From an educational point of view, we should encourage students to work out which form of writing is most appropriate for the job in hand, not encouraging them to drop one type of writing all together.
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.
Read MoreResearch, teacher training, teachers' email addresses -- in the year 2000
“It seems to me that the folks at the Teacher Training Agency have not so much *lost* the plot as are still looking for it.” Another delve into the edtech issues of the day in the year 2000!
Read MoreBroadband in schools -- circa 2003
If you look up broadband in schools, the story these days is that the provision is deemed “inadequate”. I think that’s a lot to do with how aspirations have risen over the past couple of decades, and is therefore a good thing.
Read MoreOn this day #5: The importance of not being nice
It’s important to be nice — but even more important to be honest. I wrote this article on 10 November 2011, and still think it holds true today.
Read MoreOn this day #3: How to make IT real
How can Computing be made relevant and interesting?
Read MoreOn this day #2: Freedom from constraints
When Academies and Free Schools were announced, the prospect of freedom was alluring — to an extent.
Read MoreOn this day #1: Assessment
Why bother with theories of assessment? Surely all that matters is whether or not it works?
Read More
blank screen, by Terry Freedman
Problems in the edtech classroom #5: Where's my website?!
In 2006 my website went down right in the middle of a lesson. Here’s what I wrote about it at the time.
Read More
Terry reflecting, by E Freedman
Reflections from a teacher training course 2
I believe in simple instructions. Here are the instructions I gave to a new cohort of teacher trainees, plus a short commentary on what went right — and what didn’t.
Read More
Reflections
Reflections from a teacher training course 1
My reflections on a first session I taught on a teacher training course are still apposite today.
Read More
Concerned, by Terry Freedman
Should teaching be a Masters profession?
I for one am heartily sick of people thinking that anyone can teach just because it involves, as they see it, standing in front of a class of kids and spouting forth.
Read MoreA self-marking spreadsheet UPDATED
I like a challenge so I thought I’d try to create a self-marking spreadsheet in Excel. I was inspired to have a go at this by someone called Lee Rymill, who uploaded a self-marking spreadsheet to the CAS resources area. However, I wanted to take it a few steps further, using the Visual Basic for Applications programming language.
Read MoreThe trouble with rubrics UPDATED
Rubrics look like an easy way to tackle assessment. But they can be deceptive in that respect, and can cause the unwary to slip up. This article was published on this day 3 years ago. I’ve had to clean up a few links and delete some out-of-date references, but otherwise the article still makes some useful points about assessing Computing and related subjects using rubrics.
Read MoreThe trouble with technology
To the adage "Never work with children or animals", I would add, "or technology" -- which is somewhat worrying given that I have been involved in educational technology for over 20 years.
Read More
Psion 5 and KIndle Fire, by Terry Freedman
Note-taking then and now
It’s 20 years since I last used my Psion 5 Organizer. How does it stack up now?
Read More
Is progress held up by policy?
Is progress held up by policy? That’s the question I asked several people a few years ago. This post provides a link to the article in which I reported my findings.
Read MoreHave Ada Lovelace in your Computing or education technology classroom
Help to bring education technology alive by introducing a letter from Ada Lovelace to Charles Babbage into your Computing or education technology classroom.
Read More
The Homework Excuse Management System, by Terry Freedman
Blast from the past: the homework excuse management system
You can use a spreadsheet to solve even relatively trivial problems — but why should you do so?
Read More
Cartoon from Conmongt, on Pixabay. CC0
Automated assessment: a blast from the past
There’s nothing wrong with automated marking. Indeed, there is much to commend it.
Read More