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Really interesting collection of Web 2.0 tools
Tools for ICT Managers
Tomorrow morning (09:30 UK time) I will be giving a talk entitled 20+ tools in 40+ minutes. So what’s that all about?
I have used the word “tools” to encompass useful applications, websites, blogs and societies. They are all ones I have found to be useful, or think would be useful to others.
What don't people know?
Like many others, I suppose, I sometimes forget that just because I am familiar with something (a piece 
Hmm. Seems kinda obvious to me...of software, a workaround, a report -- whatever) doesn't mean that everyone else is. And they're not going to tell you that they don't know something for one very simple reason -- people don't know what they don't know!
About a year ago I explored this issue, and suggested ways to deal with it, in an article entitled The art of stating the obvious. Click the link to read the article now.
Why technology goes wrong: no presentational dissonance in sight (at first)
A few years ago I coined the term “presentational dissonance”. Derived, clearly, from the psychological concept of cognitive dissonance, the term is used to describe a situation in which the nature of a presentation, and its content, are at odds with each other.
For example:
Dates for your diary
Before you go offline for the summer, here are a few dates you might like to pencil into your diary. They are events which you are bound to find useful in your educational ICT work.
Read MoreWhy technology goes wrong
Join us for the final Vital Teachshare discussion of this school year, as Tony Sheppard, aka Grumbledook, talks to us about a topic that I am sure is dear to our hearts:
Why Technology Goes Wrong. The discussion begins at 7pm UK time Tuesday 26th July, and you can access it by clicking on the link just given. Use the timezone converter to find out what time it is where you are.
Tony is a key member of Edugeek, one of the most vibrant online forums I know of.
Please tweet about this event, using the hashtag #vitalcpd. Thanks!
See also:
Update on 2011-07-26 21:06 by Terry Freedman, Educational ICT Consultant
We had a great session: brilliant talk by @grumbledook that covered just about everything, and a great follow-up discussion.
To view the recording, click the link below:
Unsubscribing blues
I’ve recently decided to finally take the bull by the horns and unsubscribe myself from any newsletter or other mailing that I don’t at least skim on its arrival. It’s part of a drive to de-junk my life, starting with our home, and moving on to my inbox. You’d think that unsubscribing would be easy. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
Read MoreUnintended consequences of social networking
I thought I’d start an occasional series of posts concerned solely with the unintended consequences of technology. To start it off, here’s a comic strip from The Daily Telegraph in the UK.
Read MoreManaging ICT on a budget
Tomorrow evening, at 7 pm UK time, I’ll be hosting a discussion on managing ICT on a budget. If you have any top tips you’d like to share, or are looking for some ideas on how to make your budget go further, why not pop along?
Read MoreAn update in the style of an old film
Let there be joy and jubilation! I’ve been working really intensely on a particular piece of work, which is why this website hasn’t been updated in several days. But now, I have almost completed it. And so, to mark the occasion, I have recorded a brief update.
Read MoreGoing incommunicado (for a while)
I don’t care how “switched on” you are: everyone needs to “get off the grid” some time!
Read MoreThe effective use of ICT
One laptop per child: a worthy goal, but does it lead to the most effective learning? Research published over the years has challenged the assumption that youngsters do better working on their own than sharing a computer.
Read MoreGrowing Knowledge
OK, because of the insanity of the deadlines I’m up against I’m going to have to say this fast, so you will have to listen fast. If you’re in London over the next week or so, there is a great exhibition you should go to.
Read MoreVirtual schooling? Don’t make me laugh!
Online discussion today: don’t miss it!
Later on today, Di Brooks, who lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, will be giving a talk on life without connectivity, based on her recent experience with the earthquakes there. this will be followed by a discussion.
The talk will take place at 7pm UK time, 6am Christchurch time. And if you get as confused about time zones as I do, check what time it will be in your neck of the woods by going to this time zone converter.
To listen to the talk and join in the discussion, click on this link.
25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #22 Don’t tell it how it is
I’ve always thought that it’s the expert’s duty to inform the non-expert when they have not got it right. If you’re not prepared to do that, what good are you actually doing?
Read MoreFound on the web: 07/04/2011 (a.m.)
Tranquility
I’ve decided that I spend so much time at my computer that my desktop background needs to be calming. Here’s the photo I chose.
Life without connectivity
As you know, Christchurch in New Zealand has been beset recently by a terrible earthquake, which was then followed by aftershocks – which are still occurring. People have lost their homes and, worst, their lives.
For those who are fortunate enough to have survived the disaster, what has it been like without internet connectivity, or with only intermittent internet access? Why did Diane Brooks, an ICT consultant who runs an ICT in Education blog, recently advise schools to take up blogging?
7 Outlandish ideas for ICT
Yesterday I was faced with a grim journey into central London. Now, we Brits like nothing better than to complain about the weather, but this time our moaning was justified. The dreadful heat made it difficult not only for us to work, but also the signals on a part of the rail service into London. The part that I use. Rather than face delays of up to 40 minutes (nearly 50% of the normal journey time), I “asked” Transport for London to find an alternative route for me, one which didn’t involve going by rail.
I'm glad I did.