Podcasts and videos for Computing teachers: introduction

May 29, 2019

UPDATED This article introduces two further articles: 10 podcasts for Computing teachers, and 10 video channels for Computing teachers.

Creating multiple signatures in Gmail

March 26, 2019

If you wear several different hats, but don’t want several different email addresses, you can use different email signatures instead. But how do you do that in Gmail?

Half-price offer on my guide to getting the most out of conferences

March 9, 2019

UPDATED! For one week only, my guide to getting the most out of education conferences is available for half price.

5 interesting technology sessions at the London Book Fair 2019

February 28, 2019

UPDATED! Here are 5 talks and one event at the London Book Fair that you may be interested in. Plus, a free personal selection from myself.

Conference: Next steps for education technology - improving educational outcomes

February 18, 2019

This conference, in London in April 2019, looks at a range of issues around education technology.

Reading efficiently is a must for teachers of Computing and information technology

February 16, 2019

With more and more to read, and with the ever-changing landscape of education technology, teachers of Computing and related subjects need to be able to read more in the same amount of time. Here are some tips that I’ve found useful.

The Education Show 2019

January 17, 2019

The Education Show is going on next door to the Bett show this year, on 24th and 25th January. Here are pointers about a few of the sessions going on.

Bett2019 Pointers: a personal perspective

January 16, 2019

There is tons to see and hear at the Bett show this year — even more so than usual I think. Here are the things I’ve earmarked for myself, based on the assumption that by next week I will either have mastered the technique of being in several places at once, or somehow acquired a team of ten people.

Getting the best out of Bett2019

January 15, 2019

Here are a few words about the revamped (I think) Bett show in London, and some tips on how to get the most benefit from attending.

Bett 2019 — Created in Canva by Terry Freedman

Bett 2019: Useful tips

January 14, 2019

My annual guide to Bett is out. Here’s how to access it.

It’s all go! Illustration by Terry Freedman

What's in the November 2018 issue of Digital Education?

November 25, 2018

Here at Freedman Works we’ve been throwing in ideas, reports, books, magazines, blog articles and pictures into the writing machine I invented some time in 2017, and out has popped the latest issue of Digital Education. Read on for a taster of what’s in it.

Photo by John-Mark Smith on Unsplash — Photo by John-Mark Smith on Unsplash

The BESA/PA Conference 2018

November 23, 2018

Details of this year’s annual conference of the British Educational Suppliers Association and the Publishers Association.

Coming soon in the Digital Education ezine

November 20, 2018

There are four books to be won in the next issue of Digital Education. There are also a few pretty useful articles and bits of information. Read on to find out more.

Microsoft's Future Decoded

November 2, 2018

The most fascinating thing for me about the Future Decoded conference was the present!

I love metadata, by Terry Freedman. The photo bears merely a tenuous relation to the subject matter: I always need a cup of tea to help me survive at conferences!

Forthcoming Education Technology-Related Events in London

November 1, 2018

Details of three useful-looking events related to education technology, coming up in London.

There’s nothing like a good book — except maybe several good books! Photo by Elijah Hail on Unsplash Licence: CC0

14 ways to keep on being a learner

September 27, 2018

Learning is necessary, useful and pleasurable! Here are 14 suggestions for continuing to learn, ranging from some pretty easy almost costless ways to a major commitment. Hopefully there’s something for everyone in this article.

Yes, OK, I’ll try out the computers, but please leave me alone! Photo by Anh Nguyen on Unsplash

Bombarding colleagues with research results regarding ed tech doesn't work

September 21, 2018

Gathering research findings into how beneficial education technology could be, er, beneficial. But there are caveats.

This is what all ed tech co-ordinators should do if possible

September 20, 2018

In this new series, I look at 7 mistakes I made as an ICT-Co-ordinator. This first article is more of an omission, with the benefit of 20:20 hindsight!

Read all about it: what does the research REALLY say?

September 14, 2018

Even if a piece of education research is flawless (which itself is relatively unlikely), experience suggests that it's unlikely to be reported completely accurately, despite journalists' best efforts. Why does this happen?

My best IT training days #1: The Science Department

September 13, 2018

As a complement to my series of articles about my worst training days, I’ve started a series about my best ones. I believe we can learn from both sorts. In this article, I relate an experience of running a twilight training session for a secondary school science department.

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.