Are parents a necessary evil from a school's point of view,or can they be an essential part of the work of the school? And if so, how? This book provides some (though not all) of the answers.
Read MoreDidactic teaching or discovery learning?
According to a study reported on by The Economist, 4 and 5 year-olds not told what could be done with an unfamiliar object explored it for longer and came up with more ideas than control groups who were shown, to varying degrees. The Economist states:
The researchers’ conclusion was that, in the context of strange toys of unknown function, prior explanation does, indeed, inhibit exploration and discovery. Generalising from that would be ambitious. But it suggests that further research might be quite a good idea.
Does this imply that the advocates of discovery learning (and their associated preference for “guide on the side” to “sage on the stage”) are right?
UNESCO EDUSummIT2011: Brief update
#edusum11 The conference is now in its final hour or so, with brief addresses from an international panel followed by "Next steps".
I started to write a blog post earlier, but realised very quickly that I need to do more reflecting. It's been a very rich experience in some respects, and I need to assimilate what I think I may have learnt. I've had the opportunity to meet with some of the organisers, representatives of Ministries of Education and researchers.
You can follow the conference on Twitter, using the hashtag given above. There will be video podcasts later (I'm told Monday).
More soon.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
EduSummIT Conference (UNESCO) News
#edusum11 Should anyone invite you to contribute to a handbook, don't turn it down. A few years ago, a handbok was put together (http://edusummit.nl/handbook), which led to several working group-type events, which led to an "EduSummIT" in 2009, which led to EduSummIT 2011.
With over 120 delegates from 40 countries, this promises to be a very interesting -- and useful -- event. Delegates have been allocated to working groups -- mine is 21st century skills. I hope to be reporting on this over the next few days, as long as the wi-fi, my iPad keyboard and my level of wakefulness hold out (the hotel fire alarm went off at around 1 am, which is no joke!)
Look for #edusum11 on Twitter, and edusummit2011 on the web and in Flickr. The conference website is http://edusummit.nl/, where you can find further information. You might also like to check out the latest edition of my newsletter (go to www.ictineducation.org/newsletter and scroll down), as it has a link to a very interesting recent report from UNESCO.
OK, that's it from me for now: I love blogging and writing in general, but sleep also has its attractions!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Computers in Classrooms New Edition
The next edition of Computers in Classrooms, the free e-newsletter for people with a professional interest in educational ICT, will be available at 09:30 UK time today. Here is a summary of its contents, which includes news, articles and book reviews:
Read MoreDistance no object? Why size IS important
It’s fairly common to think about the “communication” part of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in terms of sending and receiving information over great distances. But what about the opposite, ie communicating over very small distances?
System failure: a true story
Last week I had to go to my mother's bank to sort something out. Thus it was that I entered into a sort of Escheresque landscape...
I used to bank there myself, but it is so dreadful I thought, in the end, I could do without the stress.
Anyway, before I went I ascertained what I would need by way of documentation. Of course, when I arrived, I was told that I needed something else. Here's how the conversation (well, some of it), went:
The future of journalism
What ICT (educational technology) skills should the modern journalist have? Earlier in the year Tony Johnston, of the Press Association, gave a talk online for a “Teachshare” session for Vital. It was fascinating, and a few things stood out for me:
Read MoreMy blackberry isn’t working: technology and language
I attended an interesting event yesterday, which I’ll write about shortly, but I thought I’d share this video with you. It was shown at the event, and is a nice, humorous illustration of how technology has influenced our language.
Why should students type in data?
Is there ever any justification for getting students to type in huge amounts of data? It’s a point I raise in my book, Go On, Bore ‘Em: How to make ICT lessons excruciatingly dull.
Read MoreA film competition, video judging and a consultation
Childnet International, a registered charity whose mission is to work in partnership with others around the world to “help make the Internet a great and safe place for children”, is running a film competition. Here are the details:
Open Door Classrooms
Should classrooms be open to the world, in the sense that anyone might see what's going on, and perhaps even take part in them? Is this an inevitable development anyway, given today's technology?
Read MoreThese are the sorts of issues that Steve Wheeler raises in his reflections on Open Door Classrooms.
The iPad and the train
I think that cartoonists often are among the most perspicacious of us when it comes to reflecting on the (side) effects of technology. I particularly liked today’s Alex cartoon in the Daily Telegraph about the effects of the iPad on people’s expectations whilst travelling on trains. Take a look, and bring a smile to your face.
How might you use this as a starting point for discussion with students about how technology changes our expectations in a whole variety of contexts?
Update on 2011-05-10 21:46 by Terry Freedman, Educational ICT Consultant
The original link in the above post was changed by the Daily Telegraph -- good job I spotted it! All corrected now!
Two questions about ICT capability
Here are two questions you might like to use in order to get a discussion going with your colleagues.
They are both concerned with assessing ICT capability.
Read MoreA good use for YouTube
As well as clearing out a whole load of stuff, we have also acquired a couple of cats. They are currently breaking us in, and we are hoping that by tomorrow they will have trained us sufficiently to allow us all to watch the royal wedding together in the comfort of our lounge.
25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #19 Always use technology
Those responsible for ICT (educational technology) should beware of using technology too much: if they’re not careful, it can deter people from wanting to use it themselves.
An unexpected delight in an ICT lesson
It's often in the least likely circumstances that we discover astonishing things about others, and possibly ourselves.
One day while teaching I saw Maryanne, a 14 year-old pupil, walk past my room. I asked her what she was doing out of her lesson.
Read MoreICT Briefing Evenings
When the Headteacher told me that he would like me to run an ICT briefing evening for parents, I thought it was a great idea, although I didn’t agree with his suggested approach. He thought the parents should be given a talk for about 20 minutes, and then be allowed to wander around. I thought, let’s cut the talk part: the kids can do that, on a one-to-one basis. Who wants to sit and listen where ICT is concerned?
Read MoreTwo-tier email system
Teachers looking for material with which to furnish their lessons on how technology affects society need look no further than email. This form of communication has affected in at least three ways what might be called “disposable time” – the time one has left after the essentials like eating and sleeping have been taken care of.
25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #18 Don’t ask questions
You’d think that giving people in your team the freedom to teach ICT how they like would be met, by them a least, with unbridled enthusiasm. You’d think that the best way to get on with your boss would be to offer no resistance to his latest idea, even if you secretly believe it is completely nuts. You’d think that not challenging your students when they proudly show you the results of their programming or desktop publishing efforts would be much better than the opposite, lest their (supposedly) fragile self-esteem be damaged.
You’d be wrong.