You could imbibe the entire day’s news just by reading the first paragraph of each article in the newspaper. But what you would miss out on is any nuance or deep explanation. Unfortunately, when research in ed tech is reported in news outlets, the nuances and caveats, and useful information like sample size, are lost as well.
Read More
Humble brag, by Terry Freedman
Is it possible to boast without appearing to boast, in a blog post?
How to boast without boasting?
Read More
Terry reflecting, by E Freedman
Reflections from a teacher training course 2
I believe in simple instructions. Here are the instructions I gave to a new cohort of teacher trainees, plus a short commentary on what went right — and what didn’t.
Read More
Reflections
Reflections from a teacher training course 1
My reflections on a first session I taught on a teacher training course are still apposite today.
Read More
Concerned, by Terry Freedman
Should teaching be a Masters profession?
I for one am heartily sick of people thinking that anyone can teach just because it involves, as they see it, standing in front of a class of kids and spouting forth.
Read More
Think outside the box, by Terry Freedman
Fiction and computational thinking (Updated)
How might you use fiction as a vehicle for teaching computational thinking? Here are some ideas.
Read More
MA Dissertation, by Terry Freedman
Dr Freedman, I presume?
Is the pursuit of a PhD always the right option?
Read More
Pay here, by Terry Freedman
Money, money, money
Don’t work for nothing, and don’t expect others to. Be professional!
Read More
Innovation fund cover, by Terry Freedman
Constraints can be good for innovation - Updated!
UPDATED! Constraints may not always be a bad thing, and sometimes can even be positively advantageous.
Read MoreAI-generated content: does it matter how articles are written?
Does it matter if articles are written by an algorithm?
Read MoreQualitative data is important too UPDATED
I'm a great believer in using different kinds of data to measure how well pupils are doing, not all of which are quantifiable in the usual sense.
Read More
What?! by Terry Freedman
A spreadsheet moment
A girl had been made to leave her lesson, and wanted to help me teach spreadsheets. My mind said “No way”, my intuition said “Why not?”
Read MoreItem 327 -- Get rid of to-do list
The problem I find these days is that there seems to be a mismatch between myself and event organisers as far as planning ahead is concerned. For example, I am sometimes invited to conferences with 1 week’s notice: my diary contains bookings for almost the whole of next year.
Read MoreThe trouble with technology
To the adage "Never work with children or animals", I would add, "or technology" -- which is somewhat worrying given that I have been involved in educational technology for over 20 years.
Read More
Exclamation mark, by Terry Freedman
Was it something I said? When an elevator speech falls on deaf ears
In one of my teaching jobs, I had to listen to a parent while he went on and on about how kids should taught how to take computers apart in their Computing lessons. When I pointed out that the course was about being literate in the uses of computers and also how to program them, rather than how they're made, he insisted that digital literacy could only be taught by taking computers apart.
Read More
admin burden, by Terry Freedman
My worst IT training days #4: Too much admin on a course
How the admin involved in a course led to its being abandoned by one group of trainers.
Read MoreSolving the driverless car problem Part 1
The problem referred to in the title may be summarised as: who ya gonna kill? The car is hurtling along the road when a child steps out in front of it. The car is faced with a dilemma: kill the child, or the pedestrian waiting to cross the road, who would be in the car's path should it swerve to avoid the child. Guest contributor Lance Sharpe considers the problem from an Economist’s perspective.
Read More
Psion 5 and KIndle Fire, by Terry Freedman
Note-taking then and now
It’s 20 years since I last used my Psion 5 Organizer. How does it stack up now?
Read More
Big Data, by Terry Freedman
Data for its own sake is pointless
Unless data can be turned into information, what’s the point of collecting it?
Read More
R.I.P 2018, by Terry Freedman
Education Technology 2018: A Personal Retrospective
The 25 articles listed in this post represent the main issues that were exercising my mind in each month of 2018. I was, of course, thinking about more than only 25 topics, but these are my personal favourites. A couple of themes seem to crop up more than others, these being automation (for example in marking), and better teaching or use of computing and technology. I hope you find them interesting, useful or both.
Read More