Should you ever find yourself in the unlikely circumstance of having to choose between me administering medication or waiting for a paramedic, my advice would be to wait.
Read MoreI was no good at welding either
Review: Strange Code: Esoteric Languages That Make Programming Fun Again
Given how much there already is to cover in the computing curriculum, why spend time exploring programming languages that are, so to speak, way off the beaten track?
Read MoreReview: Science Fiction: Voyage to the Edge of Imagination
My review of this book has recently been published in Teach Secondary magazine. I thought some readers might be interested in spotting the differences between the published version, and the copy I submitted.
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Review of the hieroglyphs exhibition
Taking place at the British Museum in London, the exhibition could be used to provide interesting perspectives or links to several subjects — including programming.
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Video by Terry Freedman — nothing to do with the exhibition, but I thought it looked science fictiony.
Review of a science fiction exhibition
There’s a great science fiction exhibition on at the Science Museum in London at the moment — until 4 May 2023. Science |Fiction is a great medium for discussing technology…
Read MoreHow can CHatGPT be used in education? And can it write decent book reviews?
I asked ChatGPT, and here’s what it said…
Read MoreReview: The Science of Learning
Evidence-based education tends to be regarded in much the same way as Oscar Wilde viewed advice: useful for other people.
Read MoreReview: The power of professional learning networks: full review
The idea of professional learning networks, or PLNs, has been around a long time. So what is there to say about them with regard to teachers’ professional development and wellbeing?
Read MoreReview: 20 Things to do with a computer (full review)
Back in 1971, when computers in schools were barely conceivable, Seymour Papert and Cynthia Solomon produced a revolutionary paper. Reproduced in this book, their Twenty Things to Do with a Computer introduced teachers to the idea that programming could be used to engage children, release their creativity and still learn stuff.
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Review: The turning point for the teaching profession -- full review
Given that the government has laid down what must be taught, periodically pontificates on the ‘best’ teaching methods, goes so far as to indicate a preference for particular resources and has appointed an external organisation to oversee quality control, can teaching be truly thought of as a profession?
Read MoreReview: My secret #edtech diary (full review)
It is a sad confirmation that the trope that education lacks any sort of collective memory is in fact well observed.
Read MoreReview: Teaching Machines: The history of personlized learning
Here is a very strange paradox. On the one hand, everyone agrees that a key ingredient for success in life is having great teachers. On the other, there’s a relentless narrative that education is somehow broken and that fixing it entails replacing teachers or transforming some or all of what they do.
Read MoreReview: Breaking the news -- exhibtion
It is easy to believe that ‘fake news’ is a modern phenomenon, brought about by social media and promulgated by politicians. Yet as the British Library’s event, ‘Breaking the News’ exhibition demonstrated, fake news – or that unforgettable phrase ‘alternative facts’ – have been features of news reporting for at least 500 years.
Read MoreReview: The Complete Learner's Toolkit (Full review)
I was underwhelmed by a book with lofty ambitions that delivers little more than a compendium of interesting lesson ideas.
Read MoreReview: YEAR ONE: Lighting the path on your first year in teaching
I reviewed this book for Teach Secondary magazine. I’ve included both the review I sent in, and the lightly edited version that was published in the magazine.
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Review: The Fundraising Handbook by Lindsey Marsh
One of the chief banes of my life as a head of computing in a comprehensive school was acquiring enough money to develop the subject and to improve the experience of using education technology for everyone across the school.
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Review: The Power of Learning Networks
I suspect that this book won’t be on the education secretary’s recommended reading list for schools.
Read MoreBook review: Terry Freedman's Dispatches from the Chalkface, reviewed by Connie Chelsea
Dispatches from the Chalkface is an important book because it provides a rare, inside look at the day-to-day reality of teaching in a classroom. Terry Freedman, the author, is a veteran teacher with over 30 years of experience, and in this book he shares his insights and wisdom gained from years of working with students.
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Book review: Climate Change for Dummies
This book is as a timely addition to the debate around climate change.
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Book review: Story Machines
While the book is both detailed and enjoyable, it is not entirely convincing.
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