An ed tech slap on the forehead moment: Something I didn't think of but wish I had

September 20, 2020

Dang! Why didn’t I think of this great idea for inspiring confidence in technophobic colleagues?

7 mistakes I made as an ed tech co-ordinator Index

April 28, 2019

We’ve all made mistakes, such as being a bit too excited about the thought of our colleagues using education technology more. I’ve written about seven of mine that I’m almost too embarrassed to think about. Here’s an index to all of the articles in this series.

7 Mistakes I Made As An Ed Tech Co-Ordinator #7: Not inventing jargon

April 21, 2019

Want to get ahead, possibly get awards, and get away with not informing anyone of anything remotely useful? This post will tell you how!

7 Mistakes I Made As An Ed Tech Co-Ordinator #6: Not making more use of the parents' association

April 20, 2019

If you need more computing equipment (and what school doesn’t?), why not ask the parents?

7 Mistakes I Made As An Ed Tech Co-Ordinator #5: Being honest

April 20, 2019

Is honesty always the best policy? I like to think it is.

7 Mistakes I Made As An Ed Tech Co-Ordinator #4: Allowing unrestricted advance booking

April 20, 2019

When it comes to allowing staff to book computer rooms and other facilities, it doesn’t always pay to be accommodating.

When it comes to ed tech, trust is better than control

October 5, 2018

Checklists are often really good — but sometimes they are worse than useless. In my experience, one of those times is when it comes to ensuring that colleagues teach information technology in their own subject lessons.

Yes, OK, I’ll try out the computers, but please leave me alone! Photo by Anh Nguyen on Unsplash

Bombarding colleagues with research results regarding ed tech doesn't work

September 21, 2018

Gathering research findings into how beneficial education technology could be, er, beneficial. But there are caveats.

This is what all ed tech co-ordinators should do if possible

September 20, 2018

In this new series, I look at 7 mistakes I made as an ICT-Co-ordinator. This first article is more of an omission, with the benefit of 20:20 hindsight!

Recent book reviews

Review: Effective Teaching: Evidence and Practice

Although this is a few years old now (2018), it has stood the test of time.

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.