Actually, the title is a bit of a misnomer because I don’t intend to analyse this poster! I thought it might be something to discuss with students from an ICT point of view. I saw it whilst travelling on a Docklands Light Rail train recently. Your literacy colleagues may be interested too – can they spot the grammatical error?!
Plausibility and accuracy in the ICT Programme of Study
At Level 4 in the English Programme of Study for ICT pupils are expected to be able to question plausibility, whilst at Level 5 they should be able to check for accuracy. What’s the difference, and are these even indicators of digital literacy?
25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #16 Don’t use technology
As an exponent of educational technology, are you expected to use technology all the time? The answer is probably “yes”. But should you?
Review of Aerotropolis
Subtitled “The way we’ll live next”, this book by John Kasarda and Greg Lindsay looks at the possible airport city of the future. At the moment, airports are usually located outside the main part of the city. Yet, given the fact that we still need actual physical goods to be delivered, some might argue that it makes sense for cities to be built around airports.
Found on the web: 02/23/2011 (p.m.)
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eLearn: Opinions - The Instructor's Role in Online Discussions
interesting article, but one which effectively ignores a student's very legitimate concerns about peer learning.
Pictures Across the Curriculum: Missing Monks
In this series I'm looking at how well-chosen digital photos can be used in different areas of the curriculum.
Today I'm looking a some photos that might have sparked off an historical investigation if I'd had more time.
25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #15 Don’t be perfect
If there is one thing that’s guaranteed to intimidate a newcomer to educational technology, it’s the perfection and poise of the long-established practitioner. “I’ll never be able to do that”, they think to themselves – and that thought in itself can prevent them learning anything new, or at least learning it as quickly as they might do.
Read MorePictures across the curriculum: portrait of an artist
In this series I'm looking at how well-chosen digital photos can be used in different areas of the curriculum. In the first one, I looked at the problem of litter.
This one, however, is about a much more pleasant subject: a local artist.
I visited a beach in Suffolk recently, and came across someone painting the landscape. It was a great occasion to have my camera with me!
So who was it? Read on to find out, and to consider some possible curriculum links.
Computers in Classrooms
I’m just putting the finishing touches to the latest issue of Computers in Classrooms, the free e-newsletter for anyone with an interest in educational ICT. Inn this edition you will find:
- A code that will get you £100 off the delegate price of the Building Schools Conference taking place tomorrow and Thursday.
- A code for free access to Scholastic’s Child Education Plus and Nursery Education Plus.
- First impressions of Aerotropolis, to b published on 1st March.
- Quick review of Schools and Schooling in the Digital Age by Neil Selwyn.
- Resources for geography and history teachers.
- Information about a European report about ICT.
- And more!
You can sign up for this esteemed publication by clicking Computers in Classrooms link and filling out the form. We use a double opt-in system, meaning that you’ll be sent an email asking you to confirm that you would like to subscribe. Join thousands of other like-minded people now!
Update on 2011-02-22 14:22 by Terry Freedman, Educational ICT Consultant
The newsletter has now been published! Follow the link given in the main article to sign up for it.
25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #14 Be over-cautious
There is no better way to quell enthusiasm and induce frustration than to respond to a “brilliant idea” by saying, “Yes, but what about…”. One of the things you learn from experience is that there are always unintended consequences, and part of the leader’s job is to try and think of what they could be, and to help other team members do the same. In the sphere of educational technology, there is ample scope for unfortunate outcomes.
The evolution of research
This is the subtitle of an exhibition at the British Library. Called “Growing Knowledge”, the exhibition seeks to answer the following questions:
- How have digital technologies changed research?
- What are the new challenges they pose?
- What role should a research library play in the 21st Century?
Found on the web: 02/20/2011 (p.m.)
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Sometimes it’s the simple things… - Teach42
Interesting idea discovered by Steve Dembo (@teach42). In a nutshell, it's the web page equivalent of a text editor. I just tried it, and had a simple web presence in minutes.
Subtlety in the ICT Programme of Study
The ICT Programme of Study is both short and non-specific as far as the technology it references is concerned. It’s easy, therefore, to fail to appreciate some of the subtleties in it. This is especially true of the Attainment Targets towards the end of the document, in which often the same phrases are used and it’s difficult to identify why one skill is deemed to be higher or lower than a similarly-worded one.
Read More4 Reasons to get published, and 7 reasons to self-publish
In this day and age, in which anyone can publish and distribute their books electronically, or self-publish them by going down several routes (none of which need include the traditional vanity publisher), why should anyone bother approaching a traditional publisher? After all, very few of the thousands of manuscripts that publishers receive find their way into book form, and of those that do, very few hit the big time.
There are, in fact, at least 4 reasons to try to get published by the age-old process of going to publishers. On the other hand, there at least 7 reasons to abandon the commercial publishing route, and do it yourself. In this article I look at both options, in particular from the perspective of an ICT co-ordinator in a school -- although the points could easily apply in many other contexts.
When speed is NOT of the essence
When I saw an advertisement in the Daily Telegraph this morning inviting readers to make their announcements in the traditional way, I thought, “Who’d want to do that when you can do it free of charge via Facebook?”.
Read MoreWriters I like: Tony Baldasaro
I popped over to see what was going down on Will Richardson’s blog (where, by the way, there is a great article about online learning, which I’ve been investigating lately), and discovered, via the comments, the Transleadership blog of Tony Baldasaro. This is a real feast.
Read MoreTechnology and society
For an interesting discussion with your students on the effects of technology on society, consider the impending solar flares.
As the article states:
The so-called "X-flare" could also cause radio signals to jam, satnavs to fail and electrical power grids to falter. Electromagnetic storms are already reported to have stopped shortwave radio communications in southern China.
Found on the web: 02/17/2011 (a.m.)
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10 things I’ve learned in a year of blogging | JAMES MICHIE
Very useful post, which succinctly suggests 10 things to consider when blogging. I think the author, James Mitchie, should have added a #11: create list posts. These always go down well, as exemplified here!
Thanks to twitterers @zoeross19 and @largerama for mentioning it.
Pictures in the curriculum: Litter Britain
In this series I'm looking at how well-chosen digital photos can be used in different areas of the curriculum. In this article, the focus is on Environmental Studies, bringing in aspects of health and safety, Media Studies and others.
DIY: ICT Case Studies: No place for corporate-speak
You can describe what your school does with educational technology ad nauseum, but in my opinion nothing will bring it alive as much as a well-written case study.
The reason that case studies can be so effective is that they take just one aspect of what the school is doing, rather than trying to present the whole lot.