Listen to Shelly Terrell giving us her ideas on how to get other teachers using technology in their subjects. Drew Buddie and I are running a series of Teachshares -- online discussions with guest speakers.
Read MoreSpreadsheets Across the Curriculum
<Yawn> <Groan><zzz><Snort><Grunt> If that’s the sort of thing that greets you when you tell a class that “we’re going to be looking at spreadsheets”, then maybe – just maybe – you ain’t doing it right. I mean, I think spreadsheets can be exciting, a window into some really lively discussion. OK, I admit it: I don’t get out nearly as much as I should, but even so….
Finnish School of the Future
Here’s an interesting-looking project, with a video about it. I don’t think the video does the project justice, and I think that it’s unfortunate that when we see three youngsters leaping into the air with joy at the end of the film, it’s when they’re leaving the school building at the end of the day!
Dates For Your Diary
At the moment we have a very unfortunate situation in the UK: at the very time people need to be getting as much professional development as they can, because of the need to keep up with all the changes taking place, it’s becoming harder for them to do so because of budget tightening. Nevertheless, do try to get to at least one professional development training event a term, if possible. As a public service, I’ve listed some of the ones which have come to my attention
Read MoreSecondary ICT Co-ordinators Teachshare Recording Now Available
On Tuesday evening Drew Buddie and I ran our first Teachshare. One of our aims is to bring along people you might not otherwise come across, and who can throw a different light on the issues facing those of us who are involved in educational technology and passionate about kids getting the best educational experience possible.
Read MoreBattling the barriers of games-based learning
Pupils tend to want games that look fun and will not consider the educational aspect; teachers tend to want a very structured approach that compliments the vision of the subject they are delivering. Trying to deliver content we think suits both the learner and the teacher has been a difficult challenge.
Teachshare session this evening
Following on from my post about great professional development, this is just a quick heads-up with the login details.
Read MoreGreat professional development -- and free!
How would you like to listen to some world-famous speakers and then discuss their talk with them? That’s what Vital is offering. Drew Buddie and I are organising a series of one hour online talks starting on 2nd November.
Read MoreNot So Fast
Last week I was in Brentwood, Essex, UK, and in need of a bite to eat, so I popped into the Crown Street Café, which is in, er, Crown Street.
I was struck by this notice at the bottom of the menu:
Dates For Your Diary
A Safer Internet
As I wrote recently, I attended a conference on Taming the Wild Web, which was followed by the launch of a new certificated course in safe social networking, called, appropriately enough, Safe.
Read MoreFutureLab Publications Available
Futurelab, the forward-looking and innovative think tank, is moving from Bristol to London, and one of the consequences of this is that it will have less space.
Read MoreGames in Education
How can games be used in the pursuit of learning? Computers in Classrooms – a free e-newsletter – is currently featuring a host of articles and reviews on this very subject. Last night I attended the Essex Teachmeet,
Read MorePhotographing the Curriculum
Digital cameras have been with us now for well over a decade. But three things have changed in that time.
Firstly, you get a bigger bang for your buck, in terms of image size and quality.
Secondly, cameras on mobile phones have become good enough to mean that people can now dispense with the camera as their means of taking pictures.
Advertising and Internet Literacy
Now that web advertising has matured to a certain extent, is it time to revisit what is meant by “internet literacy”?
Read MoreC? I tld u so, didn't I? txtN isn't so bad aftr ll, unl ur /:-)
When, a few years ago, a 13 year-old girl wrote her entire English essay in texting language, people were predicting the end of civilisation as we know it. Now it turns out that research seems to suggest that texting can actually aid literacy. So where does the truth lie?
Linked-in
I’ve been encouraging subscribers to my newsletter, Computers in Classrooms, to join me on Linked-in, so I was quite amused with this cartoon in the Daily Telegraph today:
Read MoreComputers in Classrooms out now!
This issue covers a couple of important e-safety initiatives, conferences (including details of my BETT seminar) and more articles on games-based learning
Read MoreWhy Is ICT Important?
Very nice video showing what (mainly) young people in Europe think about ICT and its importance. One student has been using a computer since he was 4 years old
Read MoreThe Oldest Blogger?
So you thought that blogging started circa 2002, did you? I have incontrovertible proof that it has been going a lot longer than that.
Read More