Page 1 of 10

Where are the girls?

It was International Womens Day on
March 8th, so it seems quite timely
(in a belated sort of way) to focus on
gender issues as they relate to
computing and ICT.
What are the gender issues?
In the context of technology, the main
issue is that not enough girls go into
computer science studies beyond the
statutory provision, or computer-
related jobs. Various figures are cited,
but it seems to be generally agreed
that only around 16 or 17% of
students in undergraduate courses in
Computer Science in the UK are
female, and only around 27 or 28% of
employees in information technology
jobs are women a figure that is
true for both the UK and the USA.
Why is there such a discrepancy?
Various reasons are cited, all of
which are probably true. They
include:
A perception that it is too
geeky
Too many boys on
undergraduate courses I
saw a figure cited in one forum
that there is a ratio of 5:1,
males to females; thats
probably anecdotal, but it kind
of doesnt matter whether its
objectively true or not, because
its perception that determines
behaviour, not necessarily
reality; of course, this means
that the imbalance is a self-
fulfilling prophecy
Too few female role models
Probably the perception that
being a computer geek means
spending long periods without
washing or sunlight, and living
on beer and pizza
In school, unless checked, boys
tend to dominate classroom
discussion.
Now, before anyone complains, I
should just like to say that I have not
intended this article to be an academic
treatise, but a statement of what
seems to be many peoples perception
of the situation. The important thing
is, what can be done about it? I would
suggest the following.
Solutions
In no particular order of priority:
Ensure the work you set is
interesting, involves problem-
solving and, importantly,
involves collaborative problem-
solving; I realise there is a
danger of gender stereotyping,
but I would say that from my
experience of teaching, girls are
more engaged when the
classroom is a place of
collaboration rather than
Articles in this
issue
Where are the
girls?
The view from
here Oliver
Quinlan
Apps for Good
Success Story
Emma
The Amazing
Computer
Education
Project Book
A question of
data
Review of The
Thinking
Teacher
In memoriam
Education Show
news
When it comes
to coding, how
secure is your
network?
Darren Bartlett
To put it Bluntly
Plus news
competitions,
and other stuff!




Digital
Education
is
100%
free!
April 2014

Page 2 of 10

competition; in fact, I have also
found that project-based learning is
better for boys as well
Ensure the work is authentic, in the
sense of having potentially useful
application in real life
You could, if you like, establish a
computer club for girls only. I dont
agree with that approach (except in
girls schools, obviously), but such a
course of action does have the merit
of keeping the boys out of the picture
altogether; if the girls in your school
feel intimidated by the boys, this
may be the answer
However, I think a better option is to
establish rules of engagement that
preclude the boys hogging
discussion, calling out the answers to
questions, or behaving in ways that
make girls feel less self-confident
than is justified. For example, there
are several assessment for learning
techniques you can employ that will
address these points. (Subscribers to
Digital Education can avail
themselves of a free resource I
created called 31 Assessment for
Learning Techniques, which is in
pdf format.) That would also teach
boys how to behave constructively
towards females in wider society.
Make classes aware of the role of
women in both the history of
computing and in society today. See
the Resources section below for help
with this.
Seek out women speakers who could
inspire the girls in your school.
These may include people in local
companies, or students at a local
college in university.
Clarity begins at home
This is another set of solutions, but I think
it is so important that I have decided to
make it a section in its own right.
You need to know the data.
How many girls opt for your subject(s)? If
there is a wide disparity between the two
genders, find out why. Ask your non-
customers why they didnt choose your
options.
This information could be useful next year.
You could even run a survey now, asking pupils
what sort of course would interest them, making
sure to provide them with some genuine options.
Do you know how well girls are doing in ICT and
Computing compared with boys? If there is a
disparity, why? And what are you going to do
about it?
Are the girls in your classes more, less, or equally
as active in discussions as the boys? If not, why
not, and what are you going to do about it?
You can use your pupils, and your schools digital
leaders, if it has them, to help you devise ways
and means of (a) finding out the answers to some
of these questions and (b) helping you come up
with solutions.
You know, if youre stopped for speeding and you
tell the police you werent aware of the speed
limit, they will inform you that ignorance is no
excuse in the eyes of the law. I believe the same
holds true when it comes to how different groups
of pupils in this case girls and boys are doing.
If you dont know, find out!
Resources
The women are here: special edition of the
free magazine, Computer Science for Fun, which
you can download from here:
http://www.cs4fn.org/annual/cs4fnannual2.pdf
Mind the gap: getting girls into computing:
special edition of Computing at Schools magazine,
Switched On, which you can download from here:
http://www.computingatschool.org.uk/data/upload
s/newsletter-spring-2013.pdf This includes
contributions from such people as Carrie Anne
Philbin, the creator of Geek Gurl Diaries at
https://www.youtube.com/user/GeekGurlDiaries,
and others.
Who are the Tech Age Girls? An interesting
UNESCO initiative, reported on here:
http://www.unescobkk.org/education/ict/online-
resources/databases/ict-in-education-
database/item/article/who-are-the-tech-age-girls/

*** Readme ***
Assessment issues:
5 principles of assessing computing and ICT

Page 3 of 10


The view from here
Oliver Quinlan discusses
the importance of
educational research.
Last month the National
Foundation for Educational
Research (NFER) published
the latest contribution to a
discourse that is ever growing
in the form of their report
Using Evidence in the
Classroom. From Ben
Goldacres widely publicised
assertion last year that we
should be running more
random controlled trials to
test educational practice, to
the latest round of the
Education Endowment
Foundation research reports
including a study on the use
of academic research to
inform teaching, the place of
research and evidence in our
education system is at the top
of many peoples agendas.
In few areas is this more
interesting than the that of
technology in education, a
field which has been
characterised by many years
of bold claims of potential
impact. Back in 2012, Nestas
Decoding Learning report
found that although millions
of pounds had been spent on
putting technology into
schools, little work had been
done to explore the impact it
actually made.
Often I think we see evidence
and impact as something
quite narrow, when in fact it
is the broader lessons we can
learn from it that are most
useful. In schools, evidence is
often discussed relating to
very specific measures such
as SATs scores or GCSE
grades, measures which are
inherently end points. In
business, I have found many
organisations use evidence
differently. Rather than using
it to prove something has
happened as we tend to do in
education, business evidence
is often collected to provide
insights, information that
will lead to making better
decisions.
One of the seminal works on
evidence in education,
Hatties Visible Learning,
contains precisely this
argument; that teachers
should explore evidence in
order to make better ongoing
decisions about their practice.
It is not just about the end
points, but also about the
process and the evaluation of
that process to continue to
contribute to more powerful
end points.
At Nesta I am exploring the
field of evidence in education.
Specifically I am running
several research projects
where we are taking well
defined educational
technology interventions,
trying them in schools and
getting the impact
independently evaluated.
In one project we are
exploring whether one to one
tutoring, delivered remotely
from Maths graduates to
primary children through a
video link, can give children
who are struggling the
targeted support they need to
succeed. We are currently
looking for schools who want
to take part, and help us to
explore how we can
systematically collect
evidence on the impact
technology can have. If you
are in a school in the London,
Birmingham, York or
Huddersfield area (of the UK) and would
like to get involved then visit
http://bit.ly/rttrial for more information
and to come to our information events.
However, its not just about collecting
evidence and moving on. The next stage is
exploring how this evidence can be made
useful to teachers, to provide the insight
they need to make powerful decisions
about learning in their classrooms. The
transformation, as NFER describes it, of
research findings into teacher insight is
vital if we are to not just justify, but
continue to develop the use of technology
in schools.
A promise of 21st Century Learning is no
longer enough, if it ever was. What we
need is a robust narrative of how
technology impacts learning and what
that impact actually is.
About Oliver Quinlan

Oliver is an educator and writer. He has
worked as a school teacher, a lecturer in
education, and now manages digital
education projects for innovation
foundation Nesta.
His first book, The Thinking Teacher,
was published in January 2014 and
explores and challenges assumptions and
paradigms in education, and is reviewed
in this newsletter..
Throughout his projects and writing
technology and learning have been a
strong theme, particularly the way in
which new and social technologies
encourage us to re-think how education
and learning are conceptualised. His blog
at www.oliverquinlan.com continues to
explore these themes.
The views expressed here are those of
Oliver himself, writing in a personal
capacity.

Page 4 of 10

story will be just the right length
for reading on a phone.
Teachers stories
On the app there is another
feature which we think will be
used in the classroom. Teachers
stories is an option where a
teacher can add their pupils to a
story for homework or class work.
The difference is that only the
teacher can see the story ideas,
the pupils will only be able to see
their own idea; this prevents
copying and allows the students
to be original with their ideas.
I think that the teachers stories
could be used in classrooms to
encourage children to use
technology t o learn, and would
also promote cross curriculum
learning. I also believe that it
would encourage children to write
stories themselves and make the
task of writing stories for tests or
GCSEs less daunting.
The Apps for Good experience
I enjoyed my experience with
Apps for Good very much. They
have widened my horizons and
what I would like to do in life. I
have learnt how to code HTML
and have improved my confidence
with presenting in front of an
audience. I also enjoyed my
experience with Quick Blox
(http://quickblox.com/), the
professional development
company that helped build the
app) and would recommend them
to make anybodys app. The entire
experience has affected my life for
the better and will be something
that I will tell my children when I
am older.
I would recommend teachers to
get their students to participate
with Apps for Good as it can be
life-changing and can open up
childrens minds to the world of
technology. It is just a really
Apps for Good success Story
Emma, 14, describes how she
and two friends created the
Story Wall app.
The Story Wall was created by me
and my classmates Teigan and Joe.
We originally came up with the
idea to help people with writing
stories and how people can get
stuck when writing a story. The
name was created by thinking how
walls and stories are everywhere
and how a story could be written
on a wall, but the name just came
to us and sounded right.
Confidence
Many young people have
confidence issues when it comes to
writing stories and this is what
The Story Wall aims to tackle.
Having the help of friends when
writing a story will help build
confidence and creativity about
story ideas.
When people are writing stories on
The Story Wall they can ask
people for help when they get
stuck. They can then choose their
favourite ideas and add them to
the story. When the story is
finished they can post it to The
Story Wall where the people that
participated in the story can read
it, email it or post it to Facebook.
With a word limit of 1500, the
amazing organisation
and I am proud to have
an app with them.
Our app is available on
the Apple app store,
which you can find by
going to the Story Wall
page
(http://www.appsforgood.
org/public/student-
apps/2013/the-story-
wall). It is free, and we
hope to see you writing
stories soon. The team,
school and developers
decided to go with an iOS
version of the app; there
is currently no plan for
an Android version.
About Emma
Emma is part of The
Story Wall team. She is
14 years old and goes to
Cockburn School in
Leeds. She lives at home
with her parents, brother,
the cat and her guinea
pigs. She enjoys music,
dance and creating the
app. She is currently
taking music GCSE and
enjoying it very much.

Competition!
Got a brilliant idea
to help pupils?
Teachers can win
one of ten 15,000
grants Enter
now http://bit.ly/N7
sPIH Deadline:
27th April 2014

Page 5 of 10


The Amazing Computer
Education Project Book
Lots of people are preparing for
teaching Computing in the next school
year. I thought it would be interesting
and useful to collate some ideas,
concerns and resources into a free
ebook. Read on to find out how you
can get involved and why you
should.
What is it?
Ive set up an online questionnaire.
Once Ive received a reasonable
number of submissions, Ill read them,
check that the links to any suggested
resources work, collate them and
publish them.
Fine, I hear you say. But Im
struggling a bit and trying to make
the best of the situation. I dont think
I can provide any useful information."
An understandable response, though
not necessarily an accurate one. You
may well have thought of something
very simple that other people havent.
Or you may have discovered, or even
created, a resource that others may
find helpful.
So the answer to a question like
"What sort of things am I looking
for?, is Whatever you have found
helpful, or interesting."
Why should you submit your ideas?
For three reasons:
First, if nobody submits any
information, then nobody will gain
anything from this exercise.
Second, by contributing your
information you will almost certainly
help others. Even by stating your
concerns, you will be helping others to
realise that they are not alone.
Third, its a good way of bringing your
ideas to a potentially very wide
audience. Obviously, I cant guarantee
that, but when I conducted a similar
effort a few years ago, to produce The
Amazing Web 2.0 Projects Book,
it was downloaded by at least
35,000 people ( I stopped keeping
track when it reached that
number).
How can you submit your ideas?
By completing a fairly short
online form, the URL of which is
provided below.
Why should this exercise work?
Well, it has done before, when
35,000+ people downloaded The
Amazing Web 2.0 Projects Book,
so hopefully it will again.
When?
As soon as you can! The deadline
for submissions is Midnight GMT
on 30th April 2014.
OK, Im convinced. Wheres the
form?
Here ya go:
Computer Education Projects
Book form.

Stuck for project ideas?
Here are two ideas you might
like:
Have a look at Googles Idea
generator. Its quite
interesting:
https://www.googlesciencefair.co
m/springboard/en/
Check out John Davitts
Learning Event Generator:
http://www.newtools.org/showtx
t.php?docid=737
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Page 6 of 10


A question of data
In October 2013 I attended a very
useful conference put on by Inside
Government. Entitled The 2nd Annual
School Evaluation Conference: Using
Data to Enhance Standards and School
Improvement, it was not specifically
about ICT and Computing, but it did
provide useful tips.
Here are some extracts from my notes:
Mike Hoban Ofsted: In inspections,
statistical data is used alongside other
information as well: observation, work
scrutiny, other records and discussion.
Gill Close, Ofsted: Emphasis on pupil
premium outcomes: to achieve Good,
pupils supported by the Pupil
Premium must be achieving and
making progress similar to other
pupils. Also, its a good idea to keep
link Governor informed and, crucially,
engaged.
Emma Knights, National
Governors Association: Need to
value the unmeasurable [which I took
to mean capture the wow moments]
James Brown, Surrey County
Council: Make use of the data in a
child-centred way, eg What is the
pattern of achievement of this child?
Also, look at the combination of factors
on achievement, eg Free School Meals
and Special Educational Needs.
Education Show news
The Education Show 2014
looked good. It featured an
extensive new programme
of free continuing
professional development
(CPD), with a mixture of
expert and peer-led
sessions.
The two-day School Leaders
Summit included topics
such as preparing for the
GCSE reform, using Pupil
Premium to raise
attainment, Ofsteds guide
to the inspection process,
academy conversion, how to
make the most of budgets
and the impact of classroom
technology.
The Learn Live programme
took place in five new
purpose built theatres on
the show floor: Teaching
Technology Live, the
National Curriculum, How
do I..., Early Years and
Special Educational Needs.
The National Curriculum
seminars and workshops
were devised in association
with Scholastic to help
educators prepare for and
implement the new
Tech4Good Awards
Entry is open to any charity, business, individual, social enterprise,
school, college, university or any other public body with a base in the
UK. You can nominate yourself or anyone else for as many Awards as
you like. There are 7 categories in all. Closing date is 6
th
May 2014.
Further details here: http://www.tech4goodawards.com/nominate-now/
curriculum with the
advice and guidance of
key industry experts and
associations.
The brand new Teaching
Technology Live sessions
were designed as hands
on, interactive workshops
led by key technology
providers. Providing
advice and tips for
implementing technology
into the classroom, the 45
minute sessions were
designed to give
educators the
understanding they need
to succeed. Alongside
this, the new How do
I series of workshops
focused on providing
practical advice and tips
to take back into the
classroom on a variety of
key issues facing primary
and secondary teachers.
I was unable to attend
myself, which was
frustrating, because the
seminars looked good.
Maybe next year: 19-21
March 2015.
Congratulations to
Scholastic for being
awarded the Marketing
Campaign of the year for
its National
Curriculum/100s.
Basically, it publicised its
100 lessons ranges in
English, Maths, Science,
History, Geography and
Computing via printed
copies of the National
Curriculum sent free to
all primary schools.
Next issue
Professor Paul Curzon looks at what we can learn about good
software design from magicians, and Sal McKeown wonders whether
some software could replace teachers. And, of course, Derek Blunt will
be ranting as usual. Plus much more besides! Copy & article
deadline: 23 April 2014.

Page 7 of 10


E-Skills Mentoring Scheme
Tech employers have come
together through e-skills UK to
pilot a mentoring scheme to
support ICT teachers in
secondary schools across the UK.
Companies including HP, IBM,
Sopra, Unilever, and National
Grid are leading the nationwide
mentoring scheme, which
connects tech professionals with
schools in their local area.
(e-skills UK is the employer-led
organisation responsible for
ensuring the UK has the
technology skills to succeed in
the global economy.)
The scheme aims to enhance the
student and teacher experience
by bringing real-world industry
examples and expertise into the
ICT classroom. The mentors
work together with teachers to
inspire young people about
topics ranging from coding to
tech careers. Pupils also receive
guidance about the mix of skills
that tech employers are looking
for in new recruits, including
soft skills and business
behaviours.
Schools or tech professionals
who would like to apply for the
mentoring scheme can contact
Joanna.Scott@e-skills.com
made me think. It made me
think about what the author
was saying in its own right,
that is whether or not I
agreed with it. It also
caused me to reflect on my
own practice as a teacher
and, now, as a consultant.
Quinlans outlook may be
summed up, in his own
words, as:
If we want thinking
children, we need thinking
teachers.
Absolutely correct. I have
been concerned for some
time now that the effect of
well-intended but, in my
opinion, misguided help
provided to teachers in the
form of various strategies
was to convey the
unfortunate hidden message
that teachers didnt need to
think too much as long as
they followed the procedure
laid down by some unknown
expert.
Interestingly, Quinlan
touches on this type of
thing, albeit in relation to
children. Provide too much
help, and you dont allow
the children the time and
space to get to grips with
the problem and work out
their own strategies for
coming to a solution. It will
be interesting to see how far
well-meaning and dedicated
teachers provide too much
help to children in writing
and debugging programs.
Although, as I have said,
the book is slim, it punches
above its weight. Thats
because it adopts a
challenging though not
Review of The Thinking
Teacher
When I first picked up this book
I made an error of judgement.
Noticing that it seemed quite
slim, I thought I could finish
reading it in just one or two
sessions. However, what I had
not counted on was the books
living up to its title. In short, it
Bett 2015
Have an idea for a
presentation at Bett
next year? Submissions
are open now! See
http://www.bettshow.co
m/page.cfm/Action=For
m/FormID=17/t=m for
more details.
confrontational approach.
Drawing on fields as diverse
as high finance,
programming and lifestyle
management, Quinlan says,
in effect:
This is what we as teachers
think or how we behave; this
is what such and such an
expert in this completely
different field says; what if
we applied that outlook to
teaching?
Although I dont agree with
everything thats said, the
approach works. In fact,
whether or not I agree with
it is irrelevant. The aim was
to get me, the reader, to
think, and in that sense the
book succeeds admirably.
I like the fact that Quinlan
enjoins teachers to think
about how their background
and other factors have
shaped their individual
ideology, and how that
affects their outlook and
practice.
He makes a good case for
the memorisation of certain
kinds of knowledge, such as
the multiplication tables, in
order to have at our disposal
information that can help us
solve problems, rather than
relying on search engines to

Page 8 of 10


In memoriam
It was with great sadness
that I learnt of the passing
away of Bev Evans. I didnt
know Bev very well, but
enjoyed her company when
I met her at Teachmeets
and other events, and I
very much enjoyed her
Facebook updates.
Bev will be remembered for
her infectious sense of
humour, her singing, and
her brilliant special needs
resources. These are still
available, and still
immensely popular and
well-regarded. You can find
them at
http://www.communication
4all.co.uk/
When it comes to coding,
how secure is your network?
Darren Bartlett outlines the
options.
With a new Computing
curriculum coming in
September 2014 that focuses on
students learning to code and
write simple programs its
important for school ICT and
Computing heads, teachers or
those responsible for
ICT/Computing to make sure
their school network is secure
and able to handle the new
requirements without
compromising the rest of the
system.
Here are a few considerations
to help with that and make
sure your data is safe and the
students can enjoy exploring
new learning securely.

1. Setup a separate
segment on your
network for coding
and programming
This is called a VLAN or
virtual LAN and allows you to
split the network into separate
secure areas that can isolate
the coding and programming
from the rest of the network.
Most advanced modern
network switches support this
feature and it can also help
increase performance,
manageability and scalability
on larger campuses.

2. Secure your Wi-Fi
network
Many schools are embracing
Wi-Fi and allowing students
and staff to bring their own
devices and use the Wi-Fi.
Many though still dont operate
a secure Wi-Fi network, which
a few simple steps can resolve.
help us solve very specific
problems. He might also
have mentioned the in-built
bias of search engines.
I very much agree with his
comment that :
Theories dont tell teachers
what to do, but instead
provide a structure in which
to think about what they
do.
He also makes a very good
point about smart
regulation something that
Ofsted does not provide ie
one that judges by outcome
rather than by process.
(Derek Blunt makes some
interesting points about the
Ofsted lesson elsewhere in
this newsletter.)
Quinlan states that:
There is no guarantee that
all of the learners in a class
are going to be engaged by
the same topic.
True, although I maintain that a
good teacher in the right conditions
can make any topic engaging for
any pupil.
He also makes some interesting
points about the minimum viable
lesson and, in effect, the good
enough lesson, in his exhortations
against the (understandable)
predilection of many teachers to
work ridiculously long hours in the
quest to produce the perfect lesson.
He might have drawn on the
economists toolkit here. It is well-
known by students of the dismal
science that the old adage If a job
is worth doing, its worth doing
properly, does not hold up in
reality. Why not? Because of the
cost in terms of all the other things
that cannot be achieved instead.
Sleep, for example, or marking and
feedback perhaps, or even the
teachers own professional
development.
Quinlan also underlines the
importance of teacher expectations
on the performance of their pupils.
There are a couple of things I do
not like about the book. First, it
doesnt mention
www.ictineducation.org in its list of
recommended blogs. More
seriously, there is no index, which I
found frustrating.
Nevertheless, provocative, in a
gentlemanly way, and drawing on a
wide range of research and
perspectives, The Thinking Teacher
is a book that, were I still a Head of
Department in a school, I would
buy for each member of my team
and insist that they read it.
They and you may not agree with
Quinlan or even with each other,
but I suggest that the experience of
your pupils would be all the richer
as a consequence.
The Thinking Teacher by Oliver
Quinlan.

Page 9 of 10

*** Readme ***
Building a recording and sequencing lab on a budget (cheaper and
more powerful than an Apple iMac) - see link http://www.ict-
direct.co.uk/blog/?utm_source=ICT+Direct+Customers&utm_campaig
n=8da15dab46-
Z_Series_Workstations3_18_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0
_a39906a72d-8da15dab46-142750297
a. Turn off the SSID on the
access points. This
broadcasts the name of
the Wireless network so
that mobile devices can
find it. Youll have seen
this at home when you
scan and see your home
network BTHomeHub or
similar, or at the coffee
shop Starbucks WiFi.
Once turned off this makes
the wireless network more
secure as it wont appear
on any scan from a mobile
device.
b. Operate a separate Wi-Fi
access point for visitors.
This is a simple step that
allows visitors to use your
internet connection
without them having
access to the main
network.
c. Make sure that you use a
secure password for the
Wi-Fi. Dont be tempted by
easy to remember
password like
schoolnameWiFi or
WirelessSchoolname.
These may be easy to
remember but are also
easy to crack for those
wanting to access you Wi-
Fi without permission.
d. Go for a Wi-Fi system that
can provide reporting on
application use, devices
connected, bandwidth used
and can let you see exactly
whats happening on your
network.

3. Make sure you have up
to date and sufficient
Anti-virus
Anti-Virus software isnt just to
prevent you opening malicious
attachments in emails, it also
protects against downloading
malicious files and looks out for
spyware that you might know
better as a worm. This doesnt
necessarily destroy data or
make your system unusable but
sits in the background and uses
your PC or Network to carryout
particular tasks like sending
spam emails for example.
With the advent of coding in
ICT and the inevitable need to
download, its vital that your
school network is secure and
protected from this type of
infection to enable your pupils
and staff to feel comfortable in
maximising the opportunity
that the new curriculum will
bring.
About Darren Bartlett

Darren has been involved in ICT
for almost 30 years as owner of a
successful IT support and
services business working in
education and business. He has
also serves as a governor in a
primary school for 5 years and
has helped them to form and
run an ICT steering committee.
Darren is also the Managing
Director of UNS Unique
Network Solutions Ltd,
www.uniquenetworks.co.uk,
which provides technical
solutions and support for
schools.




Google Science Fair 2014 has
launched
Google Science Fair 2014 has
launched, in partnership with LEGO
Education, National Geographic,
Scientific American and Virgin
Galactic. The online science
competition invites students aged 13
to 18 from around the world to use
their interests and talents to explore
an area of science that they're
passionate about and be in with a
chance of winning life-changing
prizes.
This year Google will be
championing even more young talent
with these new awards:
Computer Science Award will
celebrate talented young scientists in
this field
Local Award will honour students
from select locations, whose projects
have attempted to address a locally
relevant issue.
Register at
www.googlesciencefair.com.
Deadline is May 12.
Go on, bore the kids into
submission!
Ever wondered how to ensure
your ICT lessons are boring and
ineffective? Go on, bore em: how
to make your ICT lessons
excruciatingly dull tells you
exactly what to do and all for
only 1.99.
What are you waiting for?

Page 10 of 10



Google Cultural Institute Salon
London, 30 April 2014
After the success of the first Google Cultural
Institute Salon in March, there is an opportunity
for you to apply to the next event at the Google
London Office, on 30 April 2014 between 5pm and
7.30pm.
This free informal and intimate event has been
designed for teachers and education professionals
to discover interactive Google tools and
technologies to help you teach Art, History of Art
and History.
Attending this event will enable you to:
Explore new and interactive ways to engage your
students with History, History of Art and Art, and
cultural content;
Network and learn from other teachers;
Become a Google Cultural Institute expert
teacher;
Collaborate to create great content to take back
and use in school;
Contribute to your CPD.
> Apply now
Visit the Cultural Institute Salons website.

Disclaimer
Good morning, Judge. I wasnt even there; it
wasnt my fault; he made me do it, etc. Seriously,
though, all the information and links in this
newsletter have been checked, and offered in good
faith. For the full text of the disclaimer, please see
http://www.ictineducation.org/terms-conditions-
and-privacy/.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to all of the contributors. This newsletter
is (c) 2014 Terry Freedman, but individual
contributors retain ownership of their copyright.
To help us maintain the standard and frequency of
the newsletter, please consider contributing an
article yourself. There are guidelines here:
Contributor guidelines. But contact me first with
your ideas:
http://www.ictineducation.org/contact/
To put it Bluntly
Derek Blunt finds Ofsted-speak to be
in need of improvement.
Very recently, the category of Adequate
for independent school inspections was
changed to in need of improvement.
This brings independent inspections into
line with those for maintained schools,
where the satisfactory judgement was
changed to In need of improvement.
In other words, satisfactory now means
unsatisfactory, and adequate now
means inadequate.
In this 1984-like landscape, where words
change their meanings according to the
latest thinking and conventional
wisdom, anyone who tries to deliver an
Ofsted-approved lesson is nuts. Even if
you succeeded, the rules could change
tomorrow, rendering your Outstanding
lesson Underwhelming, or whatever
new term someone decides to coin.
Heres a case in point. Not that long ago,
it was de rigueur to make sure every
lesson had three parts: an introduction in
which the teacher shared the learning
objectives; the main part of the lesson;
and a plenary. That is now recognised as
a load of nonsense and rightly so. A
good teacher will ensure that there are
many introductions, main lesson time
and plenaries as necessary, according to
the nature of the work itself, the main
purpose of the lesson and the make-up of
the class.
There is something quite immoral about
trying to deliver an Ofsted-approved
lesson anyway. The aim should be to
ensure kids are taught properly, and that
they learn, not to jump through some
remote bureaucracys artificial hoops.
Use Ofsted criteria of Outstanding
lessons by all means as a set of criteria,
but I say use them as a sort of general
reference, not a checklist.
Derek Blunt: Blunt by name,
blunt by nature.