One of the apparently insoluble problems of the age is how do you encourage more girls to take up ICT or Computing? I think a lot can be done, and have done so myself, but I wonder how far a lot of the effort fails to get to the heart of the issue, which could be the curriculum itself, the way it is taught, or a combination of the two?
Shining Eyes
It’s said that the difference between secondary school and primary school is that in secondary school the teachers teach subjects and in primary schools they teach children. There’s probably some truth in that, but
Read MoreIs Net Neutrality a Good Thing?
In essence, the term “net neutrality” refers to the idea of everyone having equal and unfettered access to the services provided by internet service providers (ISPs), but in recent years it has often come to refer more specifically to tiered services and pricing. Basically, some people and companies advocate reserving fast internet traffic to those who are willing to pay, whilst everyone else enjoys a free, but slower, service.
Read MoreIn Praise of Entropy
Entropy, as I’m using it here, is a synonym for chaos or, at least, disorder. We strive against the onset of entropy in our lives, and nowhere is this more so than in our attempts to control the learning environment. That sounds eminently sensible. Is it?Automatic Writing?
The technology I crave has yet to be invented. A fairly frequent conversation in our household runs thus:
Me: I wrote an article on the way home today.
Mrs F: Ooh. Let’s read it.
Me: It’s all in my head at the moment.
Mrs F. It’s a pity we can’t print your head.
Friday Photo: Cycle Hire
In London we now have a cycle hire scheme. The idea is to get people going by bike rather than car, bus or train. Not a bad idea
E-Safety from a Self-Management Perspective
Last year I was invited to talk to a group of school students aged 16-18 years on the subject of keeping yourself safe in online social networks. An easy task, you might imagine, except that it has two main difficulties.
In The Picture: Stop!
I quite like this picture of a street near the Barbican, London, at night, mainly because it has that three o'clock in the morning feel to it. All that's missing is a newspaper billowing down the street and the sound of a lone saxophone.
Friday Photo: Fans
I took these photographs of a domestic fan – one in colour, the other in black and white – simply because I liked the look of the pattern.
Is ICT in Schools Damaging to the UK’s Economic Health?
This is the gist of the question posed by the Royal Society, which, as promised in a previous article, has just launched a call for evidence.
Kids Aren’t Stupid
I overheard a great conversation yesterday. Two girls were chatting behind me in the queue in the Post Office. From their discussion about school options and examinations, I’d say they were around 14 and 15 years old. Here’s part of the conversation, it really made me smile.
25 Features of Outstanding ICT Lessons
What should you look for in an ICT lesson? What would make an ICT lesson wonderful, as opposed to boring?
Friday Photo: Ship in a Bottle
A ship in a bottle may not sound interesting to you if you’re not of a nautical bent. But one weighing 4 tons?
10 Ways to Evaluate Blogs
Now that the new school year has started, or is about to start, we all want to have fresh insights into how to do the things we’re paid to do.
Read MoreInterview with Melendy Lovett
I recently interviewed Melendy Lovett, President of Texas Instruments’ worldwide education technology business, about the state of STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education. I put it to her that in the UK there are fewer and fewer people taking up Computer Science at university, because of the emphasis on 21st century skills and ICT, ie the study of how to use programs rather than how to create them in the first place.In The Picture: The Press Association
What sort of technology might you discover on the premises of a media organisation? The answer is not entirely as obvious as you might think…
Friday Photo
Helping to get a new series off the ground is a photo of a great advertising hoarding from the London tube. How could you use it in your ICT/educational technology classes?Is Google Invading Our Privacy?
Why Are ICT Lessons Boring? The Start of the Lesson
In The Picture: Information Underload
Just because a signpost doesn't have anything on it, doesn't mean it contains no information! How can "nothing" be useful in education?
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