Unfortunately, having a plethora of free services and products can cause a few headaches for schools in the longer term.
Read MoreThe dysfunctional departments for education
Sometimes, it's easy to start to wonder if, as those in high places seem to be losing their grip on sanity, or at least reality, whether the fault really lies with yourself.
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Zoom meeting, by Terry Freedman
Working with schools during lockdown: 7 activities that work
A lot of edtech businesses and other organisations provide resources, and some provide lesson plans. Unfortunately, the resources on their own can become just one more free resource, and the lesson plans are often useless.
Read MoreConventional non-wisdom (Updated)
Should you have a Computing leaflet or prospectus to give to potential students or their parents?
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The 4 key elements of word of mouth
It’s a challenge to think of what to do in order to stand out, but from the examples given in the book, it doesn’t have to be anything fiendishly difficult.
Read MoreTaking data protection too seriously?
In my opinion data protection should be your default position, not something you do if you think you have to, or if you’re worried about being found out.
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Dystopian visions
Coming soon…
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7 insights from Nudge theory
If there is an option to send a text or email message to parents with the information, obviously there needs to be a box to be ticked for that, but all the business of copying information from one place (the database) to another (text message), formatting the message and then digging out and inserting the parent’s contact details should all be automated.
Read MorePowerPoint without tears
The slides should be a starting point for more material, or a summary of something you have said. If all you're going to do is read out the slides, why not just give them a set of notes and head for the nearest café?
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Click the pic to see the book on Amazon (affiliate link)
Review: Windows 10 Portable Genius
Many people need to find ways of shaving time off of tasks, and getting more done in a day. This book covers both.
Read MoreReview: Portable Excel Genius
Although the book has not been written with teachers in mind, it contains information that many teachers would find useful.
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Think outside the box, by Terry Freedman
The Tyranny Of Relevance (Updated)
In his exposition of his views in favour of liberal education, he used the term 'the tyranny of relevance'. Although he wasn’t talking about Information and Communications Technology (ICT), this phrase did strike a chord with me. Is there perhaps too much store set by 'relevance'?
Read MoreIn ICT, the past is not what it was (Updated)
From 1997 there was an almost palpable – some would say relentless – commitment to educational technology in the UK. Although not always strategic, it was both consistent and persistent. It was a qualitative as well as quantitative break with the past. Yet, whilst I would never disparage these efforts, I don’t believe they were necessarily as wonderful as people remember them to be.
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The scream by Terry Freedman
Sense and the Census
What's the point of your product or service?
If you can’t explain what problem your product solves, you’ve got a problem.
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Rules, by Terry Freedman. I thought this sign is a reasonable analogy to the likely rules in a post-lockdown world.
Writing during Covid
Do you read people’s writings about covid? I don’t, if I can help it.
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Do not adjust your set, by Terry Freedman
Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible
I’m hoping to get things back to normal soon, that is, publishing articles several times a week.
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Click the cover to see this book on Amazon (affiliate link)
Review of Science Fictions (Teach Secondary)
Even where there is no outright fraud involved, simple statistical errors, “publication bias” and perverse incentives can render “breakthroughs” less noteworthy when the studies reporting them are looked at more closely.
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Click the cover to see this book on Amazon (affiliate link)
Review of The Read Aloud Cloud
What a strange book this is!
Read MoreChecklist: Converting an offline course to an online one
In case you missed this when I posted it during half-term… I’ve written a long article about how I converted a course I’d taught in a classroom to one I was able to teach online.
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