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 -- illustrated

September 3, 2024

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.

Ada Lovelace Day 2021

October 13, 2021

Imagine what Ada Lovelace might have achieved had Babbage actually built his “computer” and she hadn’t died at the age of 36.

Letter from Ada Lovelace to Charles Babbage. From the British Library. Licence: Public Domain

Ada Lovelace Day

October 13, 2020

Imagine what Ada Lovelace might have achieved had Babbage actually built his “computer” and she hadn’t died at the age of 36.

Have Ada Lovelace in your Computing or education technology classroom

February 13, 2019

Help to bring education technology alive by introducing a letter from Ada Lovelace to Charles Babbage into your Computing or education technology classroom.

The importance of touch in Computing

December 1, 2017

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.

*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.

Review of Ada's Algorithm: How Lord Byron's Daughter Ada Lovelace Launched the Digital Age

January 4, 2016

Ada's Algorithm goes into minute detail about Ada Lovelace's life, and her influence on the development of Computer Science.

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.

Ada Lovelace Day Competition

October 9, 2015

As you may be aware, next Tuesday (13th October) is Ada Lovelace Day. In my next newsletter I’ll be announcing details of a competition whereby three lucky readers can win a copy of The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, by Sydney Padua.

Lovelace, Babbage and Me

April 22, 2015

What’s the connection between Ada Lovelace, Charles Babbage, and me? Well, it’s a bit tenuous. Apart from the obvious, that we all liked computing (in effect), it is that they appear in a new graphic novel, and I love graphic novels.

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The Book

March 19, 2015

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.

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.