There are some good websites where you can pick up some good ideas and resources. Here are just a few of them. Do explore them.
Read More7 Ways to make IT real: #5 Be realistic
One sure-fire way to turn pupils off computing and ICT is to set tasks that are either unrealistic in themselves, or contain unrealistic elements.
As an example of the former, I once came across an activity in which
7 Ways to make IT real: #4 Use external organisations
When you’re attempting to give your pupils a flavour of the “real world”, it’s important to remember two things:What new teachers need to know -- Personal ICT Skills
This article was originally published on 7th March 2006. Surprisingly perhaps, much of it is still relevant today, given its focus on the importance of having an understanding of computer programming concepts and other aspects of computing.
Making assumptions is a dangerous game! It's commonly assumed that new teachers will automatically know all about information technology because they are young (which is in itself an assumption: what about mature students, housewives returning to work, retired bankers looking for a new challenge, and so on?).
7 Ways to make IT real: #3 Solve real problems
As I said in 7 ways to make IT real: #0 Make IT unreal, setting the kids a problem like “Imagine you’re going to open a video shop” is not going to cut it these days. You either need to set problems that are outlandish and obviously unreal, or set them ones which are all too real.
I’d suggest that the best way of doing so is to get the pupils themselves to identify problems. That’s the approach taken by
7 Ways to make IT real: #2 Involve parents
It’s easy to see parents as “just” parents. They bring their kids to school, you let them know how their child is getting on, and that’s maybe as far as it goes. But it’s worth remembering that parents are also people in their own right, with interests and jobs that may be useful in terms of giving your pupils a real-world focus for computing and ICT.7 Ways to make IT real: #1 Get local
It’s easy to take your local area for granted, but try to see it with new eyes. Try to see it as if you were a tourist visiting the area for the first time. You may be pleasantly surprised to discover just how much is noteworthy from a computing or ICT point of view. Whether you want your pupils to simply notice the use of technology, or wish to get them to figure out how things work or even to create their own digital assets, you won’t be disappointed.7 ways to make IT real: #0 Make IT unreal
One way to make ICT interesting is to make sure it is relevant to young people’s lives, and has a genuine connection to the “real world”. Indeed, these are required of Ofsted in order to achieve an “Outstanding” grade in ICT. I have referred to this as “authentic learning”. So, in the next few articles I will be suggesting ways of approaching this.7 Criteria for evaluating a computing scheme of work
Now that it’s certain that here in England we will have a computing curriculum to follow in September 2014, many people are going to be writing schemes of work. Whether you are a producer or a consumer in this regard, I think you will find the following evaluation criteria useful.Computing and ICT misinformation
I am continually astonished by people’s misconceptions or misinformation about education in general, and ICT in particular. To be more accurate, I am often shocked, but no longer surprised, at how poorly education tends to be reported on in the press – at least in my experience when it concerns stuff I know about.
Now, I understand this when it comes to a subject like science. I used to say to Elaine, over breakfast, things like:
Data shock
Here are three short observations on data, which may provide a basis for discussion with pupils.
1. What we can learn from the Ice Age
A few weeks ago I went to the Ice Age art exhibition at the British Museum.
Criticism and self-criticism: some thoughts for ICT teachers and leaders
I was looking in the archives this morning, to see what I wrote about on this date in the past. By some strange twist, my articles on 4th July in both 2010 and 2011 were about criticism. Not criticism aimed at anyone or anything in particular, but in terms of general principles.