Conversation in an electronics store...

One would think that a prerequisite for working in a store (any store) would be an ability to listen. In an ideal world one might hope for a passing acquaintance with the product area in question. The relationship between my patience with sales “assistants” (I use the term guardedly) and my age is an inverse one. Thus it was that the following conversation left me fuming…

Thought for the day

Thought for the day:

Whatever happens in a lesson, it is the teacher’s responsibility to do something about it.

Not strictly ed tech, but has a bearing on it because, apart from anything else, a poorly-managed lesson involving technology has health and safety implications.

So, is there anything a teacher cannot be held responsible for?

Educational Technology Leader's Briefing: Evaluating ICT Provision (Observation Part 2)

If you're responsible for the quality of the teaching and use of educational technology in your school, or if you work for an external body charged with a remit to evaluate quality, how should you go about it?

In the last Educational Technology Leader's Briefing we considered the role of lesson observation, and answered the question: how long should you observe a lesson for? In this one, we look at the all-important question of what you should actually look for -- we consider 15 aspects -- and what criteria you should use.

This article is available only to subscribers to Leading and Managing Educational Technology.

Educational Technology Leader's Briefing: Evaluating ICT Provision (Observation Part 1)

If you're responsible for the quality of the teaching and use of educational technology in your school, or if you work for an external body charged with a remit to evaluate quality, how should you go about it?

In this briefing we consider the role of lesson observation, and answer the question: how long should you observe a lesson for? We consider 10 factors.

This article is available only to subscribers to Leading and Managing Educational Technology.

Chatcasting from a management perspective

Darren Kuropatwa recently asked me to chair a chat session in Skype whilst he was giving a presentation. Quite why he asked me, given my scepticism on the efficacy of things like this, I don't know. But I did my best, and the resultant recommendation will depend on who you are....

Forward to the past? Or a useful way of making a point or two?

OK, I admit it: I just don't get it. I watched the original "Did you know?" and was awe-struck -- not by the video, but by the number of people who thought it was good. And now the latest version is doing the rounds, and I feel exactly the same way.

However, I've been thinking about how a video like this might be useful to the leader/manager/teacher of educational technology in a school. On reflection, I think the video could be useful, but only in particular circumstances. I haven't read any blogs which state what those circumstances are, so here is my attempt to do so.

The 5 most recent articles in the Leading & Managing Educational

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