Bett Radio 2017, with Russell Prue

January 31, 2017

Relive the Bett 2017 experience with Russell Prue's Bett Radio. Four days'-worth of chat, interviews and observations. And it's free!

Thoughts on Bett 2017

January 30, 2017

Updated. Some reflections on Bett, plus links to other articles about Bett.

Photo from Ian Stannard CC BY-SA 2.0 — Photo from Ian Stannard CC BY-SA 2.0

3 e-safety pins

January 29, 2017

Here are three useful pins from Pinterest on the subject of e-safety for kids.

Bett Bulletin #7: two stands to visit at Bett

January 27, 2017

Two pretty good products to see at Bett 2017.

Bett 2017 Bulletin #6: What I've seen, what to see

January 26, 2017

Here's a summary of what I saw on the first day of Bett 2017, and the products and seminars I think worth looking at.

Bett 2017: Wednesday's seminars

January 25, 2017

A selection of seminars going on at Bett 2017 on Wednesday, the first day.

Bett 2017 Bulletin #5

January 24, 2017

More information about #Bett2017, including a seminar I'm chairing, links to previous Bett Bulletins, and information on how you can get more, erm, information.

Bett 2017 Bulletin #4

January 23, 2017

The forthcoming issue of Digital Education is a Bett special, with loads of useful information if you're planning to go to Bett -- and even if you're not. (The section on new products being launched at the show may be quite useful.)

Bett 2017 Bulletin #3

January 20, 2017

I know from past experience what next week at Bett will entail, so I've written a program to summarise it....

Click the pic to be taken to book's Amazon page for your country!

Bett 2017 Bulletin #2

January 20, 2017

Read on for an opportunity to purchase this seminal work for a mere 99 cents or 99 pence.

Bett 2017 Bulletin #1

January 19, 2017

Information about an interesting-looking discussion panel at Bett 2017.

Exclusive: Review of Bett 2017

January 18, 2017

An exclusive review of Bett 2017, even before it's taken place!

Computers, life and work: some interesting 'background' reading

January 13, 2017

Here's a selection of very interesting and articles -- and one book -- about artificial intelligence, and how it does, or may, affect us. It includes a sobering list of jobs which no longer exist, and a debate.

15 ideas and tons of resources

January 12, 2017

If you're looking for ideas and resources for the new school term, here is a really good resource to get you going.

A worrying aspect of the fake news problem

January 10, 2017

What some statistics tell us about where (young) people get their news from, and what they do to check whether it's true or not.

A generic classroom activity for dealing with fake news

January 9, 2017

Fake news is in the news -- unless, of course, that is not itself fake news! Here's an infographic summarising a generic classroom activity, plus details of how to get a lot more information.

R.I.P. Micro Mart

January 6, 2017

The UK's weekly computing magazine, Micro Mart, has just published its last issue. This article looks at what made it so good.

7 ways to use comics and cartoons in the Computing classroom

January 3, 2017

Here are seven suggestions about how to use cartoons or comics in your classroom -- not an exhaustive list. It contains examples of some of my own efforts (I expect I'll be contacted by the Tate Gallery any time now), and a great video.

Back to school with Digital Education

January 1, 2017

The latest issue of Digital Education is a very quick read, with links to articles and resources you should find useful when school starts again. It's out today at 7pm GMT.

Recent book reviews

Review: Social Media for Academics

This book is very readable, and if I sound surprised that is because it’s not always true of academics!

Quick looks: VIBE Coding by Example

For the time being, this book is free in Kindle format.

Review: The Game Changers: How Playing Games Changed the World and Can Change You Too

Despite the relative paucity of immediately obvious National Curriculum links, teachers will find several of sections of this book to be highly engaging.

Review: The Dictators: 64 Dictators, 64 Authors, 64 Warnings from History

In some respects one could view this book as a single warning repeated 64 times.

Review: The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street

Taking readers from the Middle Ages to (more or less) the present day, Gray charts how the places where we do our shopping and what we buy have changed over the centuries.

Review: Extraordinary Learning For All

As a source of potential ideas and inspiration, the book could be very useful indeed.

Review: Bad Education: Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them

One has the impression that the main role of the university these days is to maximise profit, while that of the majority of teaching staff is to ensure the ‘correct’ views are passed on to students. All the while, students’ main concern seems to be to seek protection from anything that might make them feel unsafe.

Review: Next Practices - An Executive Guide for Education Decision Makers

Is a 2014 book on managing the computing provision in a school still worth buying?

Still relevant (sadly): How to lie with statistics, by Darrell Huff

Although this book is over 60 years old, it is remarkably apposite for our times -- and especially in the fields of educational research and assessing pupils' understanding and progress.

Quick looks: Bad Education: Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them

It was a great source of pride to me, getting hundreds of students through their A levels and encouraging them to go to university. But for some time I have asked myself a question: would I recommend this route now?