Terry Freedman's ICT & Computing in Education blog — ICT & Computing in Education

Sexism in computer stores

February 28, 2017

In 1994 I set out with my wife to discover the best place to buy a computer system -- and discovered a lot of sexism along the way.

What's in "Education Conferences: Teachers' Guide to Getting the Most out of Education Conferences"?

February 26, 2017

Why did I write this book, and what does it contain? Here's a list of the table of contents, and a short extract. I must have got something right, because so far it's received seventeen 5 star reviews on Amazon. I'm holding the price at £0.99/$0.99 for a short while longer.

Maybe you should have checked the tech first! Photo from pixabay.com CC0

A useful rule of technology

February 17, 2017

What do trainee teachers or colleagues who are new to education technology need to know?

What did you see at Bett 2017?

February 16, 2017

If you went to Bett this year, what struck you as good, useless, interesting, quirky etc etc? I'm going to compile a round-up of impressions, so please complete a really brief survey to share your views. Thanks!

Sir Bob Geldof at Bett 2017. Photo (c) 2017 Terry Freedman.

An interview with Sir Bob Geldof, and other articles

February 10, 2017

Here's some information about what's in the latest edition of our newsletter, Digital Education.

The Heavy Mob: Terry Freedman, Steve Wheeler, Simon Finch. Photo taken by Simon, and modified by Amy Burvall.

Bett 2017 Photos

February 9, 2017

Bett 2017 photos. Happy memories!

Bett 2017: Themes, Strategy and Economics

February 8, 2017

What were the main themes of this year's Bett show? And if you attended, how can you think about strategic decisions based on what you saw?

What I've been reading: So you've been publicly shamed

February 7, 2017

A harrowing, but very readable, account of how public shaming affects the victims.

The state of teaching in the UK

February 7, 2017

Why do teachers leave teaching? Read on for an infographic, and for details of a Department for Education survey, plus a couple of surveys regarding computing teachers in particular.

Some interesting e-safety resources

February 6, 2017

It's Safer Internet Day on 7th February this year. Here are some reading and some resources to do with e-safety. I hope you find them useful.

12 ways to make an event successful

February 2, 2017

Planning a technology co-ordinators' day, a conference or a briefing evening? Here are 12 suggestions to help make the event a success.

Online safety with Romeo and Juliet

February 1, 2017

The technology may have changed, but children don't.

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?