Monday
Feb182013
BYOT Case Study: New College, Swindon
Why has New College gone down the Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) route? An obvious factor is cost. But there’s also another, less prosaic reason...
Sunday
Feb172013
What is Both good and original in the world of educational technology?
When a young man with dreams of becoming a writer sent a manuscript to Samuel Johnson for his opinion, Dr Johnson is reputed to have replied:
“My congratulations to you, Sir. Your manuscript is both good and original; but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good.”
I thought it might be interesting to look at 10 ideas that have gained popularity in the world of educational technology and ICT in recent years, to see if they meet the “good and original" test”. Here are my considered, though possibly opinionated, views.
Friday
Feb152013
BETT 2013 Interviews: Yolanda Halston
In this video, Yolanda Halston, of the Educational Apps Store, talks about pupils collaborating and other matters.
Friday
Feb152013
3 General Prequisites of Bring Your Own Device
If a school wishes to go down the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) route, what are the conditions necessary to make this possible in a useful (ie learning enhancing) and hassle-free way?
From my research into schools which have gone down this road, or at least started to, I have come to the conclusion that there are three at least three general conditions which have to be met.
Thursday
Feb142013
BETT 2013 Interviews: Prad Samtani
Wednesday
Feb132013
M is for … Marginal Cost
Marginal Cost, like Opportunity Cost, is a concept used in Economics. It’s so useful, I’m surprised it isn’t used more often, or at least more explicitly, in general. It definitely comes into its own in the world of ICT or education technology.
Sunday
Feb102013
Review of BETT 2013
The BETT Show is, I’m reliably informed, the biggest education technology show in the world. It takes place in London, England, every January. This year it was slightly later, but I’ll come to that in a moment. The first thing I’ll say is that even if you didn’t attend you may find this article interesting, as I suspect that several comments will apply to any education technology conference.
tagged 
BETT, BETT 2013, BETT Show in News & views, Professional development
BETT, BETT 2013, BETT Show in News & views, Professional development Friday
Feb082013
BYOD Case Study: Invicta Grammar School
The Bring Your Own Device scheme implemented by Invicta is a hybrid of school-supplied or specified technology for the younger students, and a true BYOD scheme, within certain limits, for the older ones.
The question arises, why have a 1-to-1 scheme given the fact that there is so much technology in the school already?
Thursday
Feb072013
We are running a good service –you can see it in real time
Here’s a photo I took recently on the London Underground. There are periodic announcements, static noticeboards, and electronic delays constantly assuring us that we are experiencing a good service. I presume it is intended to introduce a feel-good element into an otherwise mundane existence.
Thursday
Feb072013
The sound of being connected
When I first had email and an internet connection, it was made possible by using a dial-up modem. These modems were positively snail-like compared to today’s devices. For example, my first modem could transmit data over the telephone line at the blistering speed of 9 kilobytes per second (kbps).
tagged modem, nostalgia, technology, the past in News & views
modem, nostalgia, technology, the past in News & views Tuesday
Feb052013
Unreliable information is worse than no information
I will never understand why so many people think that Wikipedia is OK to use for serious research on the grounds that it is mostly reliable. Mostly? Some years ago I posited the idea of a wiki timetable, in which people get to edit train timetables how they like. Some of the information displayed on the electronic noticeboards would probably be accurate some of the time. Useful, eh?
tagged Research, Wikipedia, information, trains, wiki in News & views, On the lighter side
Research, Wikipedia, information, trains, wiki in News & views, On the lighter side Monday
Feb042013
O is for … opportunity cost
Opportunity Cost is a key concept in Economics, and is tremendously useful outside that discipline. It is especially pertinent in the sphere of education technology. It is defined as: the next best alternative foregone.
Unlike the more familiar idea of financial cost, opportunity cost can change its value according to both contextual and subjective factors.<
tagged Opportunity cost, cost in Alphabet, Leading & Managing ICT
Opportunity cost, cost in Alphabet, Leading & Managing ICT
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