Scootle vs SparkleBox
Scootle
scootle.edu.auSparkleBox
sparklebox.co.ukSide by side
| Figure | Scootle | SparkleBox |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Teacher Resource Libraries | 8.1 (#9) | 7.4 (#26) |
| Audience | All Australian educators, from pre-service teachers through to principals, can access Scootle using an education email address. | The site provides a Resources for Parents section with printables intended for home use. |
| Founded | 2010 | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | 35 Badsey Road, Willersey, WR12 7PR, UK |
| Privacy | The privacy policy says ESA collects account and usage information, may use Google Analytics, and takes reasonable steps to protect personal information with electronic and physical security controls. | The privacy policy says SparkleBox uses physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard information collected online. |
| Purpose | Scootle is a national digital learning repository that gives Australian teachers access to digital resources aligned with core areas of the Australian Curriculum. | SparkleBox shares downloadable teaching resources with teachers around the world. |
| Support | Users can consult FAQs and guides or submit a support ticket for further help. | Visitors can contact SparkleBox by email, but the team says it cannot guarantee a response to every email because of message volume. |
Plans
In their own words
Scootle
Scootle is a free digital learning repository for Australian educators, available through the web and an iOS app. It provides resources aligned with Australian Curriculum content descriptions and elaborations from Foundation to Year 10. Subjects include English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, The Arts, Technologies, Health and Physical Education, Work Studies, and Languages. Materials range from interactive multimedia, images, audio and video to courses, text, assessments, downloadable resources, work samples, curriculum collections, teacher ideas and units of work. Teachers can find quality-assured resources with student activities and teacher support, then assemble personalised learning paths for individuals, groups or learning purposes. Students open a path with a unique PIN without logging in. Teachers can export paths as spreadsheets or PDFs, share them with colleagues, or place them in a searchable bank for others to adapt. Registration uses eligible education or university credentials, while guests can continue without them. Scootle was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Melbourne.
SparkleBox
SparkleBox is a library of downloadable teaching resources for teachers, with a separate section of printables for parents. It covers EYFS, KS1 and KS2, with subjects including literacy, maths, science, ICT, geography, history, design and technology, religious education, art, music, PE, PSHE, modern foreign languages, dance, drama, HSIE and PDHPE. The site says its collection has grown from a small initial set to many thousands of resources, and editable files are available. Formats vary by resource: a home visual timetable, for example, includes more than 30 JPG images and a PDF arranging images six to a page on A4. SparkleBox launched in February 2006 to share downloadable materials with teachers. Nearly every resource is free to download; paid options start from £1.49. Free resources may be copied and shared with attribution for non-commercial use, provided digital products are not altered. The site accepts email enquiries, though its team says it cannot guarantee a response to every message.