Summer reading #1: OuLiPo and the Mathematics of Literature

July 24, 2022

I’ve started to compile a list of books you might wish to explore over the holidays. They’re not all to do with edtech — we all need a break!

Books to be reviewed #3: Climate Change for Dummies

May 25, 2022

This is another book to be reviewed for Teach Secondary magazine.

Books To Be Reviewed #2: Futureproof

May 16, 2022

There are some interesting-looking books at the top of the to-be-reviewed pile. This is one of them.

Books to be reviewed #1: No Excuses

May 16, 2022

There are some interesting-looking books at the top of the to-be-reviewed pile. This is one of them.

Click the cover to see this on Amazon (affiliate link)

An interesting-looking book about AI

May 25, 2021

I haven’t read this book yet, but it looks like it might help teachers address some aspects of the Computing Programme of Study.

Online education: books just in

January 17, 2021

In the last two days I’ve received two books for review. One is almost hot off the press — Online Learning for Dummies was published in December 2020 — the other one is slightly warm — published in September 2020.

Click the cover to see the book on Amazon UK (affiliate link)

How reliable is neuroscience?

July 20, 2020

If 10% of studies in neuroscience are flawed, how can you know which ones are OK?

A world run by artificial intelligence: Zed

July 30, 2019

Technology has always provided a rich seam of possibilities to be mined by authors. In this book Joanna Kavenna imagines a dystopian future in which an AI company is running things.

Recent book reviews

Review: One for maths teachers

This wide-ranging book takes in probability, fractals, astronomy, Babbage, Lovelace and a host of other areas and people.

Reviews: Two for History teachers

Two books on the Nazi era.

Review: One for English teachers

No book about the craft of writing seems complete without a stern chapter on the importance of eschewing adverbs and adjectives - but what to put in their place?

Review: The Great Formal Machinery Works: Theories of Deduction and Computation at the Origins of the Digital Age

If you’re of a mathematical bent this could be just the book to delve into.

Review: How to lie with statistics

Although this book is over 60 years old, it is remarkably apposite for our times -- and especially in the fields of educational research and assessing pupils' understanding and progress.

Review of Blueprints

I submitted my review of this book to Teach Secondary magazine, an educational magazine in the UK. The first review is what the magazine published. The second one is what I actually wrote! In substantive terms there is little difference between the two, but you may find it interesting to see what the editor altered.

Filming in progress by Terry Freedman.jpg

On this day: Review of the Flip Video

This seems like a hundred years ago! Since the introduction of the Flip Pocket Video Recorder a couple of years ago, several variations on the theme have been put on the market, both by rivals and Flip themselves.

Review: Cabinet of Curiosity - Developing a Superpower

School life ought to consist of far more than just a utilitarian pursuit of exam grades over all other considerations.

Review: Dr Bot - Why Doctors Can Fail Us-and How Al Could Save Lives

In this comprehensive and highly readable Dr Bot, Blease tackles a wide range of issues, including some that are apposite for those working in schools.

Review: Books A Manifesto - Or, How to Build a Library

A compelling read that's bound to make even the most well-read among us feel somewhat under-educated.