Here are some interesting things I’ve come across recently, but which I haven’t had time to delve into in great depth yet.
Read MoreNewsletter: Games-Based Learning #1
The latest issue of Computers in Classrooms is now available, with the following games-related articles
Read MoreRelated Articles?
Here’s a great example of the danger of using code to suggest related articles without having someone check the results. In an article in the UK’s Daily Telegraph entitled “Education secretary Michael Gove admits he was beaten at school”, there is a panel headed “Related Articles”. This is what it lists:
Read MoreWhy Is The Curriculum Like a Bus Timetable?
No, not a riddle, but a question which came to mind on reading Eric Juli’s second comment on my post Rules of Engagement.
Accessible E-Learning
Trudy Duffy-Wigman
Schools, colleges and universities are in the process of improving accessibility throughout, both in the physical as well as the virtual environment. It is important to enable students with disabilities to reach their full potential and as educational professionals, we try to be inclusive and not erect any unnecessary barriers for learners, be it physical or otherwise.
New Update on the Amazing Web 2.0 Projects Book
Web 2.0 case studies, from classrooms around the world. Great examples of innovative practice, and an insight into hurdles encountered and how they were surmounted. And it's all free!
What Skills Does an ICT Co-ordinator Need?
First, a quick translation. What we Brits call an ICT Co-ordinator, our American cousins tend to refer to as a Technology Co-ordinator. It’s all very confusing, and would never have arisen had the USA not broken away from us a couple of hundred years ago. But I digress.
Rules of Engagement
Do we need gimmicks, new-fangled techniques to keep kids engaged in lessons?
10 Ways to Use Voting Systems
Electronic response systems. A good resource, or a waste of time?
In a recent post, Stephen Downes says
History lesson, by Terry Freedman
Is The computing Curriculum Too Masculine?
One of the apparently insoluble problems of the age is how do you encourage more girls to take up 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?
Read MoreShining 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.