Covid-19: Fiddling while Rome Burns?

March 26, 2020

I have just published an article that provides both useful advice and a chuckle to everyone who is now having to conduct most or even all of their work online. I hope you enjoy it.

Click the cover to see the book on Amazon (Amazon Associate link)

Book Review: Critical Media Literacy and Fake News in Post-Truth America

March 23, 2020

Don’t let the country-specific title put you off. This is a very useful (and readable) book.

Mesh Guide to how Germs Spread, screenshot by Terry Freedman.png

How Germs Spread: a new MeshGuide

March 17, 2020

This is a timely guide on how germs spread — and how to teach good practice to children.

The Ofsted Inspection Framework

March 9, 2020

Here are some links to information about the Ofsted inspection framework.

Shared keyboards and Covid19

March 5, 2020

I’m not an expert in disease prevention, but I’ve been thinking aloud about what you might do if you teach Computing, or have to use devices in your subject.

A new testimonial for my work

March 3, 2020

Jean-Louis Dutaut, the editor of Schools Week, very kindly wrote a testimonial about my work.

Click the cover to see the book on Amazon (affiliate link)

Review: The School Fundraising Handbook

March 2, 2020

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. I only wish this book had been available when I needed it most.

Dr Freedman, I presume?

February 28, 2020

Is the pursuit of a PhD always the right option?

Money, money, money

February 24, 2020

Don’t work for nothing, and don’t expect others to. Be professional!

Applying constraints in the computing classroom

February 20, 2020

Constraints can be very useful for releasing creativity. This has been known for a long time in literature, but can it be applied in the ICT/computing classroom?

Bett2020: Lexplore reading analytics solution --Updated

February 14, 2020

Updated — Explore helps teachers to analyse how children are reading.

Bett2020: Kaligo handwriting software

February 13, 2020

Software which helps teachers teach handwriting to children.

Review: Are Your Kids Naked Online? Updated

February 10, 2020

A book of e-safety advice for parents.

Updated.

8 resources for online safety

February 10, 2020

Some of the e-safety resources listed here are for adults, some for parents, and others are useful for discussing with (older) students.

Bett2020: Python in Pieces

February 10, 2020

Python in Pieces is a visual interface for the Python programming language.

Bett2020: A Virtual School

February 9, 2020

Is a virtual school a way of enabling schools (and school districts) to provide a full curriculum given the teacher shortages in key subjects?

Bett2020: The FutureSource Report

February 9, 2020

With very insightful commentary on the trends spotted, this report is well worth downloading.

My other website

February 9, 2020

As well as education technology and related matters, I also write about writing.

Bett2020: Safeguarding and Wellbeing

February 9, 2020

Developed in conjunction with the police, this product for primary (elementary) school children addresses both safeguarding and wellbeing.

Bett2020: Story-telling with Dipongo

February 6, 2020

An interesting variation on the story-telling app.

Recent book reviews

When AI can write as well as this, I'll worry! Plus a prize competition.

To paraphrase what Arthur C Clarke said about teachers, any writer that can be replaced by a computer probably should be.

Review: The Shortest History of Music -- two reviews in one!

The music programme of study requires students to possess an understanding of the music they perform and that which they listen to, as well as a grasp of music history, and an appreciation of different musical styles.

Review: The Art of Uncertainty (two reviews in one)

The Computing department would find the section on facial recognition interesting, because apart from possible ethical concerns, the fact is that even if the system has high accuracy, most of its identifications will be wrong.

Review: The Newsmongers: A History of Tabloid Journalism (two reviews in one!)

I was intrigued to discover that a popular news magazine of the sixties had been anticipated by Defoe.

Quick look: AI For Educators

There are some good ideas here, especially for prompts.

Hitler's People: The Faces of the Third Reich -- Extended review

Nearly a hundred years after the Nazi phenomenon people are still asking the question: how could apparently ordinary or, in some cases, highly cultured, people commit such terrible crimes.

Education book reviews of 2024

This pdf contains the reviews of mine that were published in Teach Secondary magazine in 2024.

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...

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