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

What I'm currently reading in the world of technology

May 26, 2016

Here are three thumbnail sketches of books I'm reading at the moment or have recently read. I hope it's useful.

Computing discussion topic 2016-05-25: The algorithm that is too effective

May 25, 2016

Here's an example of a computer program that prevents people buying stuff, based on their address.

A word cloud of the GCSE options that schools are offering in Computing and related subjects

Computing options at GCSE: interim survey results

May 24, 2016

What are schools going to be offering their students by way of Computing options at GCSE? Here are the initial results of a survey I'm conducting.

Computing discussion topic 2016-05-23

May 23, 2016

A topic to discuss with your students perhaps: the hidden bias in algorithms.

Will he dictate even more of what you see?

Immersive journalism: a VR nightmare?

May 20, 2016

VR technology has come of age (more or less) and suggests some exciting possibilities. But how will reportage be affected, and is it wholly a good thing?

Teachers and writers

May 19, 2016

Teachers and writers have a lot in common, as I pointed out in this article from 2008 -- most of which is still relevant!

10 things to do in 5 minutes in your computer lessons

May 18, 2016

What can your students do in the odd five minutes in computing lessons? Here are ten suggestions.

Digital Education Newsletter Preview

May 17, 2016

What is coming up in the next issue of Digital Education? Plenty of good stuff, as usual (he says modestly!). Read on for more details.

How to convert your assessment system to Levels or Grades

May 16, 2016

It's all very well having a really imaginative system of assessing students withjout giving them grades or Levels -- but what do you do when your senior leadership team insists on being provided with them?

New! Updated ICT and Qualifications List now available

May 12, 2016

The new, updated list of approved ICT and Computing qualifications is now available -- in return for just a few minutes of your time!

7 must-attend conferences for ed tech teachers

May 6, 2016

UPDATED! Here are 7 conferences that will appeal to any ed tech teacher wishing to improve their practice and broaden their horizons.

What I've been reading: Essays on Teaching, by Bob Blaisdell

May 5, 2016

A wonderful romp through educational history. If you think our current concerns are new, this book will make you think again.

What I've been reading: How to lie with statistics, by Darrell Huff

May 4, 2016

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.

What I've been reading: Teacher Proof, by Tom Bennett

May 3, 2016

Tom Bennett's book Teacher Proof is, like the curate's egg, excellent in parts. Many of the practices that teachers are encouraged to do have no basis in research (or even common sense, if you ask me). In this book, the founder of ResearchEd takes issue with such matters.

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?