Coming soon in Digital Education

October 25, 2017

I'm in the process of planning a few themed issues of my newsletter, Digital Education. Read on for the low-down.

This is an image I created using pulpomizer.com. Thanks to Julian Wood for drawing my attention to this application in one of his talks. — This is an image I created using pulpomizer.com. Thanks to Julian Wood for drawing my attention to this application in one of his talks.

A cornucopia of comic-making applications

October 10, 2017

If you like to use comics and cartoons in your teaching, and encourage students to do so too, you'll like this collection of comic-making utilities.

Robot, by Terry. OK, so I'm useless at drawing. Get over it!

Robots, artificial intelligence and all that

October 5, 2017

Call me a dreamer, but I think AI and robots are developments to be welcomed in education, not to worry about.

Presentation: 10 stimulating ideas for the Computing curriculum

October 2, 2017

Here is some information about the EduTech conference in general, and my session in particular.

Drones in the Computing curriculum

September 6, 2017

If you're considering using drones in your Computing curriculum, where do you start? This article has a few ideas.

What I've been reading: Weapons of Math Destruction

September 5, 2017

What's worse than being governed by algorithms? Not even knowing what the algorithm is doing. This very timely and readable book lifts the lid of what goes on in many walks of life.

The latest Digital Education newsletter

August 16, 2017

Exclusive article about the forthcoming changes in the EU's data protection laws, pseudoscience (?), biological determinism, back to school resources and more are in the current issue of the Digital Education newsletter.

Read on for the full list of contents of this free newsletter.

Fake news, bad algorithms and drones -- in the latest issue of Digital Education

August 3, 2017

Algorithms are based on maths, and maths is objective, right? You might change your mind about that when you've read Weapons of Math Destruction, which I've been reading.

You can read my review in the latest issue of Digital Education, plus information about drones, fake news, and going back to school after the summer break, plus a good money-saving offer on an online graphics application, plus a bunch of other stuff. Read on for more details and for a sign-up form.

What I've been reading: The Art of People

August 2, 2017

One of the most fundamental of so-called '21st century skills' is surely knowing how to interact with other people. This book contains some interesting strategies, though I am not sure all of them will work in the UK!

Droning on: Review of Drones in Education

July 4, 2017

What a fascinating idea: using drones as part of the curriculum. This book tells you much of what you need to know.

Making the Computing curriculum interesting

June 29, 2017

The Computing curriculum doesn't have to sound boring and nothing but coding.

8 conferences in the latest issue of Digital Education -- and a 50% discount!

June 15, 2017

8 conferences, and a whopping half price offer. What's not to like?

The importance of reading in education technology: 3 books to read and recommend

May 22, 2017

Why background reading and reading around the subject are good things to do, plus three books I recommend for students (and teachers).

Our lives in data: London transport

May 17, 2017

How is your travel data used, and what the trade-offs in terms of private costs and benefits? This is the second post in a series about data and privacy, and artificial intelligence.

Our lives in data: privacy

May 16, 2017

How much data are you prepared to give away, and what are you prepared to allow organisations to do with it? The answers in my case surprised me.

Classroom research for the Computing and ICT teacher

May 8, 2017

It's a great idea to do classroom-based research, but here are 7 caveats to bear in mind.

Half Star, by Clker Free Vector Images CC0

21 points to consider when evaluating a resource

May 3, 2017

Here are 21 points to think about when evaluating a resource, plus suggestions of how to use the list in a team exercise.

What I've been writing: articles around education technology: innovation, parental engagement, teaching programming and digital illiteracy

April 21, 2017

Here are links to a few articles I've written recently. They cover parental engagement, innovation, how to teach computer programming and, finally, "digitally illiterate and proud of it".

Making and coding

April 18, 2017

Is 'making' really an effective -- or cost-effective -- way of learning programming? Guest contributor Derek Blunt has his doubts.

National Backup Day: points for discussion, and 8 potential elements of a Computing project

March 27, 2017

Some topics to discuss arising from a recent survey, plus a possible Computing project for your kids.

Recent book reviews

Review: Cabinet of Curiosity - Developing a Superpower

School life ought to consist of far more than just a utilitarian pursuit of exam grades over all other considerations.

Review: Dr Bot - Why Doctors Can Fail Us-and How Al Could Save Lives

In this comprehensive and highly readable Dr Bot, Blease tackles a wide range of issues, including some that are apposite for those working in schools.