7 Books for Computing teachers

March 3, 2016

As it's World Book Day, what are my recommendations for books for teachers of Computing? This is by no means a definitive list -- think of it more as a starter.

What comes first: education or technology?

February 24, 2016

Some people are adamant that educational practice, or pedagogy, must be the first consideration, before technology is even mentioned. But is this actually right?

Ignorance vs certainty, by Terry Freedman

Uncertainty and ignorance: an issue for assessment?

February 5, 2016

If a student fails your assessment tasks, it could be that she knows too much!

Coming soon: a new edition of Digital Education

February 1, 2016

With reports on Bett 2016 from 12 people, plus a humorous but incisive article on Nicky Morgan's speech at Bett (by Crispin Weston), and articles on assessment, Stephen Potter, parental engagement, a competition and book reviews, the forthcoming edition of Digital Education promises to be a fine read! Sign up now (it's free).

ICT and Computing Qualifications Update

January 25, 2016

What's the latest position regarding which qualifications are available in ICT and Computing? This free document contains the information you need.

My best and worst IT lessons: why?

January 25, 2016

Why did I start the series called "My best and worst IT lessons"? Shelly Terrell interviewed me and asked:

What inspired you to share your best and worse lessons?

How can reflecting on our best and worse lessons enhance our teaching?

New publications from ICT & Computing in Education

January 19, 2016

Two new free publications are now available for subscribers to Digital Education.

Questions, questions, questions Picture from www.pixabay.com CC0

My best and worst IT lessons #7: What's the interest rate?

January 18, 2016

Whether or not you can easily look up the answers to questions is far less important than asking the right questions in the first place.

Suspicious enthusiasm? Picture from www.pixabay.com CC0

My best and worst IT lessons #6: Adorable spreadsheets

January 14, 2016

Why a lesson on spreadsheets became the highlight of the kids' day, and a nightmare to haunt me forever.

Modelling and reality. Picture from www.pixabay.com CC0

My best and worst IT lessons #5: Modelling

January 13, 2016

How objective are computers really? It's importtant to try to work out what is actually going on when it comes to modelling or running simulations.

Who's trackin' ya, baby?

January 13, 2016

What happens when you visit a website? Information about those pesky cookies.

My best and worst IT lessons #4: Murder Mystery

January 12, 2016

Flat file databases don't have to be boring: they can be an opporttunity for pupils to test their detective skills!

Read all about it. Picture from www.pixabay.com CC0

News about the Digital Education newsletter

January 11, 2016

What you may have missed in the pre-Christmas Digital Education newsletter, and what's coming up in the next one.

It's all about setting up the right conditions. Photo from Pixabay.com CC0

My best and worst IT lessons #2: The history lesson

January 8, 2016

What were the elements that made a history lesson (in a computer lab) about JFK so good?

Working together as equals can produce excellent results. Image from Pixabay.com CC0

My best and worst IT lessons #1: VBA conundrum

January 7, 2016

In this new series I look at some of my best and worst lessons in ICT and Computing, and analyse what caused them to work -- or not.

You could let Grammarly take some of the strain of proofreading. Photo by Pink Sherbert Photography https://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/

Review of Grammarly -- and a competition

January 5, 2016

Read about a proofreading tool that works on the web -- and maybe win a free subscription.

25 useful resources for teachers

January 3, 2016

This article contains details of 20 websites for creating free cartoons and comics, plus Scratch, educational blogging, creating games, old sounds, and the international space station.

Flipped learning is not as simple as telling kids to watch a video or two.

Flipped learning - again

December 29, 2015

In order to implement flipped learning, you need to ensure that certain conditions are in place.

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

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.

A Koan, Computing and QuicK Tips

December 18, 2015

News, reviews, two competitions, free resources, interesting reading, a new Computing scheme of work, and women in computing -- just some of the stuff featured in the new issue of Digital Education. Subscribe for free!

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.