To borrow from Mark Twain, reports of the death of Visual Basic for Applications as a viable programming language to teach in schools are exaggerated.
Read MoreInformation Technology in schools in the year 2000
Is this still the case: “The popular image of the ICT Co-ordinator is still, I think, that of a man with a beard, and a top pocket bulging with pens, screwdrivers, and bits of integrated circuit boards.”?
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Reflecting, by Elaine Freedman
Reflections on Technology in Schools in the time of Covid: Part 1
A major thing that the Covid-19 pandemic has done is to give us all a huge kick up the backside. We’ve had the technology to enable working from home for years, but there was not much incentive to implement it very widely. It’s a testament to the commitment and flexibility of companies and educational institutions that the educational system didn’t simply collapse.
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On This Day, by Terry Freedman
On this day #12: usability, assessment, tiffs, pointless data and Computing
Gosh! I don’t know if there is something special about the date December 6th — like the Ides of March, say — but I seem to have been astonishingly prolific on that date.
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On this day #11: Making ICT and Computing real
This article, published on 5 December 2015, was one of a 7 part series on ways to make Computing be more interesting.
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On this day, by Terry Freedman
On this day #10: Important questions to ask about speakers
Given how much competition there is for our time now that so much is on offer online, I think these suggested questions are as important as ever.
Read MoreOn this day #9: Web 2.0
An old article about Web 2.0
Read MoreQuick look: Science Fictions
It’s really rather annoying when a non-fiction book received for review is not only useful, but readable. And not merely readable, but enjoyable, even entertaining.
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On this day, by Terry Freedman
On this day #8: You mean this technology is new???
It really is quite an eye-opener when you discover kids’ idea of tech history!
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Who?
Does anyone know Adam from Adam?
I have to say I think it is really insulting to have someone who looks like he has just finished studying for ‘A’ Levels himself telling us why exams are best.
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On This Day, by Terry Freedman
On this day #6: Is it rude to comment
Is it rude to comment on blog posts? Is it rude to not comment?
Read MoreExams and Covid-19: a solution
Now that we must do all we can to save our students from having to ever face up to the cruel vicissitudes of life, or at least to put off the evil day for as long as possible, several suggestions have been made.
Read MoreReview: Scratch Programming in easy steps
This is book by Sean McManus is well set out, with clear print and plenty of illustrations. It starts with an introduction to the Scratch 3 environment, and in next to no time the reader is creating a program.
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Thinking Aloud. Graphic by Terry Freedman
A downside of new technology
If a colleague using some technology in innovative and effective ways, and getting more out of it that they would from newer technology, and with more certain results, why on earth would they change?
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The “two minutes” referred to is not entirely accurate. Graphic by Terry Freedman
Anatomy of a blog post
What are the elements of a typical blog post, and why are they useful?
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Terry Two Minute Tips, by Terry Freedman. Not all of these tips are two minutes long, but numeracy was never my strong point.
Anatomy of a blog
What does a typical blog consist of?
Read MoreOn this day #7: Marking workload reduction
The only thing worse than feeling tired but knowing you have to mark 30 books by tomorrow morning is that feeling of ennui at 5 o-clock on a grim Sunday evening when all you want to do is curl up with a mug of tea and watch a movie, but having those exercise books smirking back at you.
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Terrified, by Terry Freedman
On becoming a student again
I spend the whole of the lesson in abject terror that I am going to be asked a question.
Read MoreThank goodness for the wayback machine
I always find it mildly depressing when I click on a link in an old blog post and discover that it no longer “works”.
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Question, by Terry Freedman
On this day #6: Do we still need schools?
The great and the good who pontificate about how school is no longer needed are the worst kind of hypocrite. They have benefited from a good (traditional) education themselves, and then tell the world that school is no longer needed or relevant.
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