You might think that philosophy has little to do with education in general or Computing in particular, but the concept of “smart thinking” espoused in the following article by Mel Thompson certainly has resonance with “computational thinking”.
Read MoreA surprise in the world of educational computing that was rather pleasant (for a change)
Over the years I’ve become almost inured to the inanities of the online world, and especially their manifestations in the world of education. So when I received an email declaring “Congratulations, you have won an award!” my first thought was “Oh yeah? I suppose all I have to do is submit my bank details and complete a 38 page questionnaire over a premium telephone line.”Big ideas for ed tech leaders: Know your data, part 1
Although I was good at statistics at university, it’s not an area that I especially warm to. However, even if terms like “grade point average” leave you cold, I think you have to collate some data to be an effective leader of education technology.Big ideas for ed tech leaders: What’s your self-talk?
When I was in my teens I wanted desperately to get involved in television production, especially the filming and editing side. So I was delighted when one day there was a the start of a new behind-the-scenes series about how television studios operate. Well, the presenter started off by saying, “This looks boring, all these cables and wires everywhere, but…”. Then, a few minutes later, “This is a boring part, but…”. After 15 minutes I switched channels. I’m not even sure that the series was completed. Who wants to be told that the thing they have given up their time to watch is ‘'”boring”?Getting the Best out of Bett 2015: a reminder
Bett 2015 kicks off in a few hours' time, so this is just a reminder that my guide to Bett 2015 is now available. It contains over 200 hints, tips, suggestions and opinions. It even contains a detailed floor plan -- the first such guide to do so! It's in pdf format, but as it's quite hefty I suggest you download it onto your phone or tablet and read it on the screen.Big ideas for ed tech leaders: Who’s in charge?
Unless you’re fortunate enough to be able to have carte blanche over the design of your school, your technology budget, how Computing or ICT is taught, and who teaches is, you are going to be the inheritor of someone else’s legacy.
Read MoreNew guide to Bett 2015
Getting the Best out of Bett 2015
Terry Freedman's guide to Bett 2015 is now available. It contains over 200 hints, tips, suggestions and opinions. It even contains a detailed floor plan.To BETT or not to BETT? That is the question!
As Sherston Software makes its online digital world Planet Sherston, free for all primary schools, the company has decided not to take a stand at BETT for the first time in thirty years. Event Manager, Karen Pernyes breathes a sigh of relief on the one hand, whilst admitting she will miss the show. Here, she looks at what is so great about BETT, but takes you for a peek behind the scenes so you can see why Sherston is stepping away.How learning to code might improve writing skills
There's no point in just starting to write a load of code. You should at least have some idea of what you want to achieve.Digital Education Ezine now out!
Today I published a short, one page newsletter. It’s a great read (he says modestly), with some interesting links and free resources. Here’s what it contains:Bett, again!
January wouldn’t be the same without Bett, the mega education technology show/exhibition/conference. Come to that Bett wouldn’t be the same without January – freezing mornings, long queues to get on the Dockland Light Rail – but let’s not dwell on that!
The Bett website is becoming more and more populated with “stuff”, and you may be interested to learn that Bett-related tweets and other social media mentions are being collated on one website.
Should the Government decide what resources you use to teach computing?
The Government has laid down what must be taught in the National Curriculum. Should they now start telling teachers how to do their job?Ebook sales end today
Here at the control centre of ICT in Education we’re preparing to wind down the selling of our ebooks. Unfortunately, the new EU ruling on VAT has meant that we need to spend time looking at whether it is cost-effective to continue selling ebooks, and if so how best to do so. In the meantime, the shop is being shut down from midnight GMT tonight, ie 30th December 2014.Digital Education December 2014: Double issue, Free resources, 50% discount on ebooks, 75+ links and 10 guest contributors
The Spectator does it. The Economist does it. Even children’s comics do it. So I thought: Let’s do it. Let’s make a Christmas double issue of the Digital Education newsletter.
I’d like to be able to say I’d planned it that way right from the start, but that would be something of (to use Winston Churchill’s wonderful expression) a terminological inexactitude. In truth, the November edition was delayed due to a family illness, so it made sense to bring out a bumper edition now so people who subscribe have plenty to keep them going until January! I’ve included articles on a wide variety of topics:
Big data: is small beautiful?
According to the 2014 Horizon Report for K-12 education (ie Kindergarten to 18 years old), big data and analytics will be adopted by education within the next two to three years. Big data. It’s the current buzzword in education (one of several, at least), but what exactly is it? And is it really of any practical use? And should we be using it anyway?December edition of Digital Education–almost there!
It is taking me ages to edit this bumper double edition, but I think it will be worth the wait! It should be out soon – possibly even later today. Here’s just some of what it contains:The hidden dangers of doing digital business: what schools, teachers and students need to know
In theory, setting yourself up to sell products on the internet is the easiest thing in the world. Once you’ve created the product, you upload it to a 3rd party platform that will handle all the sales and deliveries automatically, and you just sit back and watch the money roll in. If only it were as simple as that. But why would a school want to do something like that anywayOur ebooks may be discontinued
New EU rules on VAT (value-added tax) come into force on 1st January 2015. At present, the tax applied is the rate prevailing in the country of supply. Thus my ebooks are taxed at the rate of 20%. From the beginning of next year, this will change, and the rate of tax applied will be according to the place of purchase.
There are technical difficulties associated with the administration of this approach.
Hour of Code–this week!
The Hour of Code allows anyone to try out coding for the first time by teaching the basics of computer programming in just sixty minutes.