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ICT & Computing in Education

Articles on education technology and related topics
  • Front Page
  • Search
  • Newsletters
    • Digital Education
    • Terry Freedman's Books Bulletin
  • RSS
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    • Welcome
    • The "About" Page
    • Testimonials
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Too protective by half?

Why I dread the thought of benign algorithms (Updated)

December 19, 2021

Science fiction writers would have us believe that intelligent machines will either enslave us or get rid of human beings altogether. But what if they were extremely benign and protective towards us? What could possibly go wrong?

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In News & views, Unintended consequences, From the Archives, Discussion topic Tags Ray Kurzweil, singularity, algorithms, discussion

14 ideas for edtech company incentives

December 3, 2021

I was once offered discounts on buying a suite of computers for my school if I persuaded my colleagues to take out an insurance policy!

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In From the Archives, News & views Tags incentives, marketing

Did you know Google was a search engine, preparing for Bett 2001, plus guidance that has stood the test of time

December 1, 2021

Back in the year 2001 Google was still very much the new-ish kid on the block.

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In Blast from the past, From the Archives, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT Tags Compic, newsletter, history

Using badges

November 18, 2021

The attractive thing about badges is that a school can invent their own categories and achievement levels.

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In Assessment, From the Archives Tags assessing ICT, assessment, assessing Computing, assessment for learning

Who is responsible for a company’s image?

November 17, 2021

The answer to the question “Who is responsible for a company’s image (or a school’s image)?” is, of course, everyone who works for it. But what does this mean in practice?

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In From the Archives, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT Tags image, marketing

What differentiates your product from the competition?

November 16, 2021

If you sell a similar product or service to that of another company, what is it that makes yours stand out?

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In From the Archives Tags differentiation, marketing

Articles published in the week beginning 1st November 2021

November 8, 2021

In case you missed them, here’s the list of articles I published here last week — in reverse chronological order.

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In Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, From the Archives Tags archives

What should a newsletter contain?

October 28, 2021

What are the attributes of a good newsletter, and what should it contain? The list in this article will, hopefully, give you some ideas.

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In From the Archives, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT Tags newsletters, newsletter, marketing

British Gas and the Internet of Things (Updated)

October 25, 2021

Most talks I have heard on the subject of the internet of things, by which is meant the connecting up of objects with people and other objects through wireless technology, have been completely daft.

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In Computing, News & views, On the lighter side, Really?, From the Archives Tags Andrew Brem, Apps World 2013, British Gas, Hive, internet of things

What makes your product different from others?

October 25, 2021

If you sell a similar product or service to that of another company, what is it that makes yours stand out?

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In From the Archives Tags marketing, differentiation

The problems with rubrics

October 21, 2021

Rubrics look like an easy way to tackle assessment. But they can be deceptive in that respect, and can cause the unwary to slip up.

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In Assessment, From the Archives, On this day, Blast from the past Tags assessing ICT, assessing Computing, assessment, rubrics

Obtaining customer feedback

October 8, 2021

In my experience, it’s quite nerve-racking to seek customer feedback. I mean, what if they say the product sucks, but that they have to use it because there’s not much of an alternative?

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In From the Archives Tags feedback, marketing

15 Ways To Make an Educational Technology Project Successful (Updated)

October 5, 2021

How can you make an educational technology project, for example a school research initiative, successful? In a sense, the fact that it's to do with ICT in education is irrelevant. There are some generic 'rules' which ought to be abided by.

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In From the Archives Tags project management, projects

How to help schools avoid common mistakes with your product -- full article

September 24, 2021

The next time you’re looking for a book on Amazon, spend some time perusing the one-star reviews.

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In From the Archives, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT Tags mistakes, marketing

To put it Bluntly: Ofsted jargon revisited

September 23, 2021

Derek Blunt takes issue with inspectors' jargon. Should you ever find yourself looking for examples of what Kenneth Hudson referred to as “diseased English”, I think you could do worse than looking at Ofsted guidance or listening to Ofsted pronouncements. Ofsted is the name of the schools inspectorate in England,

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In News & views, From the Archives Tags Ofsted, inspection, jargon, Derek Blunt, diseased English

7 Ways to Involve Parents with Computing

September 16, 2021

Even the most technophobic adults can be persuaded to engage with their child’s Computing studies.

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In From the Archives, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT Tags parents

Introducing kids to programming via a spreadsheet sweet shop

September 15, 2021

Spreadsheets are dead, right? Wrong! Not only are they a great tool for teaching programming concepts, they can easily be addressed under the Computing programme of study.

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In From the Archives, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags spreadsheets, Programming
Exasperated, by Terry Freedman

Exasperated, by Terry Freedman

If Computing leaders were politicians

September 14, 2021

I was watching a debate in the House of Lords the other day, and I was very struck (I hesitate to use the word 'impressed') by how easily a particular government representative managed to fend off a whole variety of questions without saying anything of any value whatsoever.

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In From the Archives, On the lighter side Tags political answer, politicians, politics
EdTech Marketing.png

What's the point of your product?

September 14, 2021

A few years ago I read a review of a new product in a popular technology magazine, and by the end of the article, I had a pretty good idea of whether or not the product was any good.

The only thing I hadn’t managed to find out was what it actually did.

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In From the Archives, News & views Tags marketing, functionality

Why your Computing department needs a library

September 14, 2021

Like all educators, computing specialists should read more than just material directly related to what they’re teaching. It’s about being, and being seen to be, an expert in the subject.

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In From the Archives, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags Library, ed tech library, computing library
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Recent book reviews
Review: Social Media for Academics
Review: Social Media for Academics

This book is very readable, and if I sound surprised that is because it’s not always true of academics!

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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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