This is a blast from the past. But kids are kids.
Read MoreImage by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
Review: Teaching Machines: The history of personlized learning
Here is a very strange paradox. On the one hand, everyone agrees that a key ingredient for success in life is having great teachers. On the other, there’s a relentless narrative that education is somehow broken and that fixing it entails replacing teachers or transforming some or all of what they do.
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Snow on tracks by Terry Freedman
A brief interlude
Here in England it’s cold, though not quite as cold as it has been, and walking and cycling are treacherous.
Read MoreReview: Breaking the news -- exhibtion
It is easy to believe that ‘fake news’ is a modern phenomenon, brought about by social media and promulgated by politicians. Yet as the British Library’s event, ‘Breaking the News’ exhibition demonstrated, fake news – or that unforgettable phrase ‘alternative facts’ – have been features of news reporting for at least 500 years.
Read MoreGood news regarding the Government's plans to make the Oak Academy an arms-length body
The Oak provided useful resources during the lockdowns, and continues to create them. But there are four things wrong with the DfE's plan…
Read MoreReview: The Complete Learner's Toolkit (Full review)
I was underwhelmed by a book with lofty ambitions that delivers little more than a compendium of interesting lesson ideas.
Read MoreReview: YEAR ONE: Lighting the path on your first year in teaching
I reviewed this book for Teach Secondary magazine. I’ve included both the review I sent in, and the lightly edited version that was published in the magazine.
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Click to see this book on Amazon (affiliate link)
Review: The Fundraising Handbook by Lindsey Marsh
One of the chief banes of my life as a head of computing in a comprehensive school was acquiring enough money to develop the subject and to improve the experience of using education technology for everyone across the school.
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Terry Freedman and bookcase, by Terry Freedman
Fake news?
I’ve compiled a number of reviews of non-fiction books that either deal with helping people detect untruths (such as in so-called scientific research) or presenting something as true when, in fact, it isn’t.
Read More7 questions about blogging (Updated)
You can build up a body of work without having to try going through gatekeepers.
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Someone suffering from FOMO, by Terry Freedman
7 incredibly useful links
These links were first highlighted in the Digital Education newsletter.
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Image by Megan Rexazin from Pixabay
Don't insult my students!
I used a computer simulation called Running the British Economy, which I sort of changed to Ruining the British Economy. The aim of the simulation, as envisaged by its creators, was to create a situation in which the economy was running really well. Based on the Treasury economic model, it was ideal for showing in real time the effects of pursuing various macroeconomic policies.
Read MoreMy worst experience of tutoring
A nasty thing happened after I'd met a potential client.
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Click the pic to see this book on the publisher’s website
Review: The Power of Learning Networks
I suspect that this book won’t be on the education secretary’s recommended reading list for schools.
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Click the cover to see the book
Quick look: Strange Code
Strange Code looks at esoteric languages and also atypical languages, which are those that are not mainstream.
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Picture credit: Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
Authority or power?
The best distinction between authority and power that I’ve seen was in a politics book…
Read MoreDystopian visions: a partial index (Updated again)
I’ve added another article in this series. Hence this update.
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dystopian visions, by Terry Freedman
Dystopian Visions: A Sound of Thunder, by Ray Bradbury
One of my favourite stories, this one by Ray Bradbury looks at the possible consequences of making a small, apparently insignificant, change in the past.
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I should be writing, by Terry Freedman
I don't write only about ed tech...
I have lots of thoughts about education in general too. Here’s some information about another newsletter I write, about education in general.
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Review: Writing on the Job: Best Practices for Communicating in the Digital Age
What's the best way of constructing an email, especially if you want the recipient to do something? If you’re a teacher or presenter, how should you approach the writing of a slide- based presentation?
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