I thought I’d start an occasional series of posts concerned solely with the unintended consequences of technology. To start it off, here’s a comic strip from The Daily Telegraph in the UK.
Read MoreManaging 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 MoreAn update in the style of an old film
Let there be joy and jubilation! I’ve been working really intensely on a particular piece of work, which is why this website hasn’t been updated in several days. But now, I have almost completed it. And so, to mark the occasion, I have recorded a brief update.
Read MoreGoing incommunicado (for a while)
I don’t care how “switched on” you are: everyone needs to “get off the grid” some time!
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 MoreGrowing Knowledge
OK, because of the insanity of the deadlines I’m up against I’m going to have to say this fast, so you will have to listen fast. If you’re in London over the next week or so, there is a great exhibition you should go to.
Read MoreVirtual schooling? Don’t make me laugh!
Online discussion today: don’t miss it!
Later on today, Di Brooks, who lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, will be giving a talk on life without connectivity, based on her recent experience with the earthquakes there. this will be followed by a discussion.
The talk will take place at 7pm UK time, 6am Christchurch time. And if you get as confused about time zones as I do, check what time it will be in your neck of the woods by going to this time zone converter.
To listen to the talk and join in the discussion, click on this link.
25 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 MoreFound on the web: 07/04/2011 (a.m.)
Tranquility
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.
Life without connectivity
As you know, Christchurch in New Zealand has been beset recently by a terrible earthquake, which was then followed by aftershocks – which are still occurring. People have lost their homes and, worst, their lives.
For those who are fortunate enough to have survived the disaster, what has it been like without internet connectivity, or with only intermittent internet access? Why did Diane Brooks, an ICT consultant who runs an ICT in Education blog, recently advise schools to take up blogging?
7 Outlandish ideas for ICT
Yesterday I was faced with a grim journey into central London. Now, we Brits like nothing better than to complain about the weather, but this time our moaning was justified. The dreadful heat made it difficult not only for us to work, but also the signals on a part of the rail service into London. The part that I use. Rather than face delays of up to 40 minutes (nearly 50% of the normal journey time), I “asked” Transport for London to find an alternative route for me, one which didn’t involve going by rail.
I'm glad I did.
Four hours to go…
In just four hours’ time, Professor Margaret Cox will be giving a short talk on haptics, ie touch technology. This will be followed by a discussion. Do join us!
28th June at 7pm UK time, join by clicking here. If you’re not in the UK, find out what time it is in your neck of the woods by using this timezone converter.
There is more information on this topic in this article: ICT gets all touchy-feely
Update on 2011-07-01 10:10 by Terry Freedman, Educational ICT Consultant
To view the recording, click the link below:
View the Elluminate Live! recording
If you're interested in joining a small group to explore these ideas further, please email me to register your interest, for me to pass on to Margaret. If you can say a bit about who you are that would probably be helpful.
ICT gets all touchy-feely
Is educational technology only about keyboards and other familiar input devices? Actually, no! There’s a lot of cutting-edge work going on in the realm of haptics.
Professor Margaret Cox explains what haptics is:
Where can you get advice that is both free and good?
I don’t think it’s necessarily true that you get what you pay for. Some of the best advice available has been free. But where can you go now for good advice which is also free? I’ve started a new discussion on this topic in one of the Vital forums:
Read MoreData Protection 101
Data protection is actually pretty easy. True, there are all the legal niceties, and for some courses students have to learn all the principles in the sort of detail that nobody except a lawyer can remember. (A pretty pointless exercise too, given that you can always look them up.) Even so, in my experience students find it easier to learn stuff if they understand the underlying principles. Here are what I believe the underlying principles of data protection to be
Review of The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers
The aim of this book, written by Darren Rowse and Glenn Murray, is to help you write better blog posts. However, “better” in this context refers to generating more visitors to your blog rather than “just” improving your writing skills. The idea is a simple one: why not identify the key elements of successful blogging, and then provide a tool by which to measure how a particular blog post has done? That’s exactly what the book aims to do.
Read MoreUpcoming online discussions for ICT co-ordinators
As you may know, I’ve been asked to conduct a few “Teachshares” – online discussions – for Vital. I’ve arranged the next two, and I’ll post details of others once they’ve been finalised. The next one is today, so read this quickly!
Read MoreEDUsummIT 2011 Report: The Digital Divide
Did you know that there are now more mobile subscriptions in the developing countries than in the (so-called) developed countries? I didn’t either. That was a fact pointed out to us by Dr Paul Resta, of the University of Texas at Austin, USA. Yet our appreciation of how such technologies can be used to support learning (both formal and informal) is still in its infancy.
Read More