Another bumper edition of the Digital Education newsletter! Due out later today.
Read MoreA new front page for Digital Education
What do people think of the new Digital Education front page? Is it a case of "nice read, shame about the face"?
Read MoreWhat I've been reading
Some educational research books are better written than others. "Making a difference in education" is one of them.
Read MoreMy best and worst IT lessons #7: What's the interest rate?
Whether or not you can easily look up the answers to questions is far less important than asking the right questions in the first place.
Read MoreEducation technology research, and how it's reported
Journalists often seem to get it wrong when it comes to reporting educational research, and they seem to love it when they can go with a headline like “Schools wasting money on useless technology”. I made that up, but the reporting of the recent OECD research, the Decoding Learning research from Nesta in 2012 and other work is quite often presented in those sort of terms.
Everything is not all that it seems but, importantly, what can we do about it?
Read MoreDigital Education Ezine April 2015
A Self-publishing journey
Starting tomorrow, a new series of occasional posts about my research into self-publishing.
The first two articles are:
The 3,000 Part Computing Lesson
Education Technology Research Focus: Steve Wheeler
How are schools coping with the new Computing curriculum?
Digital Education December 2014: Double issue, Free resources, 50% discount on ebooks, 75+ links and 10 guest contributors
I’d like to be able to say I’d planned it that way right from the start, but that would be something of (to use Winston Churchill’s wonderful expression) a terminological inexactitude. In truth, the November edition was delayed due to a family illness, so it made sense to bring out a bumper edition now so people who subscribe have plenty to keep them going until January! I’ve included articles on a wide variety of topics:
Don’t say it with Tweets
ICT in Primary Education – a new course for teachers and others
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.
The Amazing Computing Education Projects Book
Creating a game – a positive impact on learning?
I have had an interest in programming and creating games since I purchased a BBC Model A in the 80’s (the good old days!). However, it was only recently that I have actively promoted the introduction of games making into the ICT curriculum.
Two factors prompted my decision. Firstly, the introduction of the renewed ICT framework in spring 2008, which introduced learning objectives around ‘sequencing instructions’ and opened up options other than control. Secondly, the availability of easy to use games making software, which had the capacity to build games with a very professional feel.
The education research problem
What are your top tips for ebook cover design?
Let's think about eBook Cover design
Making the Most of ICT – what the research tells us
In 1981 the then Conservative government announced that the Department of Trade and Industry would provide funding for one microcomputer in every school. Throughout the ensuing three decades there has hardly ever been a year when there has not been some earmarked or ring-fenced funding for ICT in schools in England. But in 2014 we are in new territory. The Harnessing Technology Grant, which for several years was the main source of devolved funding to support ICT in schools, is no more and many schools will have to make do with the ICT equipment they already have rather than spending on the latest technology. Yet teachers should still aim to make the very best use of the resources available to them and aspire to excellent teaching with ICT.