Here’s an idea you might like to try, if you haven’t already: use your pupils to evaluate resources. After all, they’re the ones who are going to be using them! There are five main ways of doing so, not all of which are mutually exclusive. Here they are.
Is the computer lab defunct?
Having attended a conference at the Westminster Education Forum today on the future of technology in education, I am moved to raise this issue again: have computer labs had their day?
The idea that they have was mentioned two or three times. Whilst I can see the attraction of arguments in favour of mobile technology as opposed to fixed technology, I don’t think the two are necessarily mutually exclusive. Rather than rehearse my arguments again, I’ll refer you to an article I wrote back in March 2011 called Come back, computer lab, all is forgiven. Hope you enjoy it.
Job-seeking as a metaphor for ICT assessment
When I saw several hundred people lining up for some sort of job registration recently, I immediately thought of the challenges of assessing pupils’ educational technology capability. A bit of a stretch? Not necessarily.
25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #24 Do not contribute to education technology discussions
There is little I find more annoying than being lectured to by people who have all the answers, but do not engage in (rational) discussion on the subject.
For example, a deputy headteacher once informed me that his school was going to spend thousands of pounds on instruction technology known as “integrated learning systems”, and that they were going to get the least able students to work on them all day.
I told him that some recent research said that the benefits of such systems was short-lived if all you did was use them and nothing else, and that such intensive use of them was counter-productive anyway. This had no impact at all, because
Two great quotes about education technology
I heard one very quotable thing today, and read another very quotable thing. The first was to do with copyright, the second to do with embracing technology in education. See what you think:
Read More25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #23 Be pernickety
All too often these days there is so much to be done, and so little time to do it, that we have to adopt a “good enough” attitude. That’s fine most of the time, but not always.
Read More7 things to blog about back in school
One of the possibly unwanted tasks on return to school is to get your school blog up and running again. Assuming that it’s been in hibernation over the summer break, no doubt you’ll want to start posting again as soon as possible. It may be hard to think about what to write about when you have a zillion other things to think about at the beginning of term. So here are some ideas to get the creative juices flowing again.
Why so many “Found on the web” posts lately?
You may have noticed that quite a few of the articles to appear here recently have been in the form of links headed “Found on the web”. Why?
Read MoreBack to school: 2 reading suggestions for ICT teachers
I know that to most folks in England, “back to school” seems a long way off. But pity our colleagues in Scotland, the USA and other parts of the world for whom this has already become a reality. Here are two resources you might find useful.
The importance of branding for ICT in schools
One of the things you have to acknowledge, whether you like it or not, is that to some extent people do judge by appearances. So, how does your ICT provision appear to others?
There is a potential paradox
Are you an insufferable bore?
When I walk into a shop and immediately get pounced on by a sales assistant, I usually beat a hasty retreat. If they’d have just left me alone, I might have bought something.
Read MoreCrossing the street
In 1993 the DJ Norman Jay told Sheryl Garratt, writing for The Face:
If you believe in what you’re doing, sooner or later those who rejected you will cross the street to see what you’re doing.
Crossing the street isn't always so easyI love that quote. I think it applies to any situation in which someone is trying to change the way things are done – or at least trying to make a few relatively minor changes – in an environment where most people feel they have no compelling reason to change anything. Many ICT leaders will certainly know that feeling!
So, what could that quote mean in your situation?
Synchronicity, mobile phones and a great upcoming conference
It’s strange, is it not, how certain linkages occur, what some would call coincidence , and others synchronicity ? Yesterday, the mobile phone was the common factor for me, and continued to play a part: I became so engrossed in responding to an email that I missed my station by two stops, and had to backtrack!
Tools for ICT Managers
Tomorrow morning (09:30 UK time) I will be giving a talk entitled 20+ tools in 40+ minutes. So what’s that all about?
I have used the word “tools” to encompass useful applications, websites, blogs and societies. They are all ones I have found to be useful, or think would be useful to others.
What don't people know?
Like many others, I suppose, I sometimes forget that just because I am familiar with something (a piece 
Hmm. Seems kinda obvious to me...of software, a workaround, a report -- whatever) doesn't mean that everyone else is. And they're not going to tell you that they don't know something for one very simple reason -- people don't know what they don't know!
About a year ago I explored this issue, and suggested ways to deal with it, in an article entitled The art of stating the obvious. Click the link to read the article now.
Why technology goes wrong
Join us for the final Vital Teachshare discussion of this school year, as Tony Sheppard, aka Grumbledook, talks to us about a topic that I am sure is dear to our hearts:
Why Technology Goes Wrong. The discussion begins at 7pm UK time Tuesday 26th July, and you can access it by clicking on the link just given. Use the timezone converter to find out what time it is where you are.
Tony is a key member of Edugeek, one of the most vibrant online forums I know of.
Please tweet about this event, using the hashtag #vitalcpd. Thanks!
See also:
Update on 2011-07-26 21:06 by Terry Freedman, Educational ICT Consultant
We had a great session: brilliant talk by @grumbledook that covered just about everything, and a great follow-up discussion.
To view the recording, click the link below:
Managing ICT on a budget
Tomorrow evening, at 7 pm UK time, I’ll be hosting a discussion on managing ICT on a budget. If you have any top tips you’d like to share, or are looking for some ideas on how to make your budget go further, why not pop along?
Read MoreThe effective use of ICT
One laptop per child: a worthy goal, but does it lead to the most effective learning? Research published over the years has challenged the assumption that youngsters do better working on their own than sharing a computer.
Read More25 ways to make yourself unpopular: #22 Don’t tell it how it is
I’ve always thought that it’s the expert’s duty to inform the non-expert when they have not got it right. If you’re not prepared to do that, what good are you actually doing?
Read MoreTranquility
I’ve decided that I spend so much time at my computer that my desktop background needs to be calming. Here’s the photo I chose.