If you lead a team of ed tech or Computing teachers, you can do a lot with team meetings; in fact, you can turn (at least some of them) into opportunities for professional development. It's a very good idea to occasionally depart from the standard team meeting format and put on a "special". This helps to keep interest high, and enables various goals to be achieved, including staff professional development.
Read More
A pictogram version of the next edition of the Digital Education newsletter
The forthcoming edition of the Digital Education newsletter features some great links and resources. See if you can figure out what topics are covered from these illustrations!
Read More
editors desk, by Terry Freedman
Almost ready: the newest edition of the Digital Education newsletter
The new edition of the Digital Education newsletter is almost ready. There are useful resources for subject leaders, research about learning programming, tons of links to resources for teaching about fake news, and lots more.
Read More
Goal-setting. Screenshot by Terry Freedman
How to automatically allocate time for an activity in your Google calendar
If you use Google Calendar then you can use the goal-setting function to whiz through your diary on your phone and find suitable times for an activity to wish to pursue.
Read More
Click the cover to go to the book on Amazon (affiliate link)
Quick look: Hello World
Hello World, by Hannah Fry, offers an interesting perspective on some of the problems besetting artificial intelligence algorithms.
Read More
Proof of time travel? Photo by Terry Freedman
More fake news
Since mentioning that I am working on a special fake news edition of Digital Education, I have come across a few more brilliant resources.
Read More
MS Decoded, by Terry Freedman
Microsoft Decoded Conference
The 2018 Microsoft Decoded event was a good conference, especially in the area of artificial intelligence and its applications. This year’s conference promises to have some interesting sessions too.
Read More
fake news, by Terry Freedman
Digital Education Newsletter: Fake News Special
How can you tell if a video on a website is faked? How can you tell if a news outlet is being economical with the truth via misleading headlines? With around 20 links to useful resources, the next issue of the Digital Education newsletter has the answers.
Read More
Reading and research, by Terry Freedman
Book review round-up to 22 September 2019
Here is a set of links to the educational computing books I’ve reviewed up till 22 September 2019.
Read MoreComputing and computing-related qualifications
Here in England the Government, in its quest to put Computing on the map, did its best to make sure the rest of the map was blank – by getting rid of qualifications that lots of students took (especially girls).
Read MoreItem 327 -- Get rid of to-do list
The problem I find these days is that there seems to be a mismatch between myself and event organisers as far as planning ahead is concerned. For example, I am sometimes invited to conferences with 1 week’s notice: my diary contains bookings for almost the whole of next year.
Read More
Click the book cover to be taken to its page on Amazon. (Affiliate link.)
Review of Practical Pedagogy
Are new technologies useful or merely a distraction? How do we give pupils the skills they need to navigate the world when they leave school when we’re not sure what that world will be like? What is the proper place for evidence-informed education and educational research?
Read MoreThe trouble with technology
To the adage "Never work with children or animals", I would add, "or technology" -- which is somewhat worrying given that I have been involved in educational technology for over 20 years.
Read More
Exclamation mark, by Terry Freedman
Was it something I said? When an elevator speech falls on deaf ears
In one of my teaching jobs, I had to listen to a parent while he went on and on about how kids should taught how to take computers apart in their Computing lessons. When I pointed out that the course was about being literate in the uses of computers and also how to program them, rather than how they're made, he insisted that digital literacy could only be taught by taking computers apart.
Read More
Robot made of Lego, at John Lewis, Photo by Terry Freedman
AI: It was a very active and engaging and free way of learning, in some ways
10 ways to encourage reluctant teachers to use education technology
If part of your job is to encourage other teachers to use technology in their lessons, this article, based on my own experiences, may help.
Read More
Society of Authors Educational Writers Group
Vote for me!
A few years ago I put myself forward to serve on the committee of the Society’s Educational Writers Group. As my three year tenure will be coming to an end soon, I’ve put myself forward for election to the Management Committee of the Society. That’s the group that decides policy and strategy. I think it’s very important that that committee includes a person who has been a teacher, and is still heavily involved in education, and writing for educational publications.
Read More
Blogger, by Terry Freedman
New blogging course
If you’ve thought about starting your own blog, but are not sure what to write about or what keeping a blog entails, then a course I’m teaching in December 2019 might be of interest.
Read More
Be Aware!, by Terry Freedman
Never underestimate new pupils' computing skills
It’s an unfortunate fact of life that secondary school teachers underestimate how much their primary school colleagues have taught when it comes to computing and education technology. It’s true that in some cases it’s justified, but by and large in my experience it isn’t.
Read MoreComing soon in the Digital Education newsletter
The next edition of this esteemed newsletter has a cornucopia of links that will be of interest to teachers of computing and media literacy especially, and very little commentary! Read on to find out more.
Read More