Actually, the title is a bit of a misnomer because I don’t intend to analyse this poster! I thought it might be something to discuss with students from an ICT point of view. I saw it whilst travelling on a Docklands Light Rail train recently. Your literacy colleagues may be interested too – can they spot the grammatical error?!
Pictures Across the Curriculum: Missing Monks
In this series I'm looking at how well-chosen digital photos can be used in different areas of the curriculum.
Today I'm looking a some photos that might have sparked off an historical investigation if I'd had more time.
25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #15 Don’t be perfect
If there is one thing that’s guaranteed to intimidate a newcomer to educational technology, it’s the perfection and poise of the long-established practitioner. “I’ll never be able to do that”, they think to themselves – and that thought in itself can prevent them learning anything new, or at least learning it as quickly as they might do.
Read MorePictures across the curriculum: portrait of an artist
In this series I'm looking at how well-chosen digital photos can be used in different areas of the curriculum. In the first one, I looked at the problem of litter.
This one, however, is about a much more pleasant subject: a local artist.
I visited a beach in Suffolk recently, and came across someone painting the landscape. It was a great occasion to have my camera with me!
So who was it? Read on to find out, and to consider some possible curriculum links.
Subtlety in the ICT Programme of Study
The ICT Programme of Study is both short and non-specific as far as the technology it references is concerned. It’s easy, therefore, to fail to appreciate some of the subtleties in it. This is especially true of the Attainment Targets towards the end of the document, in which often the same phrases are used and it’s difficult to identify why one skill is deemed to be higher or lower than a similarly-worded one.
Read MoreTechnology and society
For an interesting discussion with your students on the effects of technology on society, consider the impending solar flares.
As the article states:
The so-called "X-flare" could also cause radio signals to jam, satnavs to fail and electrical power grids to falter. Electromagnetic storms are already reported to have stopped shortwave radio communications in southern China.
Found on the web: 02/17/2011 (a.m.)
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10 things I’ve learned in a year of blogging | JAMES MICHIE
Very useful post, which succinctly suggests 10 things to consider when blogging. I think the author, James Mitchie, should have added a #11: create list posts. These always go down well, as exemplified here!
Thanks to twitterers @zoeross19 and @largerama for mentioning it.
Pictures in the curriculum: Litter Britain
In this series I'm looking at how well-chosen digital photos can be used in different areas of the curriculum. In this article, the focus is on Environmental Studies, bringing in aspects of health and safety, Media Studies and others.
Online discussion about educational technology
At the time of writing this, there are 15 minutes to go before Drew Buddie and I conduct what may be our last Teachshare discussion. Some of the topics to be discussed are:
Read MoreThree downsides of the idea of the guide on the side
So much is written these days about the role of the teacher being to “facilitate”, to be the “guide on the side”. This is justified on many grounds, not least that of the children knowing more than their teachers about educational technology. They are, after all, “digital natives”, or so we are told.
It seems to me that we have thrown the baby out with the bath water.
Read MoreAlso on the web: 02/12/2011 (a.m.)
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eLearn: Feature Article - Man Up Your Leadership: The European management perspective
very in-depth analysis of leadership in general, not ICT-specific.
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eLearn: Feature Article - What Makes a Good Learning Game?
interesting analysis, with useful references. see also the Computers in Classrooms games-based learning specials.
In The Picture: Curriculum Links Challenge
You could clearly use this picture to inspire some creative writing in English. But could you also use it any of the following contexts? And if so, how?
The UK’s digital skills gap
Is it my imagination, or is it the case that 15 years ago employers were complaining that kids were coming out of school not knowing how to use Word and Excel, and many schools responded by trying to make sure that their pupils were taught useful skills. Now we discover that those skills aren’t useful after all.
Read More3 “Top 10” educational technology resources for teachers and students
David Andrade has been putting together some “top ten” resources lists over at his blog, Educational Technology Guy. These are well worth reading.
Read MoreSwitched-On ICT Revisited
As I said in a previous article about it, Switched-On ICT is the name of the primary (elementary) scheme of work I've been involved with, as Series Editor. That role has entailed advising on assessing pupils' ICT capability, and helping to make sure that the instructions and assessment opportunities and statements are both consistent and accurate.
The text is engaging, with topics such as We Are Explorers, and makes full use of Web 2.0 and other free applications as well as schools' Learning Platforms. Here is a list of what I see as its strengths:
Also on the web: 02/03/2011 (a.m.)
Here are three great resources I came across this morning. They are from Dan Roberts, Shelly Terrell and Doug Woods. Please read, enjoy and pass on to colleagues and friends.
Read MoreSwitched-On ICT
I must not correct that spelling error. I must ignore that apostrophe. I must -- Ah, good day to you; thank you for joining me. You have caught me reminding myself that the role of Series Editor does not include the usual sort of proof-reading. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Learning Platforms: 2 Resources and a Conference
One of the things we tend to forget when it comes to major upheavals – such as, in Britain, the so-called “bonfire of the quangoes”, which has seen the disbandment of Becta, Qualifications & Curriculum Development Agency and the Training & Development Agency – is a fundamental law of nature, namely Nature abhors a vacuum.
Read MoreTechnology in the media
I'm interested in how technology is used in the media, and think that in many respects the media is more innovative than schools when it comes to using the technology.
I think it would be interesting to explore this, and perhaps a good way of starting off would be to join an online discussion this evening with Tony Johnston of the Press Association.
Read MoreMore about the free leadership event
I recently wrote about Collaborate for Change. Here’s a very brief video about it, and an interview with Lord Jim Knight, the Schools Minister in the previous government in Britain, and Dave Smith, organiser-in-chief. The interviewer in each case is Russell Prue, of Anderton Tiger Radio.