On Tuesday evening Drew Buddie and I ran our first Teachshare. One of our aims is to bring along people you might not otherwise come across, and who can throw a different light on the issues facing those of us who are involved in educational technology and passionate about kids getting the best educational experience possible.
Read MoreBattling the barriers of games-based learning
Pupils tend to want games that look fun and will not consider the educational aspect; teachers tend to want a very structured approach that compliments the vision of the subject they are delivering. Trying to deliver content we think suits both the learner and the teacher has been a difficult challenge.
Great professional development -- and free!
How would you like to listen to some world-famous speakers and then discuss their talk with them? That’s what Vital is offering. Drew Buddie and I are organising a series of one hour online talks starting on 2nd November.
Read MoreGames in Education
How can games be used in the pursuit of learning? Computers in Classrooms – a free e-newsletter – is currently featuring a host of articles and reviews on this very subject. Last night I attended the Essex Teachmeet,
Read MorePhotographing the Curriculum
Digital cameras have been with us now for well over a decade. But three things have changed in that time.
Firstly, you get a bigger bang for your buck, in terms of image size and quality.
Secondly, cameras on mobile phones have become good enough to mean that people can now dispense with the camera as their means of taking pictures.
Advertising and Internet Literacy
Now that web advertising has matured to a certain extent, is it time to revisit what is meant by “internet literacy”?
Read MoreC? I tld u so, didn't I? txtN isn't so bad aftr ll, unl ur /:-)
When, a few years ago, a 13 year-old girl wrote her entire English essay in texting language, people were predicting the end of civilisation as we know it. Now it turns out that research seems to suggest that texting can actually aid literacy. So where does the truth lie?
Linked-in
I’ve been encouraging subscribers to my newsletter, Computers in Classrooms, to join me on Linked-in, so I was quite amused with this cartoon in the Daily Telegraph today:
Read MoreWhy Is ICT Important?
Very nice video showing what (mainly) young people in Europe think about ICT and its importance. One student has been using a computer since he was 4 years old
Read MoreInternet Safety Issues
Why is there only one Monopolies Commission?
This was the plaintive cry of would-be politician Screaming Lord Sutch, and I usually find myself asking the converse of this when it comes to internet safety: why are there so many agencies?
Read MoreInnovation and Learning
If everything is working OK, is there even any point in innovating? What’s wrong in simply taking the view, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”?
Read MoreIn Praise of Tedium
Why does everything have to be so interesting all the time? Here is my attempt to balance the scales by producing something incredibly boring.
Quick Looks
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?