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ICT & Computing in Education

Articles on education technology and related topics
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  • Newsletters
    • Digital Education
    • Terry Freedman's Books Bulletin
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DigEd xmas, by Terry Freedman

Coming soon: Digital Education Christmas 2021

December 20, 2021

Coming soon (probably tomorrow, 21st December 2021), a bumper small edition of my esteemed newsletter. It contains some interesting stuff, including advanced notice of a fantastic prize draw in which you can win a ‘credit card'-sized microprocessor that allows you to create projects and then download them to the device. It includes 25 LEDs and a sounder allowing you to create music.

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In Digital Education, News & views Tags Digital Education, newsletter

7 Mistakes made by education technology leaders

December 20, 2021

So, you’ve landed a great new job, an important one at that, as an ed tech leader or co-ordinator. But in your eagerness to make an impact, are you making some fundamental mistakes? Here’s a quick guide about what not to do.

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In Leading & Managing Computing & ICT Tags Technology Co-ordinator, mistakes

Think you're too popular? Then hold back information

December 19, 2021

If you really want to make yourself unpopular, then not providing enough information is a sure-fire way of going about it. If you’re a teacher advising your Headteacher, you need to provide sufficient information – whether you’ve been asked for it or not.

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In Leading & Managing Computing & ICT Tags information, unpopular

Provide timely information (even if it makes you unpopular)

December 19, 2021

You would think that providing timely information would be just the thing to get you applauded. However, as the song from Porgy and Bess tells us, it ain’t necessarily so. It really all depends on what the information is, and to whom you’re making it available.

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In Leading & Managing Computing & ICT Tags budget, information, timely information

Too protective by half?

Why I dread the thought of benign algorithms (Updated)

December 19, 2021

Science fiction writers would have us believe that intelligent machines will either enslave us or get rid of human beings altogether. But what if they were extremely benign and protective towards us? What could possibly go wrong?

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In News & views, Unintended consequences, From the Archives, Discussion topic Tags Ray Kurzweil, singularity, algorithms, discussion

Coming soon (ish): my top ten education books of 2021

December 13, 2021

I’m thinking that even if I gave a book I reviewed a rave write-up and five stars, it might still not make the list if a book I deemed deserving of four stars is comparatively better.

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In Thinking aloud, News & views, Reviews Tags reviews

Wow! By Terry Freedman

Inspection of a Computing department in the form of a really bad TV documentary 2021

December 13, 2021

Fortunately, such an inability to explore interesting and sensible questions would not be found in a real inspection. Would it??

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In On the lighter side Tags Oulipo, inspection, TV documentary, Ofsted

Who needs "21st century skills"?

December 10, 2021

Has there ever been such a frenzy of thinking and activity over a concept which does not even exist? I am referring, of course, to the ridiculous notion of so-called '21st century skills'

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In News & views Tags 21st century skills

Creating filler text: useful tools for teachers

December 10, 2021

If you produce the school’s newsletter, or a departmental newsletter, or a newsletter for parents, filler text will enable you to quickly test a new template without worrying about the actual content.

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In Tips for teachers Tags filler text, placeholder text

Hazardous area! Photo by Terry Freedman

Must you always obey instructions?

December 10, 2021

The short answer to the question that forms the title of this article is “Yes”. Even so…

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In News & views Tags disobey, instructions, hooks

Burglar! By Terry Freedman

The Great Training Robbery

December 8, 2021

There must surely be few things more annoying than, having put a lot of work into a course, you discover that someone has ripped you off. They are using your materials in their course. They might even be selling your materials somewhere online.

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In Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, News & views Tags theft, plagiarism, training

On this day: a spreadsheet grade predictor

December 7, 2021

On December 7th, 2015, I wrote an article explaining how you could set up a spreadsheet in Excel to help you predict and analyse students’ grades.

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In On this day, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT Tags spreadsheet, grade predictor

Review: Teaching Machines

December 6, 2021

There seems to be no end of attempts to improve education by people who have either never worked in it, or not understood what they were looking at.

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In Bookshelf, History, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, Reviews Tags Teaching Machines, Audrey Watters, review

14 ideas for edtech company incentives

December 3, 2021

I was once offered discounts on buying a suite of computers for my school if I persuaded my colleagues to take out an insurance policy!

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In From the Archives, News & views Tags incentives, marketing

Fake news and media literacy

December 1, 2021

I like to try and give people the benefit of the doubt, but is that always the right approach? Ambrose Bierce defined a cynic as someone who sees things as they are, and not as they ought to be.

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In Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, News & views Tags fake news

Did you know Google was a search engine, preparing for Bett 2001, plus guidance that has stood the test of time

December 1, 2021

Back in the year 2001 Google was still very much the new-ish kid on the block.

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In Blast from the past, From the Archives, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT Tags Compic, newsletter, history

Review: A Student's Guide to Python for Physical Modelling

November 30, 2021

While this book is comprehensive, and gives instructions step by step, it is not what you might call an idiot’s guide.

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In Bookshelf, Reviews, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags review, Python

Why you should test your product

November 30, 2021

This article was originally published on the Bee Digital Marketing website. Although it was mainly aimed at companies, many of the principles apply to anyone wanting to implement a new application in school.

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In Leading & Managing Computing & ICT Tags testing, marketing

Review: Teaching Machines (for SchoolsWeek)

November 28, 2021

Here is a very strange paradox. On the one hand, everyone agrees that a key ingredient for success in life is having great teachers. On the other, there’s a relentless narrative that education is somehow broken and that fixing it entails replacing teachers or transforming some or all of what they do.

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In History, Bookshelf, Reviews Tags Teaching Machines, Audrey Watters, Review

Of COURSE classrooms have changed in the last few hundred years!

November 26, 2021

Is it really true that classrooms haven’t changed since the year 1600?

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In News & views Tags Changing classroom, classroom environment, classroom, Sir Anthony Seldon, buses, Audrey Watters, Teaching Machines
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