Terry Freedman | doug woods

Posts Tagged ‘Terry Freedman’

Retro Computing

Monday, August 29th, 2011

: Image via Wikipedia

I have been using computers for most of my life yet I am still surprised at times by the concept of ‘retro’ computing. To me technology always still seems to be something new and I’m always on the look out for innovations and creative ideas. I guess this focusing on the new and the futuristic has blinded me to the history of computing and that may be why I’m surprised by the retro!

I am led to wonder though what the deal is with this ‘retro’ stuff. Is it simply a hankering for olden times when computing seemed simpler? Is it just a marketing ploy to try to make more money out of old ideas? Is it maybe a sign that we’re running out of new ideas and so turn to the old? Or is my inner cynic right to think that it costs so much to develop new ideas that developers repackage old ones as a cheaper alternative? Well, I guess any one of those reasons could be right, at least in part, but does ‘retro’ serve any useful purpose?

In educational technology, we are not immune from the ‘retro’ movement. In the past, I have seen companies repackage old BBC Micro programs for the PC and I even had one company want to repackage my old ‘Young Start” suite of programs. In the past, I’ve teased Terry Freedman about his use of the Livescribe pen which combines written notes with a laptop. I too have also been bitten by the retro bug and have been known to enthuse excitedly about the return of Bigtrak.

Even the ultra-trendy Mac computer is not immune to a bit of retro computing, it would seem. Announced at Macworld last year and with a new version for education announced this year, Papershow seems to bring to your mac a pen tool similar to Livescribe. Even Livescribe themselves have not been sitting still and have made available their newer Echo version of the livescribe pen.

The biggest and most pervasive example of retro computing is possibly the interactive whiteboard and projector.

The data projector really dates back to the slide projector or cine projector we used to have back in the early 1960s; it really is a dinosaur of technology and one that refuses to become extinct despite progress in display technology. It is, though, its partner, the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) to which I wish to turn in order to illustrate the possible usefulness of retro computing.

Why, though, do I class IWBs as ‘retro’ computing, after all we didn’t have them back in the 1980s? Well, at a time when computing was moving schooling away from the teacher and the blackboard with its chalk and rubber (or the whiteboard and its marker pens), the interactive whiteboard took it right back there again. I don’t want to dwell on the well worn arguments as to the usefulness or otherwise of IWBs, whether they are a good thing or a bad thing, or whether they took educational technology forwards or backwards.

I see IWBs as linking technology to existing practice. In other words, they took a technique or skill teachers were used to (writing and presenting on a board at the front of the class) and applied that to technology, or vice versa. Regardless of whether this is good practice or not, it brought technology to a wider range of teachers, many of whom will have since gone on to explore and use other technologies and other ways of using technology in education. This is an illustration of the power, or influence, of retro technology; it relates technology to existing practice and allows users to explore technology further and build upon their practice.

This is often far more effective than introducing something completely new to people and telling them they have to stop what they’re doing or how they’re doing it and do it a different way. By using technology that has a degree of familiarity, users are more accepting of it and perhaps more willing to explore new ways of using it; often leading themselves into changing the way in which they work.So while we may scoff or tease at things ‘retro’, let’s not forget that they may be a path to newer things.

1988: The Future Has Arrived! [Retro] (jalopnik.com)
IWB Guides from Becta – get them before they go (whiteboardblog.co.uk)
Retro-Futuristic Eco Design – ‘Power Styling’ Book Reveals Space-Age Concepts to Beautify the Grid (GALLERY) (trendhunter.com)
Outfitting 21st Century Classrooms with 21st Century Teachers (isteconnects.org)
Classic computers at retro festival (news.bbc.co.uk)
Retro/Oldschool Computer Tech Commercials (neatorama.com)
Technology Goes “Retro-Chic” with YUBZ (geardiary.com)
Vintage computers celebrated at Bletchley Park computer festival (news.bbc.co.uk)
Livescribe’s Echo is a creative new take on the smartpen (venturebeat.com)
Vintage computers inspire next generation of scientists (news.bbc.co.uk)
The Need for a Common IWB Format (whiteboardblog.co.uk)
Retro Computer Ressurections – The Commodore 64 ss Back and Sexier Than Ever (VIDEO) (trendhunter.com)

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Tags: 1960s, BBC Micro, Education, Instructional Technology, Interactive whiteboard, K through 12, Technology, Terry Freedman
Posted in Classroom Technology, Interactive Whiteboards | 1 Comment »

Displaying Pupils’ Digital Work

Monday, July 25th, 2011

: Image via Wikipedia

This post has been prompted by Terry Freedman’s article on his website about wall displays and it starts with a comment I posted there.

Traditionally a teacher would festoon the classroom and other areas with displays of the pupils’ work, particularly artwork, written work and photographs of events. These might be used to reward pupils for producing exceptional work, to demonstrate work produced by the pupils, or they might be used to encourage and provide exemplars, above all, they would be used to support pupil learning.

Nowadays, pupils produce more and more work in digital formats and the question is raised as to what is the best way to display such work. Or are we to lose the benefit of wall displays simply because digital work cannot be easily displayed? Some of the work can be printed out and displayed in a traditional way but somehow, unless it’s a product designed to be printed, that would seem to almost defeat the object.

I have seen some schools use large monitor screens for display purposes, generally though they seem to be used to display promotional clips of the school and seem aimed at visitors. Rarely do they seem to be used to display pupils’ work and far more rarely do they seem to be used in pupil areas. The cost of such systems probably act against their widespread use in schools. Also, unlike simple display boards, such electronic display systems are rarely simple to use and are often outside the ‘domain’ of the class teacher.

Nevertheless, I do feel that flat panels could be a way (perhaps an expensive way) of displaying pupils’ digital creations.The technology should be becoming cheaper and many flat televisions can display images from a memory card. Even simple electronic photo frames could be used, some of these can display video too, though as the size still tends to be on the small size, they could hardly be considered classroom displays.

Not all digital creations are visual, though, and I’ve yet to think of a way of effectively displaying pupils’ audio creations; though I’d guess that IP radio systems might be a way of distributing pupils’ podcasts around a school.

I’d be interested to hear/see how schools have tried to tackle this issue.

But then, perhaps I’m falling into the trap of thinking about classrooms in the traditional sense? Maybe we can display pupils digital work in a digital environment such as a virtual classroom or a VLE. It may not have the same impact as a physical display in a classroom but it should be simple to add links to other pupils’ digital content for a learner to access, or maybe ‘advert’ like banners to encourage the learner to explore other pupils’ work or even simply to embed digital content within a pupil’s space.

Links to various Electronic Display suppliers

http://www.jayex.com

http://www.somethingabstract.co.uk

http://www.navaho.tv/

http://www.vued.co.uk/

I’d be very interested to hear or see how schools have addressed this area.

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Tags: class teacher, Computer hardware, Computer monitor, Digital television, Display technology, Education, electronic display, electronic display systems, Electronic engineering, electronic noticeboard, Engineering, lcd display, radio systems, Teacher, Technology, Technology/Internet, Terry Freedman
Posted in Classroom Technology | 4 Comments »

The Future of Teaching is Online

Sunday, February 6th, 2011

I came across this article on the Mashable website which looked at the future of teaching. It is not often that you find an article about education on this site, so I was intrigued. The article is titled The Future of teaching, so I was doubly intrigued.

The article claims that research has shown that online teaching appears to be more effective than face-to-face teaching. My own experience of learning online would tend to disagree with that but let’s hope that online tuition has improved, I’m sure it has, since my last experience of online learning.

The key message appears to be that online learning needs to be used in combination with other methods to be most effective. Well, I guess that is not a new or an earth shattering message.

However, I do feel that the article has a positive message for the future of education. It shows that online tuition can be effective and most certainly has a role to play in the future of education. For me., this is an important message as we move forward with Home Access. It not only tells us that online learning can be effective, it also emphasises that those learners without access are at a disadvantage.

Many of you will know that I have been involved in Becta’s Home access programme. Articles like this only help reinforce my view that a successful implementation of home access is important for improving the learning outcomes for all learners.

Related Article on Interactyx

Update (May 2010)

It is perhaps timely that this post is resurrected, for it is a day after the announcement of the closure of Becta. IT is tempting to issue the riposte that with the agency’s closure perhaps the future of learning, at least in England and Wales, is not online!

There is also some question regarding Home Access. It seems that while the current funding is expected to run out in June this year, the funding for a subsequent round may or may not be made available. Home Access, as I’m sure you all know, is a government programme to provide internet access and devices for disadvantaged families with learners. The wider programme, however, covers more than just the physical kit and connectivity, it is also about raising awareness of the benefits of online access and training people in the use of computers. Much of this is aimed at those people who don’t quite meet the criteria for the free kit or who, for a range of reasons, choose not use the internet. It remains unclear at this time whether funding for this part of the programme will remain.

I spoke in the original post of my own experience of online learning. I am reminded at this time of my visit earlier this year to the Learning Technologies Exhibition in London where, I’m sorry to say I saw evidence of a very poor state of affairs in online learning. Sure there seemed to be much talk at the associated conference, that I couldn’t attend, of new developments in online learning but what was on display at the exhibition was very different. It was quite evident that the wares on display showed the clear dominance of direct instruction in online learning, a preponderance of ‘training’ rather than ‘teaching’ or ‘learning’. I feel that this is something that will need to change if e-learning is to become accepted in schools.

Update February 2011

It’s sometimes ironic the way things work out in life. I now find myself working more directly in online learning, more specifically developing online courses and training teachers in using technology to deliver online courses.

I cannot deny that this work is very interesting and very exciting but not without its problems. The problem I find myself tackling most of all is one that I mentioned in the previous update. The online tools most commonly available to deliver online teaching tend to be rather limited and based upon an outdated, in my opinion, approach to education.

From my position, I am able to see and use the tools from the perspective of a teacher and also as a learner. It is quite clear that the services offer a range of tools for the teacher but very few for the learner. Even as a teacher, though, it is often a struggle to get the tools to do what you would want to do.

It is quite clear that most online services for elearning have been developed for industry and for corporate training. That is no surprise, after all, there is probably more money or profit to be made in this area. Attempts to use these tools for educational purposes have not really been hugely successful below HE level. I would suggest that this may be because schools tend to employ more sophisticated teaching models than the straightforward instructional approach.

Consequently I am becoming more and more convinced that there is a need to develop or create online tools to match pedagogical practice in schools if elearning is to become accepted. I also believe that elearning tools need to be more geared around learning rather than teaching or training. I also believe that online teaching requires additional skills on behalf of the teacher if it is to be effective.

Government to close Becta (downes.ca)
BECTA to be closed (tech.bl0x.info)
Government to close Becta (guardian.co.uk)
Becta, Jamie Oliver, and the Romans (moodlea.blogspot.com)
dot.Rory (bbc.co.uk)
Curtains for Becta (mclear.co.uk)
Government to axe Becta (computing.co.uk)
Mixed Signals about Online Teaching (bwatwood.edublogs.org)
Becta Technology Exemplar Network Mini-Network Event (elearningstuff.wordpress.com)
Home Access scheme won’t be cut this year promises Government (computeractive.co.uk)
Teaching Online Courses – 60 Great Resources (elearningtech.blogspot.com)
Recommendations for Online Learning (q-ontech.blogspot.com)
Online Learning, Teaching And Education: The Best 2010 Articles And Reports From MasterNewMedia (masternewmedia.org)
Implementing Best Practices when Teaching in an Online Learning Environment (brighthub.com)

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Tags: 1960s, BBC Micro, Education, Instructional Technology, Interactive whiteboard, K through 12, Technology, Terry Freedman
Posted in Classroom Technology, Home Access, Transforming Learning | 2 Comments »

First day at BETT

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Today was my first day at the 2010 Bett show and it has been a day of highs and lows.

The lows started at the outset; fresh snow had fallen overnight and there was some concern whether the bus would run on time. As it turned out the bus got to London less than 1 hour late which was great considering the conditions and a credit to the driver. In the end I was a lot luckier than than many travelling from parts of Yorkshire or Scotland, who had a far more horrendous journey due to the weather.

The highs were the people I met today. It is always great to meet other proletariat with a passion an interest and insights into the world of ICT in schools. My thanks today go to Richard and Alison Allen, Terry Freedman and Bill Gibbon for sharing their insights. Thanks also to VitalCPD, NAACE and Outstream Consulting for their time and presentations.

A final low for the day and this really hacked me off was the mix up at the hotel. I arrived at the hotel Id booked with the intention of booking in, dropping my bag and then going to the TedxOrenda meeting. On arrival at the hotel, however, the hotel was closed for maintenance and they had to book me into a different hotel. Getting to this hotel, which was a nice one, wasted a lot of time and meant that I could not get to the TED event. Thanks to the power of Twitter , however, I was able to follow key points of the speakers presentations.

May 10th update;

So, four months on and looking back at BETT 2010, was it worthwhile attending? Although I felt that this year’s BETT show lacked the display of new innovations that I like to see at BETT, I do still feel that it was worth the time attending. This year, I felt that the innovation lay in practitioners being given time on various stands to talk about how they had been using technology in their own classroom.

Last year, and a couple of times previously, I had attended a seminar or two while at the show. I didn’t do so this year. My experience in the past has suggested that such seminars rarely tell you anything you don’t already know and, if you’re only at the show for one day, they do take up a lot of time that might have been better spent visiting exhibitors. I have to admmit that on the years when I’ve not attended a BETT seminar, I’ve not come away with the feeling that I’ve missed anything.

Looking back at the time of BETT, I’ve asked myself what have people been talking about since? Well, there’s been talk about 3D projectors and 3D printing, much in the same way that there was talk about the Smart desks after the 2009 BETT, and what has happened to them since?

VLE and their suppliers were quite low key in the 2010 show, unlike the previous two shows. So what has happened to them? Well, to the best of my knowledge, one seems to have gone bust and one or two more seem to have got into financial difficulties. Meanwhile one or two next generation VLEs, based upon school education (e.g. Frog, DBprimary) seem to be emerging and there seems to be renewed interest in Moodle (which on its own is not really a VLE but, similar to Sharepoint, can be added or extended to offer added functionality). At the same time, there has been continued debate in HE circles along the lines of the VLE being dead but this seems to be based upon a misuse of VLEs as CMS. One still hopes the HE guys can get their act together and see that a VLE is far more than a Content Management System.

Of course BETT 2010 all took place before details of Apple‘s iPad were fully known. I daresay that BETT 2011 might have more on display to show how iPads and iPad apps can be used in education ….. but then maybe not, after all the iPhone and iPod Touch were very conspicuous by their absence in BETT2010 exhibits; it’s as if the whole concept of handheld or personal learning has not yet reached BETT :(

100 ways to use a VLE – #95 Setting an Assessment (elearningstuff.wordpress.com)
#BETT2010 Augmented Reality (olliebray.typepad.com)
Lisibo @ BETT (lisibo.blogspot.com)

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Tags: BETT, Moodle, Outstream Consulting, Richard Allen, Terry Freedman
Posted in BETT | No Comments »

Posts Tagged ‘Terry Freedman’

Retro Computing

Displaying Pupils’ Digital Work

The Future of Teaching is Online

First day at BETT

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Doug Woods

Posts Tagged ‘Terry Freedman’

Retro Computing

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Displaying Pupils’ Digital Work

The Future of Teaching is Online

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First day at BETT

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Contact me

Follow us on Twitter

Doug Woods