Here in England the Government, in its quest to put Computing on the map, did its best to make sure the rest of the map was blank – by getting rid of qualifications that lots of students took (especially girls).
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Exclamation mark, by Terry Freedman
Was it something I said? When an elevator speech falls on deaf ears
In one of my teaching jobs, I had to listen to a parent while he went on and on about how kids should taught how to take computers apart in their Computing lessons. When I pointed out that the course was about being literate in the uses of computers and also how to program them, rather than how they're made, he insisted that digital literacy could only be taught by taking computers apart.
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Robot made of Lego, at John Lewis, Photo by Terry Freedman
AI: It was a very active and engaging and free way of learning, in some ways
Be Aware!, by Terry Freedman
Never underestimate new pupils' computing skills
It’s an unfortunate fact of life that secondary school teachers underestimate how much their primary school colleagues have taught when it comes to computing and education technology. It’s true that in some cases it’s justified, but by and large in my experience it isn’t.
Read MoreComing soon in the Digital Education newsletter
The next edition of this esteemed newsletter has a cornucopia of links that will be of interest to teachers of computing and media literacy especially, and very little commentary! Read on to find out more.
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An awful shock, by Terry Freedman
My worst IT training days #6: The day my website was shut down
I wonder if there is anything more discombobulating than announcing, with great fanfare, a brilliant resource to a class full of teacher trainees, only to be greeted by a dreadful error message instead?
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Relax, by Terry Freedman. I’m trying to, I’m trying!
A call to Technical Support
A call to technical support that was only successful once I’d stretched the facts a bit.
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Presentation on a mobile phone, by Terry Freedman
Actually, it IS about the technology (partly)
“It’s not about the technology” sounds logical, but in my experience it is certainly not the whole story.
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Holo app, by Terry Freedman. This was drawn using Comic Strip Creator.
Articles from the ed tech archives
Here are three articles from the ICT & Computing website which you may find useful, inspiring or both.
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The Scream, by Terry Freedman (with apologies to Munch)
Viruses and other nasties are a leadership issue
How vulnerable are schools to viruses and so on? Here are the results of a survey, plus some comments on the role of the ed tech leader in the school.
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Frustration, by Terry Freedman
How to fix a paper jam that doesn't exist
If your printer keeps telling you there’s a paper jam when there isn’t, you aren’t necessarily going insane. This suggestion worked for me.
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Whiteboard, by Terry Freedman
My worst IT Training Days #5: Whiteboard not working
Worthy cogitations about what I might have done to avoid being faced with a non-working whiteboard — and why that situation arose in the first place.
Read MoreTerms and Conditions: The Graphic Novel
If only all terms and conditions were presented like this!
Read MoreSolving the driverless car problem Part 3
The problem referred to in the title may be summarised as: who ya gonna kill? The car is hurtling along the road when a child steps out in front of it. The car is faced with a dilemma: kill the child, or the pedestrian waiting to cross the road, who would be in the car's path should it swerve to avoid the child. Terry Freedman explains why this whole thing is a red herring.
Read MoreSolving the driverless car problem part 2
The problem referred to in the title may be summarised as: who ya gonna kill? The car is hurtling along the road when a child steps out in front of it. The car is faced with a dilemma: kill the child, or the pedestrian waiting to cross the road, who would be in the car's path should it swerve to avoid the child. Terry Freedman explains why Lance Sharpe’s analysis was wrong.
Read MoreSolving the driverless car problem Part 1
The problem referred to in the title may be summarised as: who ya gonna kill? The car is hurtling along the road when a child steps out in front of it. The car is faced with a dilemma: kill the child, or the pedestrian waiting to cross the road, who would be in the car's path should it swerve to avoid the child. Guest contributor Lance Sharpe considers the problem from an Economist’s perspective.
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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?
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If you’re looking for a course in computing or a related area, and you live in England, look no further! This ebook contains over 200 entries all in one place.
Computing and related qualifications: new e-directory
If you’re looking for a course in computing or a related area, and you live in England, look no further! This ebook contains over 200 entries all in one place.
Read More24 must-have features of computer labs UPDATED
If you still have, or are planning to have, a computer lab, then these 24 things are essential to include.
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Harmonicas by Terry Freedman
7 Ways of Making the ICT and Computing facilities More attractive to use
How can you encourage other teachers to use the ed tech facilities? You may not know this, but there is not a lot of difference between a Lee Oskar diatonic harmonica (the type used by blues and folk musicians) and a Hohner Blues Band harmonica. The Lee Oskar is said to have been engineered to give a “sharper” edge to the tone, which suits the blues sound, whereas the Marine Band, being slightly “softer”, works well for folk music too. Unless you’re a purist, there is probably not much in it. As someone once said:
Read More“A difference is only a difference if it makes a difference.”