9 things a Head of Computing or ICT should do to improve things

June 22, 2016

Here are 9 things you can do straight away to make Computing or ICT in your school even better.

9 ways to make your Computing classroom 'immersive'

June 21, 2016

What is an 'immersive' computing or ICT classroom, why is it important, and how can you make your classroom immersive?

4 reasons that teachers in charge of computing should be concise

June 15, 2016

When in doubt, cut it out: 4 reasons that computing teachers should get straight to the point.

A history lesson, circa 1991. What are the small things that helped to make the atmosphere so vibrant?

Quick wins in the Computing classroom

June 3, 2016

You don't need to spend a fortune or wait for years in order to make some big improvements in your school's Computing provision.

A word cloud of the GCSE options that schools are offering in Computing and related subjects

Computing options at GCSE: interim survey results

May 24, 2016

What are schools going to be offering their students by way of Computing options at GCSE? Here are the initial results of a survey I'm conducting.

Teachers and writers

May 19, 2016

Teachers and writers have a lot in common, as I pointed out in this article from 2008 -- most of which is still relevant!

New! Updated ICT and Qualifications List now available

May 12, 2016

The new, updated list of approved ICT and Computing qualifications is now available -- in return for just a few minutes of your time!

7 must-attend conferences for ed tech teachers

May 6, 2016

UPDATED! Here are 7 conferences that will appeal to any ed tech teacher wishing to improve their practice and broaden their horizons.

Kay's survey of over 300 teachers has yielded some interesting results.

ICT and Computing

April 26, 2016

The DfE has summarily dismissed the ICT GCSE qualification. Kay Sawbridge carried out a survey to find out the possible consequences of this.

Oh joy! The next issue of Digital Education is out today!

Coming soon: Digital Education!

April 21, 2016

Another bumper edition of the Digital Education newsletter! Due out later today.

From SAMR to Signage

April 20, 2016

A lot of digital signage in schools is used ineffectively, or not at all. In this article, Neil Emery of Trilby TV discusses how the SAMR model could be applied to school digital signage, with impressive results.

My 10-point marking strategy

April 19, 2016

Marking is an important part of assessment, but it need not be unduly arduous.

Erm, which way now? The contradictions in the Educational Excellence Everywhere policy are somewhat disconcerting. Picture from Pixabay.com CC0

Educational Excellence Everywhere, and the Computing curriculum

March 17, 2016

A new Department for Education policy document has been published. What does it have to say about Computing?

David Brown gets to the heart of the matter

Ofsted's views of the Computing curriculum

March 14, 2016

David Brown, Ofsted's National Lead for Computing, answers some common questions.

For those not in Britain, Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, aka the inspectorate.

Here's an important call to action: fill in the survey!

The future of ICT: a survey

March 13, 2016

Please take a few minutes to make your contribution to the discussion on the future of ICT by filling in this incredibly short survey by Kay Sawbridge.

A survey about the demise of the ICT qualification

March 10, 2016

Kay Sawbridge has created a short survey. If you have been affected by the scrapping of the ICT qualification in England, please fill it in.

7 Books for Computing teachers

March 3, 2016

As it's World Book Day, what are my recommendations for books for teachers of Computing? This is by no means a definitive list -- think of it more as a starter.

7 reasons to visit the exhibitions area at ed tech conferences

March 2, 2016

Next time you're at an education technology conference, don't ignore the exhibition area.

Coming soon: a new edition of Digital Education

February 1, 2016

With reports on Bett 2016 from 12 people, plus a humorous but incisive article on Nicky Morgan's speech at Bett (by Crispin Weston), and articles on assessment, Stephen Potter, parental engagement, a competition and book reviews, the forthcoming edition of Digital Education promises to be a fine read! Sign up now (it's free).

ICT and Computing Qualifications Update

January 25, 2016

What's the latest position regarding which qualifications are available in ICT and Computing? This free document contains the information you need.

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.