Imagine what Ada Lovelace might have achieved had Babbage actually built his “computer” and she hadn’t died at the age of 36.
Read MoreLetter from Ada Lovelace to Charles Babbage. From the British Library. Licence: Public Domain
On this day #3: How to make IT real
How can Computing be made relevant and interesting?
Read MoreThe importance of making mistakes and dealing with them properly
What does dealing with mistakes “properly” mean in practice?
Read MoreMy best IT training days -- index
Technology goes wrong from time to time, but isn’t it wonderful when the technology and the training go well?
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The scream by Terry Freedman
My worst IT training days -- index
We all have the occasional awful experience when giving training. Here are mine!
Read MoreThe myth of the unchanging classroom
Is it really true that classrooms haven’t changed since the year 1600?
Read MoreChairing discussions online
Is it rude to not respond to people in an online discussion?
Read MoreAchieving stuff straight away in Computing lessons (Updated)
Why shouldn’t you start your course with lots of apparently useless techniques?
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Online, by Terry Freedman
Which online platform?
Google Meet, Zoom and Google Classroom are all viable contenders for the task of teaching your classes online. But which one is best?
Read More10 advantages of touchscreens
This article was published in Teach Secondary magazine, before Covid-19 barged its way onto the scene. I still think everything I’ve written here is relevant, though I would, for obvious reasons, emphasise the need to clean them well, and frequently.
Read MoreA thematic approach to teaching Computing in secondary school
A topic list such as Algorithms, Loops, Flowcharts, Pseudocode and so on is not exactly enticing. Might there be a more interesting alternative approach to teaching Computing? Funny you should ask….
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Book review: How Charts Lie (short version)
We are presented with charts all the time. But are they telling us how things really are?
Read MoreBook review: 100 Top Tips - Microsoft Excel, by Sean McManus
Could this book of 100 top tips for using Excel benefit heads of department or subject leaders?
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Printer error, by Terry Freedman. Things like this happen!
Show me your product in a REAL school
With no distractions, lots of tech support on hand and equipment and software in pristine condition, you could get a really strong idea of what you could do with new ed tech products. But…
Read More4 things I learned about using education technology from a blues harmonica
If you’re playing with a bunch of people and someone shouts out “Solo!”, you have a choice. You can either stop and mumble “Sorry, I’m not quite…., I don’t think…., perhaps we should…” — or you can throw caution to the winds, trust your instinct and enjoy the moment. There’s a lesson for teachers of Computing etc here.
Read More13 Things new teachers need to know about education technology
Just starting out as a teacher? Here are a few things it's useful to know in relation to using education technology. Updated to include online teaching and learning considerations.
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Screenshot by Terry Freedman
Getting kids writing with Story Starters
Stuck for writing ideas for your primary class? This website may help.
Read MoreManual labour: what's your documentation like?
Is your documentation well-written but useless?
Read MoreBinary kittens
Could a kitten be used as a teaching aid in the Computing classroom?
Read MoreA contingency plan for an online course
Losing the connection doesn't mean losing the plot.
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