Bett 2017 Bulletin #3

January 20, 2017

I know from past experience what next week at Bett will entail, so I've written a program to summarise it....

Computers, life and work: some interesting 'background' reading

January 13, 2017

Here's a selection of very interesting and articles -- and one book -- about artificial intelligence, and how it does, or may, affect us. It includes a sobering list of jobs which no longer exist, and a debate.

Digital Education Holiday Reading

December 19, 2016

Nudge theory, coding, crosswords, artificial intelligence and more are all in the latest issue of the free ezine, Digital Education. Read on to find out more.

The rule of opposites

October 11, 2016

In ICT and Computing, the simplest programs are often the most elegant and efficient.This is just one example of a "rule" of opposites that seems to pervade everything.

5 mistakes I made when teaching Computing, by William Lau

October 7, 2016

In this very incisive article, teacher William Lau discusses 5 mistakes he has made when teaching Computing, in the light of experience, research and reading.

Computing and magic

June 16, 2016

What can we learn from magicians when it comes to designing computer software and equipment? In this article, Professor Paul Curzon explains all.

7 reasons to teach coding through problem-solving

June 6, 2016

Should you start with the raw components when teaching coding, or get the kids problem-solving immediately? This article argues in favour of the latter.

Computing discussion topic 2016-05-23

May 23, 2016

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

New! Updated ICT and Qualifications List now available

May 12, 2016

The new, updated list of approved ICT and Computing qualifications is now available -- in return for just a few minutes of your time!

Crosswords and coding

April 25, 2016

If you like coding, you should enjoy doing cryptic crosswords too. If it was good enough for Alan Turing...

Robot editor up against a deadline -- by Terry Freedman

AI: Could a bot write your next book?

April 13, 2016

What's the role of artificial intelligence in the writing of books, games and apps?

Erm, which way now? The contradictions in the Educational Excellence Everywhere policy are somewhat disconcerting. Picture from Pixabay.com CC0

Educational Excellence Everywhere, and the Computing curriculum

March 17, 2016

A new Department for Education policy document has been published. What does it have to say about Computing?

David Brown gets to the heart of the matter

Ofsted's views of the Computing curriculum

March 14, 2016

David Brown, Ofsted's National Lead for Computing, answers some common questions.

For those not in Britain, Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, aka the inspectorate.

New publications from ICT & Computing in Education

January 19, 2016

Two new free publications are now available for subscribers to Digital Education.

Who's trackin' ya, baby?

January 13, 2016

What happens when you visit a website? Information about those pesky cookies.

We need more teachers, and not just master teachers. Picture from www.pixabay.com CC0

5 reasons there is a shortage of Computing at School Master Teachers, and what we can do about it

January 12, 2016

Over three years since the new Computing curriculum in England was mooted, and more than a year since it came into being, there are still not enough teachers who feel competent and confident to teach it. This is not least in part due an insistence on an elitist approach to training them. In this article I suggest a few possibly more fruitful approaches.

*From The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage (c) S. Padua*

Win a copy of The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage

January 6, 2016

Enter for a really easy competition to win one of three copies of The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage. Entries close on 10th January 2016.

25 useful resources for teachers

January 3, 2016

This article contains details of 20 websites for creating free cartoons and comics, plus Scratch, educational blogging, creating games, old sounds, and the international space station.

Flipped learning is not as simple as telling kids to watch a video or two.

Flipped learning - again

December 29, 2015

In order to implement flipped learning, you need to ensure that certain conditions are in place.

ENIAC. U.S. Army Photo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Picture credit for Eniac: This image is a work of a U.S. Army soldier or employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the … — ENIAC. U.S. Army Photo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Picture credit for Eniac: *This image is a work of a* *U.S. Army* *soldier or employee, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a* *work* *of the* *U.S. federal government, the image is in the* *public domain*. URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eniac.jpg

Getting touchy and feely about Computing

December 21, 2015

Making it possible for students to come face to face with real things from times gone by can have an electrifying effect on them. This is especially so when teaching Computing.

Recent book reviews

Review: How I review books on edtech

My views on what constitutes a book on edtech are fairly catholic. Indeed, it would me more accurate to denote the books I review as books for teachers of ICT, Computing, digital literacy etc etc,, rather than books on edtech. The latter tend to have titles like “How to teach Computing”, or “How to use Excel in the classroom”.

Review: Nuts and Bolts: How Tiny Inventions Make Our World Work

It's rather disconcerting when one considers that buildings like The Shard are essentially held together by nuts, bolts and washers.

Review: Love Triangle: The Life-changing Magic of Trigonometry

Like, I suspect, many people, I have never knowingly come across an isosceles triangle in my life, and wouldn’t know what to do with it if I did. However...

Review: Making Sense Of Chaos – A Better Economics for a Better World

Before you rush off on the grounds that this book has nothing to do with Computing, let me reassure you that it does.

Bjork & Bjork’s Desirable Difficulties in Action

The original work on which this volume is based has perhaps been honoured more in the breach than in the observance.

Review: Coderspeak – The language of computer programmers

This book won’t necessarily help a student pass a computing exam, but it will almost certainly make them a more aware, and thus better, programmer.

Review: Quiet Power, by Susan Cain

Introverts thrive by being allowed to be quiet, having time for reflection and not being required to 'perform' all the time.

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.

Review: The Collaboration Book – 41 Ideas for Working Better

Most people would agree that collaboration is a good thing – so how can we collaborate more effectively in school settings?

Review: Listen: On Music, Sound and Us

This book might not directly address obvious aspects of the music curriculum, but it can certainly give teachers access to a rich seam of facts and anecdotes with which to embellish their lessons.