What I Look For in a Conference (Updated)

March 21, 2023

I attend a lot of conferences, and over the years I've developed a useful set of criteria by which to evaluate them. Here, then, in no particular order, are my top 14 characteristics of a good conference.

Last chance to register online for Bett (for free)

March 3, 2023

I’ve just discovered that today (3rd March 2023) is the last day to register online for free for the edtech show known as Bett.

Updated! Supporting teachers through a challenging period

March 1, 2023

Updated! Discounts for Teachers is a free membership scheme which joins forces with retailers to help all staff, in any role working across the education sector to save money.

Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images

More on our corrections policy

February 17, 2023

Just to let you know, this website is being reviewed by Newsguard.

Our corrections policy UPDATED

February 16, 2023

UPDATED My corrections policy wasn’t easy to find so I’ve created a dedicated page for it.

Robot writer, by Terry Freedman — My depiction of ChatGPT getting more and more frazzled by the number of assignments I throw at it — Drawing by Terry Freedman

Coming soon... Digital Education ezine, focusing on ChatGPT

February 6, 2023

Yes, it’s all over the internet, but ChatGPT is still worth looking at. I am compiling a list of useful (I trust) links, and have a few things to add to the plethora of comments already out there.

Good news regarding the Government's plans to make the Oak Academy an arms-length body

December 14, 2022

The Oak provided useful resources during the lockdowns, and continues to create them. But there are four things wrong with the DfE's plan…

Terry Freedman and bookcase, by Terry Freedman

Fake news?

November 24, 2022

I’ve compiled a number of reviews of non-fiction books that either deal with helping people detect untruths (such as in so-called scientific research) or presenting something as true when, in fact, it isn’t.

7 questions about blogging (Updated)

November 18, 2022

You can build up a body of work without having to try going through gatekeepers.

Someone suffering from FOMO, by Terry Freedman

7 incredibly useful links

November 10, 2022

These links were first highlighted in the Digital Education newsletter.

I don't write only about ed tech...

November 2, 2022

I have lots of thoughts about education in general too. Here’s some information about another newsletter I write, about education in general.

The factory of the future (what a load of tosh)

November 2, 2022

I have recently had a glimpse of techno-utopia. It is not pretty.

Let's keep the arms length body at arms length

October 24, 2022

Governments should not interfere in the education marketplace

What's the point of book reviews?

September 28, 2022

So many authors think they ought to be the recipient of the Nobel prize for literature.

National Coding Week: why? (Updated)

September 21, 2022

I’ve always been of the strong opinion that (a) people should talk about programming, not coding, and (b) people learn best on a kind of need to know basis.

No laughing matter

September 14, 2022

It seems that everyone is worried about causing offence, or maybe just concerned about being accused of wasting time.

My Queen and I

September 9, 2022

A personal tribute.

In case you missed them (or had forgotten about them): memory articles

September 2, 2022

Just before the end of the last school year I published an article about memory, and a review of a book about memory.

Westminster Forum conference on Computing education: First impressions

July 25, 2022

I’ve started to compile a list of books and other kinds of reading matter you might wish to explore over the holidays. They’re not all to do with edtech — we all need a break!

Coming soon: my summer reading list

July 22, 2022

For my end-of-term newsletter I’ve compiled a short reading list, not all the items on which are concerned with edtech. After all, everyone deserves a break.

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.