Emerging ideas about education for discussion and debate
A version of this article was originally published on the OU News Website on the 25th July 2018
It is clear from talking with parents that they are often torn between a recognition of digital technology’s importance in their children’s lives and concerns about excessive screen time, Internet safety, online bullying and ...continue reading "Supporting your child’s digital practices – some pointers for parents"
A version of this article was originally published on the OU News Website on the 25th July 2018
In my previous piece (5 reasons why mobile phones should not be banned in schools) I argued that teachers should actively encourage the use of mobile phones in schools. This is not a trivial task. ...continue reading "6 tips for teachers on using mobile phones in classrooms"
A version of this article was originally published on the Open University News website on the 25th July 2018.
There is a lot of hype around the problems caused by mobile phones in schools. ...continue reading "5 reasons why mobile phones should not be banned in schools"
This article was originally published in The Conversation on the 4th February 2014
Computing is an important subject, but it is only one of many that schools have to teach, and few would argue that it is more important than English, maths, or science. But ...continue reading "Backlash against computing curriculum misses the point"
This article was originally published in The Conversation on the 17th July 2014
Back in January 2012, the now-departed education secretary Michael Gove said, “ICT in schools is a mess”. He went on to argue that what was needed was a rigorous computer science curriculum. Now, from September 2014, when the new national curriculum ...continue reading "Gove departs just as disaster looms for computing in schools"
This article was originally published in The Conversation on the 4th March 2014
Even teachers need to learn something new every day. Education Plus, CC BYWe assume that digital technology can improve education and that the challenge is how to bring innovative technology and educational professionals together. But the evidence shows that ...continue reading "Is teaching still a profession?"
This article was originally published in The Conversation on the 21st Feb 2014
As schools struggle with shortfalls in their digital technology budgets and as teachers see how much parents spend on laptops and tablets at home, many teachers are considering ...continue reading "Bring or buy: would you let your child take their tablet to school?"
Some call this vertical learning (not to be confused with virtual grouping/mixed age teaching)
Stand up learning has 6 key elements: ...continue reading "Stand up learning"
Mastery Transcript Consortium - a US organisation that is working to bring about pedagogical change (moving to mastery learning) by changing ...continue reading "Mastery Transcript Consortium"
I have always assumed that there was a straightforward relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and opportunities to use digital technology outside school. However, ...continue reading "Digital technology, SES and disadvantage"