The first thing that struck me is that it is quite readable.
Read MoreClick the image to see this book on Amazon (affiliate link)
Click the image to see this book on Amazon (affiliate link)
Quick look: Hitler's People
Yes, I know that this has nothing (ostensibly at least) to do with ICT or Computing, but I thought it might be an interesting book in general, and for history teachers in particular.
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Quick look: Desirable difficulties in action
The idea of desirable difficulties has always appealed to me. In my teaching I’m partticularly in favour of applying Vygotsky’s concept of the zone of proximal development.
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Quick look: The Language of Deception
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.
Read MoreQuick look: From EdTech to PedTech
Academics tend to write learned articles that, I suspect, are read mainly by other academics, so anything that can translate some of that research into practical advice is to be welcomed.
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Quick look: Strange Code
Strange Code looks at esoteric languages and also atypical languages, which are those that are not mainstream.
Read MoreQuick looks: Support Not Surveillance, by Dr Mary Bousted
As far as I’m aware no Education Secretary has had the ability or the courage to deal with the teacher recruitment and retention crisis.
Read MoreQuick looks: Tools for Teachers, by Oliver Lovell
Overall the book is a good investment, although I did have some quibbles with it.
Read MoreQuick looks: About Our Schools, by Tim Brighouse and Mick Waters
If you want to see the humble brag elevated to an art form, this is the book for you.
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Quick look: The self-taught computer scientist
It’s a bit of a tall order, I think, to teach yourself computer science, as opposed to computer programming, because of the need to understand particular concepts.
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Quick look: Organise Ideas (follow-up)
[When I was a teacher,] as with many of my blog posts these days, my own handouts and lesson summaries were festooned with drawings, diagrams and arrows.
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.
Read MoreQuick look: A Beginner's Guide to Learning HTML5 (and Smacking Zombies Upside the Web Development) (Undead Institute)
A quick look at this guide, which at the time of writing was free.
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Quick look: The Meritocracy Trap
We like to believe that meritocracy is a good thing, in that it rewards effort, and acts as a great leveller. Is that actually the case?
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A page from Cool Coding.
What I'm reading: Cool Coding
A few initial thoughts on a book about programming and how computers work.
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Trust Me, I’m Lying
Quick look: Trust Me, I'm Lying
This book lifts the lid on the practices that various media use to promulgate fake news even while appearing to be squeaky clean.
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Books in brief: How to think like a coder
Here’s a quick look at How to think like a coder, by Jim Christian.
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A very readable book.
What I'm reading: Understanding the Digital World: What You Need to Know about Computers, the Internet, Privacy, and Security
My first impressions of a new book about computers, networks and data.
Read MoreEducation hashtags
Here's a link to a post containing a comprehensive list of Twitter educational chats, compiled by Simon Johnson.
Read MoreThe Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The Book
If, like me, you enjoy reading comics and graphic novels, and are interested in Computing, you may already be familiar with the blog called 2D Goggles Or The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage. This relates the story of the development of the Difference Engine and other aspects of the lives of Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage. Their adventures are based on (mostly) real events and episodes, with a lot of poetic licence thrown in! I thoroughly recommend reading the adventures, and I suggest encouraging your students to do so too. It will help them learn about the development of computing and computer programming in an enjoyable way.