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ICT & Computing in Education

Articles on education technology and related topics
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Illustration of algorithmic objectivity

Illustration of algorithmic objectivity, generated in ImageFX

Computing discussion topic

May 23, 2025

A topic to discuss with your students perhaps: the hidden bias in algorithms.

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In Computing, News & views, Discussion topic, AI Tags discussion, algorithms, bias, objectivity, AI, Artificial Intelligence

On this day: Do kids still need to learn how to code?

April 30, 2025

A week or so ago we were chatting to a neighbour. She said she thinks her daughter, who looked about six years old, should learn how to code, as that’s the future. Didn’t I agree? I’m afraid I said that didn’t.

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In AI, Discussion topic Tags AI, artificial intelligence, Hello World

An AI experiment to summarise student feedback

March 26, 2025

An AI summary of feedback received on a course.

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In AI, Research, Reflections Tags AI, Notebook LM, feedback

A big question mark, by Terry Freedman

The DfE's foray into AI for education: the good news and the (potentilly) bad news

March 20, 2025

We don’t have very long to wait before the educational AI projects funded by the Department for Education are unveiled, if all goes to plan. But I have some concerns.

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In Assessment, AI, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, News & views Tags AI, assessment, DfE

When AI can write as well as this, I'll worry! Plus a prize competition.

March 18, 2025

To paraphrase what Arthur C Clarke said about teachers, any writer that can be replaced by a computer probably should be.

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In AI, Reviews Tags AI, quick looks, review

Dystopian visions: Computers don't argue (Updated with reference to AI)

October 16, 2024

The writer does an excellent job of both reflecting the annoyance of dealing with a computer program that has no flexibility as well as no intelligence, and highlighting the need for programs to invite human input when the consequences of not doing so can be catastrophic.

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In Discussion topic, Dystopian Visions, AI Tags Dystopian visions, computers don't argue, automated communications, AI

Click the pic to see the original report's website.

Shape of the Future: How education system leaders can respond to the provocations of AI

October 7, 2024

I used Google’s Notebook LM to summarise this report. I have done this to bring the report and its main points to your attention, and to put Notebook LM through its paces.

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In AI, Research Tags Shape of the Future, AI, artificial intelligence

Created in Bing Image Creator

The human touch

October 3, 2024

I’ve been experimenting a lot with using AI, especially for summarising long documents. But the summaries lacked the human touch.

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In AI, Professional development, Research, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags Computing education, Notebook LM, AI, artificial intelligence

Come back! Drawing by Terry Freedman

The KCL Report on the future of Computing Education

October 1, 2024

The Computing curriculum report from Kings College makes some great recommendations for fixing the failures of the current curriculum.

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In AI, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, Research Tags computing education, curriculum, artificial intelligence, AI

Created using Bing Image Creator

The future of AI in Education: notes on a Westminster Education Forum Conference

September 30, 2024

A few months ago I attended a Westminster Education Forum about the use of AI in Education. I spent quite some time going through the transcript and making notes, but then I thought: why not use AI to do the work?

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In AI, Leading & Managing Computing & ICT, Research Tags AI, artificial intelligence, Westminster Education Forum

Picture created in Ideogram.

Using AI to mark students' work: postscript

September 16, 2024

I didn’t think AI's answer was good enough. I didn’t ask how ethical the proposals were. I asked it to mark an Economics essay.

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In AI, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags AI, artificial intelligence, grading, marking, essay-marking

Using AI to mark students' work

September 13, 2024

The Department for Education in England is running a study on how AI might be used for marking work. I thought I’d test AI’s ability to mark a student’s economics essay.

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In AI, Research Tags AI, artificial intelligence, marking, essay-marking

Picture created in Ideogram.ai

Suggestions for using AI in education

September 11, 2024

I’ve been experimenting a lot with using AI. Not for creative writing I should add: I think AI has a long way to go before it will tempt me to eschew the likes of David Foster Wallace, Nabakov or Orwell. But for helping one think and, I’m sure, for admin, I think it’s a game-changer.

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In AI, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT, Research Tags AI, artificial intelligence
A blogger, by Terry Freedman

A blogger, by Terry Freedman

AI for bloggers?

July 16, 2024

In my recent blogging course, I abandoned my carefully-prepared lesson, or part pf it, threw caution to the winds, and suggested to the class that we experiment with using AI for writing blog posts. Here’s a partial blog post it came up with, which you will agree is utter rubbish…

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In AI, History, Discussion topic Tags blogging, AI, artificial intelligence

I prefer a malignant super computer to a benificent one

May 31, 2024

Imagine being in the situation where your kitchen won't allow you to rustle up an egg in case you burn yourself.

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In AI, Discussion topic Tags AI, artificial intelligence, singularity

Review: The Language of Deception: Weaponizing Next Generation AI, by Justin Hutchens

May 17, 2024

AI might not be ‘intelligent’ in the strictest sense – but it can certainly appear to be, which is almost as worrying.

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In AI, Bookshelf, Reviews Tags reviews, e-safety, Deception, Hutchens, AI, Artificial Intelligence

This is what Ideogrm.ai came up with in response to the prompt “Person using AI”.

Do kids still need to learn how to code?

April 30, 2024

A week or so ago we were chatting to a neighbour. She said she thinks her daughter, who looked about six years old, should learn how to code, as that’s the future. Didn’t I agree? I’m afraid I said that didn’t.

Read More
In AI, Discussion topic, Using and Teaching Computing & ICT Tags AI, artificial intelligence, Hello World

Picture by Ideogram

How useful is AI for generating words?

March 25, 2024

As it happens, I first addressed this question in 2012, and the first part of this essay, down to the part about robots, is taken from the notes I made then. My opinion hasn’t changed, in spite of the enormous strides in AI in the last twelve years.

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In AI, Reflections Tags AI, artificial intelligence, writing

Click the cover to see this on Amazon (affiliate link)

Quick look: The Language of Deception

February 28, 2024

I’m not convinced to any extent at all that not being able to tell the difference between a computer and a person means that the computer is intelligent. However, the original formulation of Turing’s ‘imitation game’ was whether a machine could be perceived as being intelligent.

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In Quick Looks Tags Deception, AI, artifical intelligence, reviews

Evaluation of a press release created by AI

February 18, 2024

I have a course coming up, one that I’m teaching. I asked an AI writer to draft a press release for it. Here’s what it came up with, with my annotations in italics and in square brackets.

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In AI, Research Tags AI, artificial intelligence, press release
Older Posts →
Recent book reviews
Review: Social Media for Academics
Review: Social Media for Academics

This book is very readable, and if I sound surprised that is because it’s not always true of academics!

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Quick looks: VIBE Coding by Example
Quick looks: VIBE Coding by Example

For the time being, this book is free in Kindle format.

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Review: The Game Changers: How Playing Games Changed the World and Can Change You Too
Review: The Game Changers: How Playing Games Changed the World and Can Change You Too

Despite the relative paucity of immediately obvious National Curriculum links, teachers will find several of sections of this book to be highly engaging.

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Review: The Dictators: 64 Dictators, 64 Authors, 64 Warnings from History
Review: The Dictators: 64 Dictators, 64 Authors, 64 Warnings from History

In some respects one could view this book as a single warning repeated 64 times.

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Review: The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street 
Review: The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker: A History of the High Street 

Taking readers from the Middle Ages to (more or less) the present day, Gray charts how the places where we do our shopping and what we buy have changed over the centuries.

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Review: Extraordinary Learning For All
Review: Extraordinary Learning For All

As a source of potential ideas and inspiration, the book could be very useful indeed.

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Review: Bad Education: Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them
Review: Bad Education: Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them

One has the impression that the main role of the university these days is to maximise profit, while that of the majority of teaching staff is to ensure the ‘correct’ views are passed on to students. All the while, students’ main concern seems to be to seek protection from anything that might make them feel unsafe.

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Review: Next Practices - An Executive Guide for Education Decision Makers
Review: Next Practices - An Executive Guide for Education Decision Makers

Is a 2014 book on managing the computing provision in a school still worth buying?

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Still relevant (sadly): How to lie with statistics, by Darrell Huff
Still relevant (sadly): How to lie with statistics, by Darrell Huff

Although this book is over 60 years old, it is remarkably apposite for our times -- and especially in the fields of educational research and assessing pupils' understanding and progress.

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Quick looks: Bad Education: Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them
Quick looks: Bad Education: Why Our Universities Are Broken and How We Can Fix Them

It was a great source of pride to me, getting hundreds of students through their A levels and encouraging them to go to university. But for some time I have asked myself a question: would I recommend this route now?

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