Ollie Bray welcomes a practical new ICT handbook for teachers from a classroom expert

"Practical, professional problem solving for primary teachers" is how Rising Stars Essentials: ICT, written by Ian Addison and published by Rising Stars in association with the Guardian Teachers Network, describes itself. And it lives up to the promise.

As well as Ian's writing, the paperback publication also contains contributions from a number of well-known UK bloggers and tweeters involved in ICT in education, including Tom Barrett, Miles Berry, David Rogers, Mark Warner and Julian Wood.

Teacher educator Steve Bunce shares feedback on how good tools stand the test of time
Planet Sherston: boys motivated by football spelling game and othersHow do we engage boys in learning? How do we raise their achievement in reading? These are questions of high importance in schools.

With increasing pressure on teachers to obtain better results and a changing curriculum, can technology offer support? A recent white paper for Planet Sherston explains how this could be achievable.

Music teachers already have a great website. Now they have an 'indispensable' handbook, says Hugh John
Digital Media in the Music Classroom is indispensable for newly qualified teachers (NQTs) or veteran music teachers – and anyone in between! Written by James Cross – Apple Distinguished Educator, former music  teacher and now educator in residence with MediaCore – this is a book that manages to be both challenging and reassuring, contemporary but not nerdy and wide-ranging yet never overwhelming.

That’s quite a balancing act considering the seismic developments in music technology over the past decade but, as the author points out: “Many of the classroom ideas discussed here will seem like common sense and that’s where their power lies. It’s the learning and not the technology that’s the focus.”

Skype brings in big hitters to make a splash with UK classroom work
'My Story': Tom Daley's memoirsThe network managers who obstruct schools' access to Skype's free video-conferencing facilities can expect more 'pester power' from teachers and students as the online Skype in the Classroom community ramps up its activities.

Organisations like Science Museum London and Peace one Day are making agreements with Skype to bring instant expertise to classroom projects via online video. And one of the latest recruits, Penguin Books, is offering three UK schools the chance to video-conference with Olympic diver Tom Daley in the autumn term.