If you’re thinking that you really ought to do some work before returning to the grindstone, but would rather loaf around instead, how about compromising by reading these great posts? They will get you raring to go, I’m sure!
Read MoreA new start
There is something heroic about working away on a computer while the rest of the world sleeps, with only a cup of tea and a distant street lamp to keep one company. But the health benefits of caffeine-fuelled nights are yet to be discovered. Thus it was that around four weeks ago I decided that a radical change in my lifestyle was in order.
Managing a technical support team
You don't have to be a "techie" in order to be able to manage a technical support team effectively. These guidelines explain how.
Read More25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #6 Manage, but don’t lead
There’s a reason that the strapline of this website is “The site for leaders and managers of educational ICT”: leading and managing are different things. That isn’t to say that someone cannot be both a good leader and a good manager, but they may have to work a little harder on one aspect than on the other.25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #4 Provide too much information
Too much information is such a ubiquitous problem that it even has its own three letter abbreviation: TMI – although that is usually applied in the context of someone online telling you something that you really didn’t want to know. However, it’s also a problem experienced by anyone who runs a team, or who requires information in order to take a decision.
25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #3 Provide too little information
If you really want to make yourself unpopular, then not providing enough information is a sure-fire way of going about it. Whether you’re a teacher, say, advising your Principal, or a consultant advising your client, you need to provide sufficient information – whether you’ve been asked for it or not.
Read More25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #2 Provide timely information
You would think that providing timely information would be just the thing to get you applauded. However, as the song from Porgy and Bess tells us, it ain’t necessarily so. It really all depends on what the information is, and to whom you’re making it available.
The sledgehammer as a tool for innovation?
Can the sledgehammer, an instrument usually associated with destruction, be enlisted as a tool of innovation? Educational Technology consultant Doug Woods puts forward a case for this unlikely-sounding approach. His position is that a good use for the sledgehammer would be to break up all the ICT suites (computer labs) that can be found in schools.
Read MoreICT and the Built Environment
I’m looking forward to a half-day conference tomorrow (30th November 2010) on the theme of the built environment.
Read MorePersonal Learning Networks–An Online Discussion
Chris Smith, of that vast repository of links, Shambles.net, knows all about personal learning networks. He lives in Thailand, but runs workshops globally via Skype, Second Life and, of course, in person. He’s also active on Youtube and contributes to many online discussion lists. Who better, then, to talk to us about Personal Learning Networks?
Read MoreNo Comment?
Do you have a policy about publishing comments on your blog posts?
Getting Teachers Engaged With Technology
Listen to Shelly Terrell giving us her ideas on how to get other teachers using technology in their subjects. Drew Buddie and I are running a series of Teachshares -- online discussions with guest speakers.
Read MoreFinnish School of the Future
Here’s an interesting-looking project, with a video about it. I don’t think the video does the project justice, and I think that it’s unfortunate that when we see three youngsters leaping into the air with joy at the end of the film, it’s when they’re leaving the school building at the end of the day!
Secondary ICT Co-ordinators Teachshare Recording Now Available
On Tuesday evening Drew Buddie and I ran our first Teachshare. One of our aims is to bring along people you might not otherwise come across, and who can throw a different light on the issues facing those of us who are involved in educational technology and passionate about kids getting the best educational experience possible.
Read MoreGreat professional development -- and free!
How would you like to listen to some world-famous speakers and then discuss their talk with them? That’s what Vital is offering. Drew Buddie and I are organising a series of one hour online talks starting on 2nd November.
Read MoreNot So Fast
Last week I was in Brentwood, Essex, UK, and in need of a bite to eat, so I popped into the Crown Street Café, which is in, er, Crown Street.
I was struck by this notice at the bottom of the menu:
Dates For Your Diary
Innovation and Learning
If everything is working OK, is there even any point in innovating? What’s wrong in simply taking the view, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”?
Read MoreThe Myth of Leadership
Leaders and managers don't change people: people change themselves. All that an effective leader or manager can do is get the right conditions in place for effective change (for the better) to happen. In political terms, it's the difference between power and authority. Power is where, when someone says "X will happen", people say "We must do X"; authority is where, when someone says "X will happen", people say "X ought to happen". Having authority is better than having power in the long run.
Accessible E-Learning
Trudy Duffy-Wigman
Schools, colleges and universities are in the process of improving accessibility throughout, both in the physical as well as the virtual environment. It is important to enable students with disabilities to reach their full potential and as educational professionals, we try to be inclusive and not erect any unnecessary barriers for learners, be it physical or otherwise.