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ICT & Computing in Education

Articles on education technology and related topics
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Free ebooks on teaching online

May 14, 2025

These pdfs, on converting a course to an online course, and tips for teaching online, were written a few years ago but still contain actionable suggestions.

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In Digital Education, Tips for teachers, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags teaching online

Archival

May 4, 2025

I’ve created a special area of the Digital Educatioon Supplement, which is an online supplement to my newsletter, Digital Education.

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In News & views, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags archive
History lesson, by Terry Freedman.jpg

History lesson, by Terry Freedman

Two more for the archive

April 22, 2025

I’ve just published a couple of documents in the Digital Education Supplement. This is a collection of free resources for subscribers to my newsletter, Digital Education, which is also free.

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In Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags Practical ICT, Ofsted, Microsoft Office

Should the Computing curriculum be ditched?

March 28, 2025

This is a serious question. What is the point of teaching kids computer programming, when AI can do all the hard work?

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In AI, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT Tags Computing, curriculum

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Safer internet day 2025

February 11, 2025

These resources cover various aspects of online safety, including protecting oneself from scams, understanding personal information sharing, and recognizing signs of online threats.

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In Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags Safer Internet Day

Created in Bing Image Creator

The human touch

October 3, 2024

I’ve been experimenting a lot with using AI, especially for summarising long documents. But the summaries lacked the human touch.

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In AI, Professional development, Research, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags Computing education, Notebook LM, AI, artificial intelligence

Picture created in Ideogram.

Using AI to mark students' work: postscript

September 16, 2024

I didn’t think AI's answer was good enough. I didn’t ask how ethical the proposals were. I asked it to mark an Economics essay.

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In AI, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags AI, artificial intelligence, grading, marking, essay-marking

Picture created in Ideogram.ai

Suggestions for using AI in education

September 11, 2024

I’ve been experimenting a lot with using AI. Not for creative writing I should add: I think AI has a long way to go before it will tempt me to eschew the likes of David Foster Wallace, Nabakov or Orwell. But for helping one think and, I’m sure, for admin, I think it’s a game-changer.

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In AI, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT, Research Tags AI, artificial intelligence

EdTech Diary: Talking the talk

August 23, 2024

Imagine the scene: a visiting dignitary, or an inspector, is shown into your classroom and, as is expected of anyone in that situation, walks around the room chatting to the pupils. She notices...

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In Back Catalogue, From the Archives, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags EdTech Diary

This is what Ideogrm.ai came up with in response to the prompt “Person using AI”.

Do kids still need to learn how to code?

April 30, 2024

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, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags AI, artificial intelligence, Hello World

Get off of my lawn

April 9, 2024

One of the few good things about the emphasis on ‘coding’ now is that as most people acknowledge that they know nothing about it, they leave the people teaching it in peace.

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In Blast from the past, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags Lance Sharpe, Supernaace

12 Characteristics of a good Computing Scheme of Work

March 28, 2024

*UPDATED* What are the attributes of a good ICT and Computing scheme of work? Here's the list of characteristics I've always looked for.

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In Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags scheme of work

AI discussion prompts from Wakelet

February 15, 2024

This resource comprises a number of prompts to kickstart a discussion in your classroom about AI and its effects in society.

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In Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags AI, artificial intelligence, Wakelet

History class. Photo by Terry Freedman

Banal projects

December 7, 2023

Boring projects are the worst kind of thing to give students. My way of thinking is simple: if you can’t think of anything exciting, get them to come up with something themselves.

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In Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags projects

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Fun, in the most patronising way you can think of

November 28, 2023

It’s almost unheard of for me to read advertorials or sponsored posts, especially when the words “Advertisement” appears in small print somewhere other than the headline. But the title made me curious.

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In News & views, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags patronising, gamification, fun

A lesson, by Terry Freedman

50 features of excellent ICT and Computing lessons

November 28, 2023

What makes an excellent ICT or Computing lesson? In this document I've tried to encapsulate the answer to that question.

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In Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, Professional development, Tips for teachers, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags excellent ICT, excellent computing

Authentic Learning and ICT (Update 2023)

November 28, 2023

To the casual listener, stride piano, boogie woogie piano and rock-n-roll piano all sound pretty much the same. Yet Fats Waller, perhaps the most famous stride pianist, detested boogie woogie.

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In Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags authentic learning, authenticity, edusummit11, edusummit2011, piano

Why Are ICT Lessons Boring? The Start of the Lesson (Update 2023)

November 28, 2023

If I had to choose just one causal factor to focus on, as to why students find ICT lessons boring, it would be the start of the lesson.

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In Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags boring, starter activity, why is ICT boring

Photo by Windows on Unsplash

New online blogging course

November 2, 2023

I will be running another online course in blogging in the evenings of the 17th and 24th November 2023.

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In News & views, Professional development, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags blogging taster

Photo by Dunk CC BY 2.0

Ada Lovelace Day 2023

October 10, 2023

Here are some resources/links you might find useful for Ada Lovelace Day. I think it’s a good idea to not think just in terms of the day itself, but of how you can build on it for future lessons.

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In Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags Ada Lovelace Day, history of computing
Older Posts →
Recent book reviews
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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Review: Small Habits Create Big Change: Strategies to Avoid Burnout and Thrive in Your Education Career
Review: Small Habits Create Big Change: Strategies to Avoid Burnout and Thrive in Your Education Career

My review of this for Teach Secondary magazine has just come out. Here is the published version, followed by the copy I submitted, which is slightly longer because it has a little more detail.

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Review: Productive Failure: Unlocking Deeper Learning Through the Science of Failing
Review: Productive Failure: Unlocking Deeper Learning Through the Science of Failing

My review of this for Teach Secondary magazine has just come out. Here is the published version, followed by the copy I submitted, which is slightly longer because it is a little more detailed.

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Review: AI Snake Oil: AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference
Review: AI Snake Oil: AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference

My review of this for Teach Secondary magazine has just come out. Here is the published version, followed by the copy I submitted, which is slightly longer because it has a little more detail.

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When AI can write as well as this, I'll worry! Plus a prize competition.
When AI can write as well as this, I'll worry! Plus a prize competition.

To paraphrase what Arthur C Clarke said about teachers, any writer that can be replaced by a computer probably should be.

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Review: The Shortest History of Music -- two reviews in one!
Review: The Shortest History of Music -- two reviews in one!

The music programme of study requires students to possess an understanding of the music they perform and that which they listen to, as well as a grasp of music history, and an appreciation of different musical styles.

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Review: The Art of Uncertainty (two reviews in one)
Review: The Art of Uncertainty (two reviews in one)

The Computing department would find the section on facial recognition interesting, because apart from possible ethical concerns, the fact is that even if the system has high accuracy, most of its identifications will be wrong.

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