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ICT & Computing in Education

Articles on education technology and related topics
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Computing books received, by Terry Freedman

Computing books received, by Terry Freedman

Computing books received in March 2019

March 29, 2019

These books, which I received recently, look interesting, and I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing them. All book links are Amazon affiliate links.

How to think like a coder was shortlisted for an educational writers’ award, which you can read about here: The 2018 Educational Writers Award. I didn’t receive this in March, but have only now started to look at it in depth. I’ve already penned a few notes about it here: Books in Brief: How to think like a coder.

Monitored, which I’ve just started reading, is an examination of big data and surveillance from a Marxist perspective. I haven’t looked at any Marxist literature for a very long time — not since I tried to read Das Kapital when I was 17 (I got as far as page 23, which was 8 pages further than one of my teachers!) — so it’s a completely new perspective for me, which makes this an interesting, if difficult, read.

It covers similar ground to other books on the same subject matter that I have to review — indeed it references some of them — but with a clearly different take on the whole thing. I have to say that from the little I’ve read so far I remain unconvinced, and happily so.

Mission Python has been sent to me by Teach Secondary magazine. As the title suggests, it’s a book that teaches you how to program in Python. All I can say about it so far is that it looks colourful, and that I’m looking forward to reading it.

In Books in Brief, Bookshelf, News & views, Reviews Tags books, books received, bookshelf

Book review: A manifesto for excellence in schools

March 8, 2019

How do you turn a school around quickly without “gaming” the system? Rob Carpenter has done it, and shares his recipe for success.

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In Bookshelf, Reviews Tags book review, book reviews, leadership

Book review: Understanding how we learn

March 4, 2019

This is a book that dispels a few myths about how we learn, and explains why our intuition is not always our best friend.

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In Bookshelf, Research, Reviews Tags book reviews, book review, Understanding how we learn
Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Politics and education technology reviews

February 12, 2019

To what extent is bias in reviews unavoidable? And does it matter anyway?

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In News & views, Thinking aloud, Reviews Tags bias, reviews, politics, David Foster Wallace
Living in a digital world.jpg

What I've been reading: Living in a Digital World

December 6, 2018

The review in a nutshell: well-structured, well-written and informative.

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In Bookshelf, Digital Education, Reviews, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags book reviews, What I've been reading
Photo by Helloquence on Unsplash

Photo by Helloquence on Unsplash

Microsoft laptops and software evaluation

November 24, 2018

Over the summer of 2018 I evaluated and compared for laptops sold by Microsoft, and tested the software that was installed on them. Here are my findings.

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In Reviews, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags laptops, Microsoft, Office 365, evaluation, comparison
research reading, by Terry Freedman

research reading, by Terry Freedman

What I've been reading: The Teacher's Guide to Tech 2018

October 2, 2018

Read this article for a review of this book — and a nice surprise!

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In Bookshelf, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT, Reviews Tags Teacher's Guide to Tech 2018, What I've been reading, book reviews, Book review
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Thumbnail sketch: Bad Choices: How Algorithms Can Help You Think Smarter

August 29, 2018

Here is a short review of this book about algorithms.

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In Computing, Digital Education, Reviews, Bookshelf, Books in Brief, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags Book review, book reviews, algorithms, computing

Machine Learning and Human Intelligence, by Rosemary Luckin

July 10, 2018

Some notes about this new book, plus information about a special discount to subscribers of the Digital Education newsletter, and a great prize draw coming up.

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In Books in Brief, Reviews, Bookshelf Tags artificial intelligence, Rose Luckin, Sir Anthony Seldon, Artificial Intelligence

What I've been reading: Reflective Practice

June 26, 2018

This book looks at the benefits of writing in order to reflect on and improve your practice, and suggests numerous exercises for doing so.

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In Bookshelf, Digital Education, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, Professional development, Reviews Tags Bookshelf, Reflective Practice, Book review

A great example of virtual reality

June 5, 2018

Dinosaurs in the Wild is a fascinating virtual reality experience. Well worth going to if you can, especially if you can take some pupils with you. It’s a great educational experience.

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In News & views, Reviews, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags dinosaurs, virtual reality, review
Cover picture: from pixabay.com. Licence: CC0

Cover picture: from pixabay.com. Licence: CC0

What I've been reading: Closing the Vocabulary Gap

May 25, 2018

UPDATED!

What does a book on vocabulary have to do with teaching Computing? Believe it or not, Closing the Vocabulary Gap has some useful information and insights for the ed tech teacher. Read on for the review, and how you can enter a prize draw to win a copy of the book.

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In Bookshelf, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, Reviews Tags book review, book reviews, Closing the Vocabulary Gap

How to evaluate digital content: a 25 point checklist

February 15, 2018

Thinking of buying some software, or subscribing to an online platform of some sort? Use this handy 25 point checklist to help.

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In Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, Reviews Tags evaluating
enhancing.jpg

Review of Enhancing Learning and Teaching with Technology

February 5, 2018

David J Longman reviews this new collection of essays on the theme of what the research says about using technology to enhance learning and teaching.

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In Bookshelf, News & views, Professional development, Research, Reviews, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags review, book review, David J Longman, Enhancing Learning and Teaching with Technology, Rose Luckin
Bett is a great opportunity for networking and discussion. Picture from Pixabay.com Licence: CCO

Bett is a great opportunity for networking and discussion. Picture from Pixabay.com Licence: CCO

Bett 2018: A report

February 1, 2018

My review of Bett 2018. covering:

  • why it's useful to attend Bett, generally speaking
  • the main themes going on this year
  • a couple of wishes
  • where I'll be writing more about the products and services I saw
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In Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, News & views, Professional development, Reviews Tags Bett, Bett 2018
the trouble with women.jpg

What I've been reading: The Trouble With Women

January 18, 2018

You would hardly believe the ridiculous things that 'genius' men have said about women's capabilities. I can't help thinking that if Ada Lovelace had been a man we'd have had computers at least one generation before we did. Anyway, here are my views on a book that deals with the issue.

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In Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, Reviews, Bookshelf Tags girls, women, gender
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Review of ASAP Utilities for Excel

November 16, 2017

A program to put Excel on steroids. Loads of utilities that can be applied straight away, no programming involved, and it's free!

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In Computing, Reviews Tags ASAP Utilities, Excel, spreadsheets
The Raspberry Pi User Guide 4th Edition

The Raspberry Pi User Guide 4th Edition

Thumbnail sketch of the Raspberry Pi User Guide

November 2, 2017

I always dread having to open any kind of manual. For a start, it’s against the natural order of things. (I don’t ask for directions either, even when I’m hopelessly lost.) Secondly, they usually seem to be written for people for whom they are superfluous.

Imagine, then, what a pleasant surprise it was to open this book and discover that it is not only well-structured, but an enjoyable read.

I wouldn’t say it is bedtime reading exactly (mind you, I used to read books on Excel functions and VBA before retiring for the night). However, it is very comprehensive.

For example, if you are interested in setting up your Pi to take time-lapse video, this book takes you step by step through the process.

If you’re serious about pushing your Raspberry Pi to its limits, and even if you’re already pretty familiar with what it can do, this book is a must-have for your bookshelf or workbench.

Raspberry PI User Guide (Amazon affiliate link) 

This review was first published in Digital Education, our free newsletter. To find out more, and to sign up, please visit the newsletter page. We use a double opt-in system, and you won't be spammed.

In Computing, Bookshelf, Reviews, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags Raspberry Pi, book review, Raspberry Pi User Guide

5 Must-have conference apps

October 23, 2017

If you go to at least one conference a year, you should consider using these five apps.

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In Professional development, Reviews Tags conferences, apps, conference apps
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What I've been reading: Weapons of Math Destruction

September 5, 2017

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.

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In Bookshelf, Computing, Reviews, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags algorithms, computing, mathematics, Book review, artificial intelligence, AI, Artificial Intelligence
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