Computer Education Projects Book Update

... big computers!How are teachers preparing for the new Computing curriculum, which is due to start being taught in September 2014?  Some time ago I created an online survey in order to ascertain the answer to this question. Although there have been fewer respondents than I’d hoped for (though probably more than I’d expected), the results are quite interesting. Here is a very brief summary.
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9 Approaches to assessing Computing and ICT–#6: Another Ladder Approach

The DfE recently announced the winners of its Assessment Innovation Fund.Over the next week or so I will report on the winners and the descriptions of their approach. These descriptions are more like thumbnail sketches at the moment. I have used them to suggest ways in which they might be adapted for use in assessing ICT and Computing. I hope you find these suggestions useful, or at least a good starting point for your own further work.

In each case I have kept the text of the DfE’s announcement, and then added my thoughts under the heading “Applying this to Computing and ICT”.

Today: Another Ladder approach.

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Ed Tech determinism and so-called conventional wisdom

I am always suspicious of things that everyone agrees about – mainly because I usually find myself disagreeing. I would not be so arrogant as to believe that everyone else is wrong and I’m right, but I do often think that it would be good to evaluate what is taken as read in light of our personal experience and pedagogical expertise.

Here are just three examples of what I’m talking about.

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9 Approaches to assessing Computing and ICT–#5: A Growth Mindset

The DfE recently announced the winners of its Assessment Innovation Fund.Over the next week or so I will report on the winners and the descriptions of their approach. These descriptions are more like thumbnail sketches at the moment. I have used them to suggest ways in which they might be adapted for use in assessing ICT and Computing. I hope you find these suggestions useful, or at least a good starting point for your own further work.

In each case I have kept the text of the DfE’s announcement, and then added my thoughts under the heading “Applying this to Computing and ICT”.

Today: A Growth Mindset approach.

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9 Approaches to assessing Computing and ICT–#4: A Mastery Approach

The DfE recently announced the winners of its Assessment Innovation Fund.Over the next week or so I will report on the winners and the descriptions of their approach. These descriptions are more like thumbnail sketches at the moment. I have used them to suggest ways in which they might be adapted for use in assessing ICT and Computing. I hope you find these suggestions useful, or at least a good starting point for your own further work.

In each case I have kept the text of the DfE’s announcement, and then added my thoughts under the heading “Applying this to Computing and ICT”.

Today: A Mastery approach.

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9 Approaches to assessing Computing and ICT–#3: A Scoring System

The DfE recently announced the winners of its Assessment Innovation Fund.Over the next week or so I will report on the winners and the descriptions of their approach. These descriptions are more like thumbnail sketches at the moment. I have used them to suggest ways in which they might be adapted for use in assessing ICT and Computing. I hope you find these suggestions useful, or at least a good starting point for your own further work.

In each case I have kept the text of the DfE’s announcement, and then added my thoughts under the heading “Applying this to Computing and ICT”.

Today: A scoring system.

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9 Approaches to assessing Computing and ICT–#2: The ladder

The DfE recently announced the winners of its Assessment Innovation Fund: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/schools-win-funds-to-develop-and-share-new-ways-of-assessing-pupils

Over the next week or so I will report on the winners and the descriptions of their approach. These descriptions are more like thumbnail sketches at the moment. I have used them to suggest ways in which they might be adapted for use in assessing ICT and Computing. I hope you find these suggestions useful, or at least a good starting point for your own further work.

In each case I have kept the text of the DfE’s announcement, and then added my thoughts under the heading “Applying this to Computing and ICT”.

Today: The Ladder.
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9 Approaches to assessing Computing and ICT–#1: Skills Passport

The DfE recently announced the winners of its Assessment Innovation Fund. Over the next week or so I will report on the winners and the descriptions of their approach. These descriptions are more like thumbnail sketches at the moment. I have used them to suggest ways in which they might be adapted for use in assessing ICT and Computing. I hope you find these suggestions useful, or at least a good starting point for your own further work. First one: The Skills Passport
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ICT in Primary Education – a new course for teachers and others

Learning with ComputersProfessor Diana Laurillard has informed me of a new course that is going to be run for teachers and others with an interest in how ICT is being used in primary education in various countries. I think it sounds very interesting. Here’s the official blurb:

This is to announce a new course on ICT in Primary Education, to run as a MOOC (a massive open online course), hosted by the University of London.

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The Story of the Story Wall App: an Apps for Good Success Story

TheStoryWall_iTunesArtworksEmma, 14, describes how she and two friends created the Story Wall app.

The Story Wall was created by me and my classmates Teigan and Joe. We originally came up with the idea to help people with writing stories and how people can get stuck when writing a story. The name was created by thinking how walls and stories are everywhere and how a story could be written on a wall, but the name just came to us and sounded right.

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37 features of outstanding ICT and Computing lessons

Nearly four years ago I published an article called 25 Features of Outstanding ICT Lessons. I thought it was time to update that for the new Computing curriculum. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the original 25 have only needed minor modification, where they have needed modifying at all. Good teaching is, after all, good teaching.

By ‘outstanding’ I do not mean the Ofsted definition of that word, which I feel is somewhat narrow. Nevertheless, I have included Ofsted’s criteria in the list below, with a few comments of my own.

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10 uses for a computer suite

press association markupLots of schools with computer suites are getting rid of them by turning them into ordinary classrooms. The reason is that with mobile technology such as tablets, and initiatives like Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), there is no longer any need for a computer suite. 

But getting rid of a computer suite is just one option: there are several others.

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Review of The Thinking Teacher

thinking teacherWhen I first picked up this book I made an error of judgement. Noticing that it seemed quite slim, I thought I could finish reading it in just one or two sessions. However, what I had not counted on was the book’s living up to its title. In short, it made me think. It made me think about what the author was saying in its own right, that is whether or not I agreed with it. It also caused me to reflect on my own practice as a teacher and, now, as a consultant.
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Where are the girls in ICT and Computing

Social computingIn the context of technology, the main issue is that not enough girls go into computer science studies beyond the statutory provision, or computer-related jobs. Various figures are cited, but it seems to be generally agreed that only around 16 or 17% of students in undergraduate courses in Computer Science in the UK are female, and only around 27 or 28% of employees in information technology jobs are women — a figure that is true for both the UK and the USA. So what can be done about it?
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When it comes to Computing, where are the girls?

Digital Education cover April 2014“Where are the girls?” is one of the articles in the latest issue of Digital Education, the free newsletter for those with a professional interest in educational ICT and Computing. This article looks at what the issues are and, crucially, offers practical solutions and suggests several resources that you may find useful in this context.

Other articles include:

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