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ICT & Computing in Education

Articles on education technology and related topics
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Illustration of algorithmic objectivity

Illustration of algorithmic objectivity, generated in ImageFX

Computing discussion topic

May 23, 2025

A topic to discuss with your students perhaps: the hidden bias in algorithms.

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In Computing, News & views, Discussion topic, AI Tags discussion, algorithms, bias, objectivity, AI, Artificial Intelligence

On this day: Do kids still need to learn how to code?

April 30, 2025

A week or so ago we were chatting to a neighbour. She said she thinks her daughter, who looked about six years old, should learn how to code, as that’s the future. Didn’t I agree? I’m afraid I said that didn’t.

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In AI, Discussion topic Tags AI, artificial intelligence, Hello World

dystopian visions, by Terry Freedman

Dystopian Visions: A Sound of Thunder, by Ray Bradbury (updated)

December 6, 2024

One of my favourite stories, this one by Ray Bradbury looks at the possible consequences of making a small, apparently insignificant, change in the past.

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In Dystopian Visions, Discussion topic Tags Dystopian visions, Bradbury

Dystopian Visions, by Terry Freedman

Dystopian Visions: The Machine That Won the War (Revisited)

December 5, 2024

What really happens when a computer is invented that can make every decision in a war?

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In Discussion topic, Dystopian Visions Tags Asimov, machine that won the war, Dystopian visions

Dystopian Visions: Flowers for Algernon Revisited

December 5, 2024

One of the well-known tropes in science fiction — especially the sort of sci-fi you see in comics and superhero films — is the mad scientist.

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In Dystopian Visions, Discussion topic Tags Flowers for Algernon, Dystopian visions
Dystopian Visions

Dystopian Visions, by Terry Freedman

Dystopian visions: The Cold Equations Revisited

November 14, 2024

The potentially devastating consequences of a drive for efficiency to the nth degree are shown in this science fiction story.

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In Discussion topic, Dystopian Visions Tags Tom Godwin, Cold Equations, Dystopian visions

Dystopian visions: Disappearing Act Revisited

November 7, 2024

I especially worry about the displacement of subjects like art, drama, music, history and geography, all of which are vitally important but which seem to be treated as the poor cousins in the curriculum. Yes, STEAM is better than STEM, but it’s not enough.

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In Dystopian Visions, Discussion topic Tags science fiction, Alfred Bester, Disappearing Act, Dystopian visions

Dystopian visions: My Object All Sublime revisited

October 25, 2024

What if an amazing technology like time travel were used purely and simply as a form of punishment?

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In Discussion topic, Dystopian Visions Tags Dystopian visions, Poul Anderson, time travel

Dystopian visions: Computers don't argue (Updated with reference to AI)

October 16, 2024

The writer does an excellent job of both reflecting the annoyance of dealing with a computer program that has no flexibility as well as no intelligence, and highlighting the need for programs to invite human input when the consequences of not doing so can be catastrophic.

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In Discussion topic, Dystopian Visions, AI Tags Dystopian visions, computers don't argue, automated communications, AI

Blogger, by Terry Freedman

Writing for blogs

October 11, 2024

Every so often I read some pundit, or usually a journalist pretending to be a pundit, suggesting that blogs are dead. What can I say? They’re not.

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In Discussion topic, News & views Tags blogs, blogging

Reflections: What's the point of book reviews?

October 7, 2024

So many authors think they ought to be the recipient of the Nobel prize for literature.

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In News & views, Backlist, Blast from the past, From the Archives, Discussion topic Tags book reviews, book reviewing

Elevator speeches

October 4, 2024

Sometimes, the elevator speech I hear was presumably crafted whilst going from the top floor to the bottom floor in a very tall building.

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In Discussion topic, Reflections Tags elevator speech

Edtech Diary: Wake up and smell the coffee

August 28, 2024

When I worked as a Technology Coordinator, a large part of my job was to encourage teachers in all subjects to make use of educational technology in their lessons and, even better, to build it into their schemes of work. It was something of an uphill struggle sometimes...

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In Discussion topic, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, From the Archives Tags Obama, coffee

Created in Bing Image Creator

Success redefined

August 27, 2024

I’ve been thinking about definitions of success recently.

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In News & views, Discussion topic Tags success

Click the image to see this book on Amazon (affiliate link)

Quick look: Desirable difficulties in action

July 17, 2024

The idea of desirable difficulties has always appealed to me. In my teaching I’m partticularly in favour of applying Vygotsky’s concept of the zone of proximal development.

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In Books in Brief, Bookshelf, Discussion topic, Quick Looks, Reviews Tags reviews, Desirable difficulties, Vygotsky
A blogger, by Terry Freedman

A blogger, by Terry Freedman

AI for bloggers?

July 16, 2024

In my recent blogging course, I abandoned my carefully-prepared lesson, or part pf it, threw caution to the winds, and suggested to the class that we experiment with using AI for writing blog posts. Here’s a partial blog post it came up with, which you will agree is utter rubbish…

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In AI, History, Discussion topic Tags blogging, AI, artificial intelligence

I prefer a malignant super computer to a benificent one

May 31, 2024

Imagine being in the situation where your kitchen won't allow you to rustle up an egg in case you burn yourself.

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In AI, Discussion topic Tags AI, artificial intelligence, singularity

Review of Destination Time Travel, by Steve Nallon

May 17, 2024

A book on temporal adventures may seem like an odd inclusion here, but it can actually be used in many ways.

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In Bookshelf, Reviews, Discussion topic Tags Destination Time Travel, time travel, Steve Nallon, reviews

It’s a start! Photo by Terry Freedman

Money, money, money -- again

May 2, 2024

This is an updated version of an article I published on my writing website in 2015. In my experience, it absolutely applies to artists, teachers and other creatives as well as writersor consultants.

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In Discussion topic Tags remuneration, money

Snowball, by Terry Freedman

I don't like ice-breakers

May 1, 2024

One of the more unfortunate effects of lockdown and its concomitant requirement of online learning is the application of different kinds of ice-breaker. To be fair, most ice-breaker activities leave me cold…

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In Discussion topic Tags ice-breakers
Older Posts →
Recent book reviews
Quick looks: VIBE Coding by Example
Quick looks: VIBE Coding by Example

For the time being, this book is free in Kindle format.

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Review: The Game Changers: How Playing Games Changed the World and Can Change You Too
Review: The Game Changers: How Playing Games Changed the World and Can Change You Too

Despite the relative paucity of immediately obvious National Curriculum links, teachers will find several of sections of this book to be highly engaging.

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Review: The Dictators: 64 Dictators, 64 Authors, 64 Warnings from History
Review: The Dictators: 64 Dictators, 64 Authors, 64 Warnings from History

In some respects one could view this book as a single warning repeated 64 times.

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Review: The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street 
Review: The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street 

Taking readers from the Middle Ages to (more or less) the present day, Gray charts how the places where we do our shopping and what we buy have changed over the centuries.

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Review: Extraordinary Learning For All
Review: Extraordinary Learning For All

As a source of potential ideas and inspiration, the book could be very useful indeed.

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Review: Bad Education: Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them
Review: Bad Education: Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them

One has the impression that the main role of the university these days is to maximise profit, while that of the majority of teaching staff is to ensure the ‘correct’ views are passed on to students. All the while, students’ main concern seems to be to seek protection from anything that might make them feel unsafe.

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Review: Next Practices - An Executive Guide for Education Decision Makers
Review: Next Practices - An Executive Guide for Education Decision Makers

Is a 2014 book on managing the computing provision in a school still worth buying?

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Still relevant (sadly): How to lie with statistics, by Darrell Huff
Still relevant (sadly): How to lie with statistics, by Darrell Huff

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.

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Quick looks: Bad Education: Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them
Quick looks: Bad Education: Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them

It was a great source of pride to me, getting hundreds of students through their A levels and encouraging them to go to university. But for some time I have asked myself a question: would I recommend this route now?

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Review: The Bright Side: Why Optimists Have the Power to Change the World
Review: The Bright Side: Why Optimists Have the Power to Change the World

At first glance, you might take this to be one of those books full of affirmations and anecdotes designed to lift your mood.

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