The importance of reading in education technology: 3 books to read and recommend

May 22, 2017

Why background reading and reading around the subject are good things to do, plus three books I recommend for students (and teachers).

Getting the most out of Education Conferences -- now available on Kobo!

May 18, 2017

Information about my ebook, Education Conferences, plus where to buy it on Kobo.

Half Star, by Clker Free Vector Images CC0

21 points to consider when evaluating a resource

May 3, 2017

Here are 21 points to think about when evaluating a resource, plus suggestions of how to use the list in a team exercise.

View from the terrace at the House of Lords, by Terry Freedman

Conference: Global Teacher Education Knowledge Mobilisation Summit

April 28, 2017

Teacher retention is an issue -- and that's an understatement. This conference will look at issues such as teacher motivation, professional development and education as a self-improving profession, to name just three.

It takes place on 4th May 2017.

Institutional memory and education technology

April 26, 2017

What is institutional memory loss, why is it important, and what can you do about it?

What I've been writing: articles around education technology: innovation, parental engagement, teaching programming and digital illiteracy

April 21, 2017

Here are links to a few articles I've written recently. They cover parental engagement, innovation, how to teach computer programming and, finally, "digitally illiterate and proud of it".

We should expect people in education be technologically literate.

7 suggestions for how to treat willful digital illiteracy in education

April 20, 2017

Why does digital illiteracy seem acceptable in education? I think we should have higher expectations, which I have expressed in these seven suggestions.

The bare essentials: coffee, water, notebook, computer -- and a good book!

An education technology co-ordinator's spring-cleaning checklist

April 19, 2017

Well, it's spring again, and time for a good clean-up. Here is a checklist for the ed tech co-ordinator.

Planning is useful, but is it effective?

The importance of research in education

April 5, 2017

Is your lesson planning informed by research -- and does it matter anyway?

You could put this up on the doors of your computer labs! Photo by Terry Freedman 2017

11 ways to deter colleagues from using education technology

March 22, 2017

Why should other teachers get their hands on all that lovely ed tech? You can't tell them not to use it, but here are 11 tried and tested ways to make them not really wish to.

Digital Education: what's in the latest issue?

March 21, 2017

Assessment, Book reviews, Ofsted: just three of the topics covered in the latest issue of our newsletter, Digital Education.

The London Book Fair 2017 Photo by Terry Freedman

Interim report on the What Works Conference

March 15, 2017

A very brief note about the What Works conference I attended, with a link to my London Book Fair Bulletin #1.

What's in "Education Conferences: Teachers' Guide to Getting the Most out of Education Conferences"?

February 26, 2017

Why did I write this book, and what does it contain? Here's a list of the table of contents, and a short extract. I must have got something right, because so far it's received seventeen 5 star reviews on Amazon. I'm holding the price at £0.99/$0.99 for a short while longer.

Sir Bob Geldof at Bett 2017. Photo (c) 2017 Terry Freedman.

An interview with Sir Bob Geldof, and other articles

February 10, 2017

Here's some information about what's in the latest edition of our newsletter, Digital Education.

Bett 2017: Themes, Strategy and Economics

February 8, 2017

What were the main themes of this year's Bett show? And if you attended, how can you think about strategic decisions based on what you saw?

The state of teaching in the UK

February 7, 2017

Why do teachers leave teaching? Read on for an infographic, and for details of a Department for Education survey, plus a couple of surveys regarding computing teachers in particular.

12 ways to make an event successful

February 2, 2017

Planning a technology co-ordinators' day, a conference or a briefing evening? Here are 12 suggestions to help make the event a success.

Online safety with Romeo and Juliet

February 1, 2017

The technology may have changed, but children don't.

Bett Radio 2017, with Russell Prue

January 31, 2017

Relive the Bett 2017 experience with Russell Prue's Bett Radio. Four days'-worth of chat, interviews and observations. And it's free!

Thoughts on Bett 2017

January 30, 2017

Updated. Some reflections on Bett, plus links to other articles about Bett.

Recent book reviews

Two reviews in one: Turner and Constable: Rivals and Originals -- art and history

One for your colleagues, perhaps: art, art history, ploitics with a small ‘p’.

Two reviews in one: State of Ridicule: A History of Satire in English Literature -- politics, history, English

One for your colleagues, perhaps. Sperrin has provided a wealth of information that can be used to provide a rich experience for students of politics, history and English literature.

Two reviews in one: A Little History of Mathematics

I submitted my review of this book to Teach Secondary magazine, an educational magazine in the UK. The first review below 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.

The Learning Rainforest Great Teaching in Real Classrooms Great Teaching in Real Classrooms.jpg

Review: The Learning Rainforest: Great Teaching in Real Classrooms

This is a great book for dipping into in order to read about different teaching and assessment strategies, backed up by research.

Outstanding Formative Assessment Culture and Practice.jpg

Review: Outstanding Formative Assessment: Culture and Practice

This book contains numerous assessment for learning techniques.

New Media in the Classroom Rethinking Primary Literacy.jpg

Review: New Media in the Classroom: Rethinking Primary Literacy

This provides a great deal of information about the different aspects of "literacy” and how digital tools can be brought into the service of literacy in the primary school.

Review: Designing the internet of things

This book takes you through the process of designing connected devices from prototyping to launching.

Quick look: (Un)educated: My Life as a Teacher, and Why You Should Never Become One

“Some of it is laugh-out loud funny, but some of it, about his reference being spiked, made me angry …”

A Heads-up: Hot Type: The Magnificent Machine that Gave Birth to Mass Media and Drove Mark Twain Mad

This is about the invention of linotype, and its consequences.

Are we in, or entering, a post-literate society?

I know that there are people who think that Tik-Tok videos and other (very) short-form content is a kind of literacy that’s on a par with reading, but I have my doubts.