It’s always a good thing to stipulate in advance all the things you need in order to run a training session —including even the most basic and obvious ones….
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Photo by Štefan Štefančík on Unsplash
My worst IT training days #1: Internet training day (Updated)
Here’s the first article in a series about my worst training days — the ones in which I was the trainer I mean! This was first published in 2018, but is still highly relevant.
Read MoreTo be an ed tech maverick, you need to be sensible (updated)
What does it mean to be a maverick? To me, it means not going along with the general consensus about something, just because it’s a consensus. There is always a natural tendency to think “all those people can’t be wrong”, or “there’s no smoke without fire”, but in fact all those people could be wrong and there could be smoke without fire.
Read More10 tips for launching your business strategy
Before considering any ideas, we ought, perhaps, to consider the question: why bother? After all, the situation is so fluid that any strategy you prepare now could be rendered out of date by next week. If one thing has proven to be certain about the pandemic, it’s that nothing is certain. It’s almost like trying to build a house on sand.
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We can only please, by Terry Freedman. I think I saw this sign in a local hospital
What are good marketing communications? What are good communications (and what should your strategy include)?
When I took up a senior management position in a local authority, an irate headteacher phoned me on my second day. She had had her laptop taken away for repairs two weeks ago, and had heard nothing since. I told her I’d look into it. I had the following conversation with the relevant team…
Read MoreTable of contents code testing
This is a test of some code. Don’t bother reading it.
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Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Reflections on technology in the time of Covid19
Teaching and learning have moved online to a greater or lesser extent, with varying degrees of success. What has this meant, and what might it mean?
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Learning together. Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Creating a staff IT skills audit with Google forms
You would be forgiven for thinking that every teacher in the country has spent lockdowns being so immersed in technology that they have all become experts. There is no more need for staff training in IT skills — and so no need to conduct a staff audit.
If only!
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Book reviewing, by Terry Freedman
6 Graphic "Novels" for Computing teachers
If you’re looking for some good reading material, these “graphic novel” books may be just what you need. They’re all non-fiction, hence the quotation marks.
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Edtech marketing, by Terry Freedman
The importance of branding Computing
Given that students in secondary schools can, when they reach a certain age, decide to give up Computing, marketing the department is an important thing to do. Even in primary schools, where options are not a consideration, it’s important to establish a brand for Computing.
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exasperated, by Terry Freedman
Erm, thanks but no thanks. I write about ICT, not PMT
Have you ever seen an article on here about pre-menstrual tension?
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See the book on Amazon by clicking the pic (affiliate link)
Tiny Noticeable Things: The Secret Weapon to Making a Difference in Business
When my room was flooded at three in the morning while staying in a Marriott hotel in Los Angeles, an assistant helped me to relocate to a different – and drier! – room. As compensation for the inconvenience, she gave me a voucher for a free breakfast in the morning. Bleary-eyed, I accepted it. On waking…
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How digital technology can improve mental health and wellbeing
There has been quite a bit of research carried out concerning the effects of technology on health, mental health and wellbeing. Although the picture is not 100% positive, there seems to be more on the credit side of the balance sheet than on the debit side.
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Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Two unexpected consequences of installing a calendar archive
When I set up a calendar version of the archive on this site, it didn’t occur to me that this would give rise to two incentives.
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Frustration, by Terry Freedman
An archival experiment
The archive on this website keeps disappearing, and while the problem is easily fixable (temporarily), it’s extremely frustrating. Here’s my workaround.
Read MoreHow 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”.
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Zoom meeting, by Terry Freedman
Virtual conferences: are they worth it?
It’s good that although many conferences have had to be cancelled, or at least deferred, some transitioned to being online. However, are such events worth your money or your time?
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We will remember! The importance of great customer service
Given the difficulties brought about by Covid – staff on furlough or “let go”, orders drying up, workers self-isolating – customer retention becomes even more important than usual. Unfortunately, it may also become more difficult. After all, how can good levels of customer service be maintained if there are fewer people around to give it?
Read More10 Characteristics of a good Computing Scheme of Work
*UPDATED* What are the attributes of a good ICT and Computing scheme of work? Here's the list of characteristics I've always looked for.
Read MoreReading efficiently is a must for teachers of Computing and information technology (Updated)
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.
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