When it comes to allowing staff to book computer rooms and other facilities, it doesn’t always pay to be accommodating.
Read MoreThe scream, by Terry Freedman
Is progress held up by policy?
Is progress held up by policy? That’s the question I asked several people a few years ago. This post provides a link to the article in which I reported my findings.
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Illustration: Death by PowerPoint, by Terry Freedman
Problems in the ed tech classroom #4
PowerPoint can be a very useful tool — if used with care.
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How will you keep your recordings safe? Illustration: Edirol recorder by Terry Freedman
How to keep your school's videos, photos and data media safe
Over the course of a year, a school could amass hundreds of photos, videos and audio recordings. How can you store them?
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Spending checker, by Terry Freedman
How to introduce primary school pupils to the basics of programming -- using spreadsheets
Spreadsheets have been dismissed by some people as boring, old hat, and about “only” office skills. Those people are wrong! In this article I look at how you can use spreadsheets to start teaching children about some programming concepts.
Read MoreAssessing Computing and ICT in a post-Levels world
Several years on from the removal of levels, assessment — especially in Computing and ICT — is still a hot topic.
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ed tech problems: no paper, by Terry Freedman
Problems in the ed tech classroom #3: printer paper
Something as simple as the printer’s paper tray being empty can cause mayhem. Here are a few suggestions for dealing with it.
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Forward to the past? Becta’s startegy challenges. Photo by Terry Freedman
The Department for Education's Ed Tech Strategy: better late than never?
My initial reflections on the Department for Education’s education technology strategy which was launched today. A bit like the curate’s egg, parts of it are excellent.
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Photo by Nik MacMillan on Unsplash
Ofsted consultation on its proposed new Framework: my comments
There are only a few days to go before the consultation on the proposed new Ofsted framework closes. Here are my comments.
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Research, by Terry Freedman
Engaging with evidence: a free guide
A new guide on engaging with evidence has appeared. Here is a quick evaluation of it.
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Newspaper, by Terry Freedman
Coming up in Digital Education
Here is a brief listing of some of the topics covered in the forthcoming edition of my ezine, Digital Education.
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Flipchart, by Terry Freedman
Problems in the ed tech classroom #2
What kind of problems might you experience with an ordinary flipchart? And are flipcharts preferable to interactive whiteboards? Plus details of how to get hold of a free guide to getting the most out of your interactive whiteboard.
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Computing books received, by Terry Freedman
Computing books received in March 2019
These books, which I received recently, look interesting, and I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing them. All book links are Amazon affiliate links.
How to think like a coder was shortlisted for an educational writers’ award, which you can read about here: The 2018 Educational Writers Award. I didn’t receive this in March, but have only now started to look at it in depth. I’ve already penned a few notes about it here: Books in Brief: How to think like a coder.
Monitored, which I’ve just started reading, is an examination of big data and surveillance from a Marxist perspective. I haven’t looked at any Marxist literature for a very long time — not since I tried to read Das Kapital when I was 17 (I got as far as page 23, which was 8 pages further than one of my teachers!) — so it’s a completely new perspective for me, which makes this an interesting, if difficult, read.
It covers similar ground to other books on the same subject matter that I have to review — indeed it references some of them — but with a clearly different take on the whole thing. I have to say that from the little I’ve read so far I remain unconvinced, and happily so.
Mission Python has been sent to me by Teach Secondary magazine. As the title suggests, it’s a book that teaches you how to program in Python. All I can say about it so far is that it looks colourful, and that I’m looking forward to reading it.
Photo by Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash
Creating multiple signatures in Gmail
If you wear several different hats, but don’t want several different email addresses, you can use different email signatures instead. But how do you do that in Gmail?
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Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash
How to run a consultation
If you don’t want a consultation to give you answers you won’t like, here’s what to do. And if you’re a respondent to that kind of disingenuous process, here’s how to have your say anyway.
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IWB marker pen by Terry Freedman
Problems in the ed tech classroom #1
In this the first article in this series, I look at the problem of permanent markers being used on the whiteboard. Believe it or not, there is a more useful response than “Aaaaaargh!”
Read MoreHalf-price offer on my guide to getting the most out of conferences
UPDATED! For one week only, my guide to getting the most out of education conferences is available for half price.
Read MoreBook review: A manifesto for excellence in schools
How do you turn a school around quickly without “gaming” the system? Rob Carpenter has done it, and shares his recipe for success.
Read MoreBook review: Understanding how we learn
This is a book that dispels a few myths about how we learn, and explains why our intuition is not always our best friend.
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Digital pen and notebook by Terry Freedman
Last chance to win a great prize
Why you should subscribe to Digital Education now!
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