At the time of writing this, there are 15 minutes to go before Drew Buddie and I conduct what may be our last Teachshare discussion. Some of the topics to be discussed are:
Read MoreAlso on the web: 02/15/2011 (a.m.)
A couple of interesting items I came across whilst meandering around the web. Some good food for thought here.
Read MoreManaging the Leading
Julia Skinner disagrees with Terry's analysis of people who manage but don't lead.
As consumers ( in the real world) when things go wrong we call for the Manager. That role holds power. Power to sort out difficulties. Power to have answers to customers questions and queries. In retail particularly it is the aim of those career minded youths to work their way up to management and the exulted places they are considered to be.
Three downsides of the idea of the guide on the side
So much is written these days about the role of the teacher being to “facilitate”, to be the “guide on the side”. This is justified on many grounds, not least that of the children knowing more than their teachers about educational technology. They are, after all, “digital natives”, or so we are told.
It seems to me that we have thrown the baby out with the bath water.
Read MoreAlso on the web: 02/12/2011 (a.m.)
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eLearn: Feature Article - Man Up Your Leadership: The European management perspective
very in-depth analysis of leadership in general, not ICT-specific.
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eLearn: Feature Article - What Makes a Good Learning Game?
interesting analysis, with useful references. see also the Computers in Classrooms games-based learning specials.
In The Picture: Curriculum Links Challenge
You could clearly use this picture to inspire some creative writing in English. But could you also use it any of the following contexts? And if so, how?
25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #13 Do as you’re told
What could be worse than not doing as you’re told? The answer, of course, is doing what you’re told – and no more.
Read MoreThe UK’s digital skills gap
Is it my imagination, or is it the case that 15 years ago employers were complaining that kids were coming out of school not knowing how to use Word and Excel, and many schools responded by trying to make sure that their pupils were taught useful skills. Now we discover that those skills aren’t useful after all.
Read MoreHow to find all articles in a series quickly
If you have come across one of the articles in a series, liked it, and decided that you would like to read the others in that series, you don’t have to go hunting all over the place for them!
Read MoreThe importance of research for ICT teachers revisited
What’s the difference between action research, academic research and other types of research? Is it the case that in order to be seen to justify a research grant you have to couch your findings in terms which make them incomprehensible to the very people who might benefit from them? How does academic research “percolate” down into the classroom? And is there a case for saying that research findings should be reported in a “popular” style sometimes?
Read More3 “Top 10” educational technology resources for teachers and students
David Andrade has been putting together some “top ten” resources lists over at his blog, Educational Technology Guy. These are well worth reading.
Read MoreThe 25 Ways series: Retro Response #1
This is the first in what I hope to be a regular spot here on ICT in Education. Terry has kindly invited me to respond some of the articles in his series ’25 things to Make Yourself Unpopular’. The posts will be like an extended comment & I hope you will feel able to comment on them & visit me over at The Head’s Office.
Read MoreThe importance of research for ICT teachers
How important is research for teachers in general, and ICT teachers in particular? One might be tempted to say that people learn in the same way now as they did thousands of years ago, so research, apart from keeping abreast of the latest developments in technology, is pretty redundant.
I think there are problems with that attitude.
Read MoreForthcoming articles and other stuff worth reading
This is a bit of an experiment, but I thought it might be interesting to flag up what’s coming up on this site soon, and also what I’ve come across on other sites that look interesting.
Read MoreSwitched-On ICT Revisited
As I said in a previous article about it, Switched-On ICT is the name of the primary (elementary) scheme of work I've been involved with, as Series Editor. That role has entailed advising on assessing pupils' ICT capability, and helping to make sure that the instructions and assessment opportunities and statements are both consistent and accurate.
The text is engaging, with topics such as We Are Explorers, and makes full use of Web 2.0 and other free applications as well as schools' Learning Platforms. Here is a list of what I see as its strengths:
Safer Internet Day
Just a quick reminder: this annual event us nearly upon us – tomorrow, 8th February 2011. See the Safer Internet Day website, and the Safer Internet Day Fair. What will your school be doing for the event? Check out the Think u Know website too. You might also find this post interesting: Digital Safety for Children and Youth. It has some interesting links.
First published in Computers in Classrooms, the free e-newsletter for edcational ICT professionals.
What are school districts buying?
According to the Digital Learning Environments newsletter, January 2011, school districts in the USA are allocating their hardware purchasing budgets as follows:
Read More7 ways to prevent vandalism to educational technology equipment
Around 10 years ago I visited a school in which the computers were in a dreadful state. The school’s response was to not bother to renew the equipment on the grounds that it would only get damaged again, so what was the point? I understood their frustration, but in sense all they did was set in motion a self-fulfilling prophecy. So what should they have done instead?
As is often the case, there were several factors at play. Some could be addressed almost immediately, whereas others required a longer-term approach. In my opinion, the school should have made the following changes.
The biological implications of social networking
I’ve just read a fascinating article which looks at what happens on a physiological level when someone experiences social isolation.
Read More25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #12 Be too flexible
One of the things I’ve discovered is that a lot of people need, or at least want, tightly-defined boundaries. I’ve found this to be the case not only in the management roles I’ve had, but even as an editor of Computers in Classrooms and the ICT in Education website.
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