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Blogging and tweeting as a collaborative writing engagement
Interesting ideas here, including use of a projector. I like the way the class is enjoying the work of other schools, and the way they collaborate in their responses.
The importance of not being nice
The trouble with being too nice when commenting on something is that sometimes the underlying message just doesn’t get through. This applies whether you’re looking at students’ work, observing trainee teachers or evaluating a school’s ICT provision.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not advocating going in guns blazing, being really negative or thoroughly obnoxious. But if you don’t point out the shortcomings in whatever it is you’re looking at – or, at least, ask the sort of questions that will lead them to realise them for themselves – then really you’re not being nice, you’re being dishonest.
Are there benefits in having an unread blog?
Most people who blog about their profession (as opposed to, say, people who are keeping a journal for their own records or for their family and friends) like the idea of lots of people reading their blogs. But are there any advantages to having a blog that nobody reads?
Read MorePlanning an ICT Co-ordinators' Day
If you're in the process of planning an ICT (Technology) Co-ordinators' Day -- or really any other kind of similar event -- then this article from 2 years ago should help.
Read MoreIf this, then that
Here’s a web application that’s potentially very useful. IFTTT lets you create your own automated actions using a range of social networking tools. I’ve been messing around with it only for about an hour, so I haven’t thoroughly explored all it has to offer, but already I can see it will prove to have been an excellent investment in time.
The logic of the way it works is as follows:
Found on the web: 11/06/2011 (p.m.)
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Artificial intelligence: Difference Engine: Luddite legacy | The Economist
interesting article about the economic effects of technological change
Why Schools Cannot Ignore Web 2.0
Here are 4 posts from about 18 months ago dealing with why schools cannot ignore Web 2.0.
Read MoreA Bullet Point Mentality
The bullet points or the short video have to come at the end of the learning process, not the beginning. Bullet points at the beginning are a substitute for understanding rather than an expression of it.
Read MoreAsk the expert
What can a Zen outlook teach us about educational ICT?
Read MoreRules rules rules
In case you missed them, here are a few posts I’ve written listing rules. They’re a little light-hearted – but they are serious too!
Enjoy!
4 Reasons why doing IT on the cheap is an error of judgement
I’ve read about schools beating the budget blues by building their own visualisers, interactive whiteboards and computers. In my opinion these measures are a mistake, for the following reasons:
The value of email in a recession
Here’s a cartoon you may find amusing in these rather austere times!
Read MoreFound on the web: 10/25/2011 (a.m.)
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Take Creative Writing Outdoors! | Scottish Book Trust
Nice idea to get kids writing, and a pretty obvious one once you've heard it!
Would going to a nice natural environment work for adults too? Of course! And if you have a smartphone and an Evernote account, you can take notes and incorporate photos in a special "story ideas" notebook.
8 Observations on flipping the classroom
One of the more unfortunate buzzwords to appear in online education circles and the press is “flipping the classroom”. This means that instead of lecturing students in lessons in school, the teacher records the lecture as a video and uploads it to YouTube – or recommends other people’s videos to the students. The students watch the videos for homework, freeing up the lesson for interactivity, project work and so on.
I not impressed with this brilliant “new” idea. Why not?
What young people can do, and why it's relevant to ICT
In case you missed it...
Nearly two years ago now I wrote an article here called What young people can do, and 7 implications of that.
I think its central points are still relevant, and I hope you agree and find the article useful and interesting.
4 Ways to come up with innovative ideas for teaching education technology
To borrow from Dr Johnson, I find that most innovative ideas in ICT I read about are both new and exciting. Unfortunately, the ones that are new are not exciting, and the ones that are exciting are not new. It’s all very well “pushing the boundaries”, but all that does is give you more of the same.
In my opinion there are four main ways of generating ideas that are both genuinely new and genuinely exciting. Here they are.
Choosing the right education technology conference
When I was at university I had a fool-proof method for selecting student union representatives when elections were held. I automatically discounted anyone who stood up and announced that what we needed was change. We always need change, although it’s usually quite useful to check what exactly needs changing, and whether right now is the best time to do so. Anyone who announced that we needed change, but without going any deeper into it, was an idiot as far as I was concerned. Either that, or they assumed that I was.
When technology goes wrong
Just a couple of cogitations – hopefully worthy -- about technology and our relationship with it.
Analogue or digital?
Is there any advantage in having an analogue watch face to a digital one, or vice versa?
Increasing the decision-making capacity of your ICT team
If you lead an ICT team, the good news is that you don't have to do it all yourself!
Here are 10 ideas which I have found to be very helpful in creating a collaborative and co-operative team ethos.