I think that this guidance is useful in making the idea of online teaching sound doable, but there are too few details or links to details that would make it truly useful.
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Questions, by Terry Freedman
10 tips for launching your new year strategy
Before considering any ideas, we ought, perhaps, to consider the question: why bother? After all, the situation is so fluid that any strategy you prepare now could be rendered out of date by next week. If one thing has proven to be certain about the pandemic, it’s that nothing is certain. It’s almost like trying to build a house on sand.
Read MoreReview of Science Fictions
This is an example of why hype can, in own way, be dangerous. It detracts time, energy and financial resources away from interventions that may be less exciting to look at but which actually work better.
Read MoreReview of Bite-Size Python
Learning a programming language, especially a text-based one like Python, can be hard going. Unlike a graphical programming language, which you can start to use straight away without knowing any technical terminology at all, Python demands such knowledge from the outset.
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Children using laptops, by Terry Freedman
Is anyone NOT using computers in their lessons now?
Back in those heady pre-pandemic days many of us were forever trying to cajole our colleagues to use computers in their lessons. Well, I suppose the positive aspect of Covid is that the virus has done quite a large part of our job for us.
Read MoreSome research findings about effective education technology training for teachers
There are a couple of interesting things in the newsletter below. One is the findings from a study at Reading University about the most effective approach to training teachers. I’d be very surprised if a study carried out today didn’t yield similar results.
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Zoom meeting, by Terry Freedman
Remote teaching during a pandemic
Lau provides a useful article that contains much information, based on research, that not everyone will have been aware of.
Read MoreWhy are some teachers reluctant to use educational technology?
In the following archived issue of my newsletter, you might find the following articles in particular interesting:
Why do it? (This reports the results of a survey enquiring into why some teachers shy away from using technology).
Responses to a problem posed in the form of a scenario, about teachers using technology as a reward or a time-filler rather than for serious work.
Twitter detoxified
But do they offer any constructive suggestions? Of course not…
Read MoreHow to To Be A Good Role Model When Teaching with Educational Technology
It's often said that pupils learn the most from what their teachers do, rather than what they say. Here are some good practices you need to adopt if you want your kids to lean good habits rather than bad ones.
Read MoreBlogrolls, Needles, And Haystacks -- A Conundrum
Why do so many "edubloggers" think that the concept of blogrolls, which are lists of blogs that subscribers to a blog subscribe to, and similar devices (such as, in effect, shared favourites) are so wonderful?
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Signpost to 2021, by Terry Freedman
Happy new year
Happy new year.
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A preponderance of tech, by Terry Freedman
24/7 Learning vs 24/7 Teaching
I wrote this article , in which I discuss the importance of students having 24/7 access to technology, in 2005. And in 2020 we’re still talking about it.
Read MoreBooks of 2020 -- now with audio
Yesterday I published a blog post entitled Books of 2020, a list of the books I’ve (mostly) read in 2020. Well, it’s a bit of a long read at around 4,000 words, so I’ve created an audio version of it as well.
Read MoreBooks of 2020
These are the books I’ve encountered in 2020.
Read MoreReview of Scratch Programming in Easy Steps
The book 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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Mailbox, by Terry Freedman
How to Have more Gmail addresses
If you have a Gmail email address, did you know that you can use it as the basis for even more addresses?
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On This Day
On this day #15: Technical support
I would say that these days an efficient and effective technical support function is more important than ever. I have been at the sharp end of technical glitches in Zoom and so on, and although I was able to figure them out for myself, it was a very frustrating experience.
Read MoreLosing the Plot: the Importance of Asking, "So what?!"
If, by the end of a lesson, the students are none the wiser about the topic in hand, all that's been achieved is that the teacher can tick off the topic in the scheme of work.
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Merry Xmas, by Terry Freedman
Christmas puzzle
One of my traditions at this time of year is to set some kind of puzzle. This year is no exception.
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