“Oooh!” “Ah!” “Oh my!”. Such were the collective gasps emanating from the Freedman household when I unpacked the Dell Latitude 2110 Netbook I’d been sent to review. Slim, striking and silent (but enough about me), the Latitude certainly makes the grade as far as aesthetics are concerned. But how does it actually perform?
I suppose this article will ruin for good my chances of a knighthood, but I am finding it harder and harder to keep quiet on this subject.
Read MoreTerry self-portrait, cartoonified, black & white, by Terry
I believe that there's a fine line between letting people know you're an expert, and displaying too much self-regard. If keeping on the right side of that line proves a bit of a challenge, here are three "rules" that could help.
Read More"I wonder if it's possible to write a poem about coding", I thought to myself. Well, it is, and here it is. First Chaucer, then Shakespeare, and now me. No doubt schoolchildren of the future will be studying this for their Eng Lit exams, but in the meantime you can read it here first! Enjoy.
Read MoreIs your documentation well-written but useless?
Read MoreWhat does it take to become an expert? And what can the Computing teacher do about it?
Read MorePhoto by Terry Freedman
Routines are good, because pupils know what to expect. They are able to predict what is going to happen, and when. Some pupils, whose home lives are chaotic and unpredictable, may even feel safe because of routines. Here are some routines that I think are useful for Computing lessons.
Read MoreA lighthearted look at rubrics as a form of assessment.
Read MoreGraphic by Terry Freedman
The key question to ask about anything in education is “So what?”. If you can’t answer that question truthfully and convincingly in terms of students learning outcomes, then why are you undertaking that activity?
Read MoreWhy set students real-world, life-changing, humanity-saving problems when trivial challenges are likely to prove equally, if not more, useful?
Read MoreHazardous environments: I like to think of this as being a metaphor for any situation in which one is challenged.
Read MoreSometimes you need to convince colleagues to think about using educational technology in their lessons, or to identify where in their scheme of work they could incorporate it.
Read MoreEnjoy exploring these websites for ideas for projects for Computing.
Read MoreOn December 7th, 2015, I wrote an article explaining how you could set up a spreadsheet in Excel to help you predict and analyse students’ grades.
Read MoreWho needs a robot assistant? Photo by Terry Freedman
I can’t get used to just barking orders at someone. Whatever happened to courtesy?
Read MorePush to open, by Terry Freedman
Here’s a link to an article about the mind playing tricks.
Read MoreCross-curricular ed tech evaluation, by Terry Freedman
Whether you are moving to a new school, or staying where you are, it’s good to stand back and try to gauge what the school’s education technology and Computing are like. Why you would want to do that if taking up a new post is obvious: you want to see how the land lies so that you can start to identify any improvements that could be made.
Read MoreRubrics look like an easy way to tackle assessment. But they can be deceptive in that respect, and can cause the unwary to slip up.
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Teaching can be a lonely profession, especially if, as is often the case, you are the sole teacher of ICT or Computing in your school. Whether you’re on your own or part of a team, I’d thoroughly recommend joining a community or several. Why?(c) Terry Freedman All Rights Reserved
