One day when I was 15, I was milling around in this youth club trying to look cool, when someone came up to me and asked me if I’d be interested in joining a cinematography club. I’d never touched a cine camera in my life.
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Driverless car, by Terry Freedman
Driverless cars: technology trumps experience - again (Updated)
If you want an excellent example of the triumph of hope over experience, look no further than the optimism surrounding driverless cars.
Read MoreKettles and algorithms (Updated and expanded)
Like many English people, the most important thing to me is having a decent cup of tea. So I was delighted when we bought a variable temperature kettle. This doesn’t just heat up the water to boiling point. It lets you select the right temperature for the kind of drink you have. But how does it work?
Read MoreThe state of Computing
Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education) has published its first report in ages into Computing as a subject. I've summarised the findings, and added some links and comments on my own in italics.
Read MoreReview: The Self-Taught Computer Scientist: The beginner’s guide to data structures & algorithms
As its name suggests, this book is aimed at those who want to teach themselves computer science.
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Review: A student’s guide to Python for physical modelling
The book’s primary concern is enabling Python to be used for manipulating and plotting large datasets, dealing with image “noise” and other advanced topics.
Read More3 reasons your students are bored in Computing lessons, and 9 solutions
Are your students yawning, checking their email, launching paper aeroplanes in your lessons? Perhaps you’re making one of these mistakes.On this day: 5 reasons to join Computing communities
Teaching can be a lonely profession, especially if, as is often the case, you are the sole teacher of ICT or Computing in your school. Whether you’re on your own or part of a team, I’d thoroughly recommend joining a community or several. Why?
Thumbnail sketch: Bad Choices: How Algorithms Can Help You Think Smarter
Here is a short review of this book about algorithms.
Read MorePlanning for the Computing curriculum
At first sight, it seems bizarre that despite the fact that many teachers urgently need professional development, and time, in order to be ready to teach Computing, headteachers are not always allowing them to attend courses during school time. A business planning approach by ICT leaders in school could help.
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What I've been reading: Weapons of Math Destruction
What's worse than being governed by algorithms? Not even knowing what the algorithm is doing. This very timely and readable book lifts the lid of what goes on in many walks of life.
Read MoreArticles on Ed Tech: Retrospective #3
Here are 5 articles from last week that you may find interesting, covering writing, blogging and education technology.
Read MoreArticles on ed tech: Retrospective 02
A selection of articles on education technology you may have missed, from last week, last year, and the Digital Education newsletter.
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Photo by Anna Demianenko https://unsplash.com/@annademy
Articles on ed tech: Retrospective #1
Here are links to some articles about Computing and ICT from last week, and one from last year and also information about an article on the subject of teaching Computing in our newsletter.
Read MoreHow I got into coding and why I think everyone should do it!
"As soon as I found out about how to write code, I was hooked. I realised that this was what I should have been doing all along." Anna Shipman, who works for the Government Digital Service, talks about her love of coding.
Read More5 reasons to join Computing communities
Teaching can be a lonely profession, especially if, as is often the case, you are the sole teacher of ICT or Computing in your school. Whether you’re on your own or part of a team, I’d thoroughly recommend joining a community or several. Why?Articles you may have missed
Although I slowed down over the Easter break – at least in terms of writing blog posts – I did write a few articles. Here is a selection that you may find interesting and useful. While you’re reading those, I shall be working on the next edition of the newsletter Digital Education.
Read MoreKettles and algorithms
Like many Englishmen, the most important thing to me is having a decent cup of tea. So I was delighted when we bought a variable temperature kettle. This doesn’t just heat up the water to boiling point. It lets you select the right temperature for the kind of drink you have. But how does it work?6 Ideas for teaching the Computing curriculum
I thought these posts from the archives might be interesting: 6 ideas for teaching the Computing curriculum. Unfortunately, being mathematically challenged, I originally inadvertently designated two of them as “#2”. That’s why I never became a maths teacher. However, I have since renumbered them, so they start at zero, which is, computationally speaking, a pretty good thing to do. Anyway, although the series refers to the “forthcoming Computing curriculum”, the ideas themselves are still useful I believe. I hope you agree.My Informatics scheme of work part 1
I thought it would be interesting to dig out my scheme of work for Information Technology – as it was then then – from 1997. It was based on the Informatics scheme of work published by the now defunct organisation Acitt. Acitt was a subject association for ICT Co-ordinators. I helped to shape the Acitt scheme of work, but the one I used myself was a variation, adjusted to meet the circumstances pertaining to my school. I’ve reproduced it below.