The Photocopier Challenge
Enjoying The Lazy Teachers’s Handbook at the moment. Love this idea – will try it in the New Year. “may I suggest something I like to call the Photocopier Challenge, an easy and straightforward way of finding out the extent to which you are wasting your own time, let alone letting others waste it for […]
10 worst similes from students
Her eyes were like two brown circles with big black dots in the center. He was as tall as a 6?3? tree. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, […]
A few quick, purposeful homework ideas
I liked these homework hater’s tips. They’re a little science biased but the following could be done or repurposed for any subject Explain what you have learnt to your parentsAsk students to write a short explanation of their task for parents to sign and comment on – a great way to engage them in their […]
Teachers and potential
from xkcd
Drive RSA
Just finished Drive. This video is a typically good RSA summary from one of Dan Pink’s book talks. It’s fascinating stuff. Essentially, the science says carrot and stick only works for mechanical tasks. For any other tasks, carrot and stick actually damages motivation. Tricky one for schools and the gamification crowd, I...
Video games making kids smarter
Generation G getting brighter by the minute
Little Printer
Christmas next year … Little Printer lives in your home, bringing you news, puzzles and gossip from friends. Use your smartphone to set up subscriptions and Little Printer will gather them together to create a timely, beautiful mini-newspaper. link: Little Printer | BERG Cloud
Bellos, Monkeys and Memory
Just been to a great ‘maths lesson’ by The Idler Academy’s Head of Mathematics, Alex Bellos. Much of it I’d read in his book, Alex’s Adventures in Numberland but there were enough interesting asides – and a refreshing lack of portentous ‘thinkers’ – for it to be a good evening....
Time-lapse Earth
Meanwhile, in Milton Keynes …
Social Graphs & Communities
Very, very well put. The funny thing is, no one’s really hiding the secret of how to make awesome online communities. Give people something cool to do and a way to talk to each other, moderate a little bit, and your job is done. Games like Eve Online or WoW have developed entire economies on […]