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…
Read MoreSnowball, by Terry Freedman
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?
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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Reflecting, by Terry Freedman
I don't agree with Cognitive Load Theory (CLT). Here's Why (Updated with downloadable paper)file)
A question: is Cognitive Load Theory another example of the emperor’s new clothes?
Read MoreReview: Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination
My review of this book has recently been published in Teach Secondary magazine. I thought some readers might be interested in spotting the differences between the published version, and the copy I submitted.
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Experiment by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images
Three experiments (and a bonus one)
As a teacher, you’re meant to be the fount of all knowledge, right? Even if your teaching style is to be a guide on the side rather than the sage on the stage, you’re still expected to actually know stuff. Well, sometimes it pays not to know, or at least to appear not to know.
Read MoreCan ChatGPT write decent course outlines?
I’ve been experimenting with using ChatGPT to write course outlines, and for one of the courses I compared the result with the outlines I had already written (and taught to). The results were interesting.
Read MoreHow can CHatGPT be used in education? And can it write decent book reviews?
I asked ChatGPT, and here’s what it said…
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On This Day, by Terry Freedman
On This Day: Why I Dread The Thought Of Benign Algorithms (Updated)
What if intelligent computers decide to look after us, and protect us from ourselves?
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Click the image to see this book on Amazon (affiliate link)
Review: The turning point for the teaching profession -- full review
Given that the government has laid down what must be taught, periodically pontificates on the ‘best’ teaching methods, goes so far as to indicate a preference for particular resources and has appointed an external organisation to oversee quality control, can teaching be truly thought of as a profession?
Read MoreAI-generated content: does it matter how articles are written? Revisited
As ChatGPT is on everybody’s lips at the moment, I thought I’d revisit an article I wrote several years ago.
Read MoreDystopian visions: a partial index (Updated again)
I’ve added another article in this series. Hence this update.
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dystopian visions, by Terry Freedman
Dystopian Visions: A Sound of Thunder, by Ray Bradbury
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.
Read MoreDystopian visions: a partial index (Updated)
Yesterday when I wrote this article I inadvertently left out one of the stories I covered. Hence this update.
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Dystopian visions, by Terry Freedman
Dystopian visions: a partial index
Being a great fan of the kind of science fiction that extrapolates what is (sort of) possible now into what will probably be possible in the future, I’ve been writing a series of articles called Dystopian Visions.
Read MoreBook review: Terry Freedman's Dispatches from the Chalkface, reviewed by Connie Chelsea
Dispatches from the Chalkface is an important book because it provides a rare, inside look at the day-to-day reality of teaching in a classroom. Terry Freedman, the author, is a veteran teacher with over 30 years of experience, and in this book he shares his insights and wisdom gained from years of working with students.
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My automated assessment machine
My issues with assessment by AI
I have serious misgivings about the use of AI to assess students’ work.
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Click to see this book on the publisher’s website.
Book review: Story Machines
While the book is both detailed and enjoyable, it is not entirely convincing.
Read MoreBook review: Brave New World -- the graphic novel version
in some respects, Brave New World seems closer to our lived reality than does Orwell’s 1984.
Read MoreSome thoughts on memory, and especially 'working memory'
My position is that I think the idea of ‘working memory’ is misapplied and, in any case, unnecessary.
Read More#Flashback Friday: Sexism in computer stores
In 1994 I set out with my wife to discover the best place to buy a computer system -- and discovered a lot of sexism along the way.
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