the range of creative options.
Watch this video below to see how this has been improved:
Spell Blast encourages pupils to learn spellings while they do what comes naturally; play and compete against each other. As they progress through the levels, the words automatically adjust to the pupils’ ability so that they never find them too easy or too difficult.
Already listed are the statutory word lists for Year 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6 as well as Letters and Sounds Phase 2-6 but you have an additional function to add your own word lists. These can be sent out as a weekly spelling list for your pupils to practise using their LGfL USOs (if you are a two form or more entry school, the list can be shared across multiple classes and staff).
Tt Blast encourages pupils to learn maths while they do what comes naturally; play and compete against each other. As they progress through the levels, the questions automatically adjust to the pupils’ ability so that they never find them too easy or too difficult.
SATs Blast encourages pupils to learn the maths elements of the mental arithmetic SATs test for KS1 and KS2 in a games based context.
This was recently extended to include a KS3 SATs blast - you can find this addition in the tab called "LondonMaths Week".
J2measure includes a ruler, calliper, protractor, angle measurer, and scaling tools. Students can calculate the length, angle, and area of any objects on the screen.
The coding resource offers differentiated platforms. Following the national curriculum, it encourages students’ creativity and helps teachers fulfil the requirements of computing in the curriculum for pupils in KS1, KS2 and KS3.
JIT Turtle:
Use lesson plans from Y1-2. JIT Turtle is aimed at the youngest learners and starts to introduce all of the important concepts of programming.
Visual:
Use lesson plans from Y3-6; The Visual programming engine is a familiar, block based programming tool which works on any modern computer or tablet.
Logo:
Use lesson plans from Y3-6, The Logo programming engine enables pupils to build varied and mathematically challenging scripts.
Includes detailed lesson plans, examples and videos, to help you get started with using the tools in your class.
The new J2Whiteboard cloud software has been introduced for your classroom screens/IWB. It works with existing files such as word or pdf, includes whiteboard specific tools such as the screen shade and works on any device(s).
Below Jimmy Jenkins from Ranelagh Primary school explains why he finds the unique features within the J2e platform so useful at school:
Allows students or teachers to create as many websites as they wish.
J2webby is a creative platform that encourages pupils to be at the heart of the learning experience. It’s easy to use with minimal training, any member of staff can add or make changes to the site’s content with our one click publishing.
You can also find neighbouring schools who are using this already and perhaps get together to exchange advice and learn from each other's experiences. Click here to be taken to a map of all the schools that use the software for blogging (you can hover over the pins to find the name of the school).
David Mitchell, the founder of Quadblogging, explains the importance of blogging and the impact it can have on literacy in schools in the video below (*note he makes reference to "levels" as clip pre-dates the move to assessment without levels):
With a renewed focus on the wider curriculum, J2review could help make formative assessment of computing easy, using any progression framework and enabling teachers to give informative feedback quickly and effectively.
Further reasons to find some precious spare time to explore the J2 Tool Suite can be seen through these videos hosted on LGfL TV:
Please do share and let us know if you are making use of the J2 Tool Suite. We would especially love to hear about the impact it is having on your class/school. Do this by posting on LGfL’s Twitter or Facebook.