I’ve always thought that it’s the expert’s duty to inform the non-expert when they have not got it right. If you’re not prepared to do that, what good are you actually doing?
Read MoreTranquility
I’ve decided that I spend so much time at my computer that my desktop background needs to be calming. Here’s the photo I chose.
7 Outlandish ideas for ICT
Yesterday I was faced with a grim journey into central London. Now, we Brits like nothing better than to complain about the weather, but this time our moaning was justified. The dreadful heat made it difficult not only for us to work, but also the signals on a part of the rail service into London. The part that I use. Rather than face delays of up to 40 minutes (nearly 50% of the normal journey time), I “asked” Transport for London to find an alternative route for me, one which didn’t involve going by rail.
I'm glad I did.
Where can you get advice that is both free and good?
I don’t think it’s necessarily true that you get what you pay for. Some of the best advice available has been free. But where can you go now for good advice which is also free? I’ve started a new discussion on this topic in one of the Vital forums:
Read MoreEDUsummIT 2011 Report: The Digital Divide
Did you know that there are now more mobile subscriptions in the developing countries than in the (so-called) developed countries? I didn’t either. That was a fact pointed out to us by Dr Paul Resta, of the University of Texas at Austin, USA. Yet our appreciation of how such technologies can be used to support learning (both formal and informal) is still in its infancy.
Read MoreReview of Building Parental Engagement in Schools
Are parents a necessary evil from a school's point of view,or can they be an essential part of the work of the school? And if so, how? This book provides some (though not all) of the answers.
Read MoreDiscussion about the role of the ICT Co-ordinator
I recently posted a couple of articles that questioned whether the role of the ICT Co-ordinator was necessary. (See the links below if you missed those masterpieces.) Well, we had an online discussion (I’m not daft enough to make an appearance in real life on that sort of platform!), escaped relatively unscathed, and here is the result...
Read MoreThe role of ICT Co-ordinator is unnecessary: discuss
OK, I admit it: I was being a bit of a devil’s advocate when I suggested that the role of ICT Co-ordinator is redundant, but consider this. In these hard times, how will you respond if your Headteacher calls you into her office one morning and says:
I need to make some serious budget cuts. What exactly do you do, why does it need to be done anyway, and why can’t I get an admin person on half your salary to do it instead?
A conference, summer CPD and a UNESCO report
Here are three options for you to consider in order to give a boost to your professional development:
- The forthcoming ISTE conference in Philadelphia.
- A cornucopia of ideas for professional development over the summer break, in case all that relaxing gets you down.
- A report from UNESCO on Learning, Innovation and ICT.
All this was published last week in Computers in Classrooms, the free e-newsletter for educational ICT professionals. Subscribe now (literally: right now) and you’ll stand a chance of winning a premium version of Xobni, a pretty good email management tool. I’m running the draw for that at 10 pm UK time today.
Read on for the details of those three resources.
Do we really need ICT Co-ordinators?
The role of ICT Co-ordinator has been around for decades – ever since, in fact, someone decided that ICT activities ought to be co-ordinated across the curriculum. But why should it be, and what does it even mean to co-ordinate it anyway?
UNESCO EDUSummIT2011: Brief update
#edusum11 The conference is now in its final hour or so, with brief addresses from an international panel followed by "Next steps".
I started to write a blog post earlier, but realised very quickly that I need to do more reflecting. It's been a very rich experience in some respects, and I need to assimilate what I think I may have learnt. I've had the opportunity to meet with some of the organisers, representatives of Ministries of Education and researchers.
You can follow the conference on Twitter, using the hashtag given above. There will be video podcasts later (I'm told Monday).
More soon.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
EduSummIT Conference (UNESCO) News
#edusum11 Should anyone invite you to contribute to a handbook, don't turn it down. A few years ago, a handbok was put together (http://edusummit.nl/handbook), which led to several working group-type events, which led to an "EduSummIT" in 2009, which led to EduSummIT 2011.
With over 120 delegates from 40 countries, this promises to be a very interesting -- and useful -- event. Delegates have been allocated to working groups -- mine is 21st century skills. I hope to be reporting on this over the next few days, as long as the wi-fi, my iPad keyboard and my level of wakefulness hold out (the hotel fire alarm went off at around 1 am, which is no joke!)
Look for #edusum11 on Twitter, and edusummit2011 on the web and in Flickr. The conference website is http://edusummit.nl/, where you can find further information. You might also like to check out the latest edition of my newsletter (go to www.ictineducation.org/newsletter and scroll down), as it has a link to a very interesting recent report from UNESCO.
OK, that's it from me for now: I love blogging and writing in general, but sleep also has its attractions!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Computers in Classrooms New Edition
The next edition of Computers in Classrooms, the free e-newsletter for people with a professional interest in educational ICT, will be available at 09:30 UK time today. Here is a summary of its contents, which includes news, articles and book reviews:
Read More14 MORE ways to make your school website better
Around 18 months ago I published an article entitled 14 Ways to make your school website better. I took another look at the article over the weekend, and I think there is little I would change. Ning is no longer free, so perhaps were I to write the post today I’d suggest looking at this guide to the best social networking services for free alternatives. Other than that, I think it has stood the test of time pretty well, especially judging from a few people’s responses via Twitter.
Read MoreSystem failure: a true story
Last week I had to go to my mother's bank to sort something out. Thus it was that I entered into a sort of Escheresque landscape...
I used to bank there myself, but it is so dreadful I thought, in the end, I could do without the stress.
Anyway, before I went I ascertained what I would need by way of documentation. Of course, when I arrived, I was told that I needed something else. Here's how the conversation (well, some of it), went:
Why you should review your ICT purchasing plans
When the cost of calling an engineer out to fix your printer is greater than the price of a new printer, you know it’s time to review your printer spending plans. That’s the situation I was faced with when I joined one particular school: a top-quality printer had been bought, one which was so highly engineered that you couldn’t fiddle around with it yourself if it stopped working.
Another unfortunate consequence of having such an expensive printer was that it
East Sussex County Council Re-Define It Service Delivery To Schools With Centrastage
The Schools ICT Services division of East Sussex Local Authority supports 194 schools. During 2009, East Sussex Local Authority began a strategic review of all ICT Services including those provided to schools. An extensive consultation process with schools was undertaken, to better understand the ‘customer’ requirements from an IT service point of view; members of the school ICT support team at East Sussex also visited other Local Authorities to see how school ICT services were being delivered elsewhere. This process ultimately led to a complete re-design of school IT support services within East Sussex.
Read MoreThoughts on ICT leadership
Being appointed to a leadership position gives you some power, but it does not automatically give you authority.
What is the difference between power and authority? I think it can be summarised fairly simply, as follows.
Read MoreA film competition, video judging and a consultation
Childnet International, a registered charity whose mission is to work in partnership with others around the world to “help make the Internet a great and safe place for children”, is running a film competition. Here are the details:
City Learning Centres: The end?
Becta. The Harnessing Technology grant. Building Schools for the Future. The once-familiar landmarks of the English educational technology landscape are disappearing or gone. The indications are that they are being followed by City Learning Centres. These CLCs, set up around a decade ago to both provide facilities for local businesses and serve as beacons of innovation and excellence to the schools in a locality, are being closed down, threatened with closure, or reduced in staffing and funding. The question is, though: should we mourn?