Digital Education late July 2014 Page 1 of 10

Inside this edition...

What people have said about Digital Education.............................................................................................................. 2
The Quest to Modenise the !" #lassoo$....................................................................................................................%
&epaing to teach the ne' #o$puting cuiculu$..........................................................................................................%
(evie' of )M*(T *$p................................................................................................................................................. +
,euodete$inis$ as an antidote to co$$on sense- . doubt it/......................................................................................0
*ssessing po1ect based leaning..................................................................................................................................... 2
*c3no'ledge$ents......................................................................................................................................................... 4
#ontact details................................................................................................................................................................. 4
,e5t issue........................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Disclai$e....................................................................................................................................................................... 4
What people have said about Digital Education
* geat insight into the 'old of education and
technology/ (achel Wo$ac36 Mango Ma3eting
http788'''.$ango$a3eting.co$
DE appeals to the specialist and novice ali3e. .t not only
povides a 'indo' to the vey lage and busy 'old of
technology but offes to hold you hand on you 1ouney.
Julia )3inne6 9ounde of 100 Wod #hallenge
http788100'c.net
*ticles ae 'ell 'itten and edited6 ti$ely6 and
inteesting. David #o56 Teache
Digital Education is one of the best edtech esouces
aound/ .t povides up:to:date info$ation and ideas on
ho' to integate technology:based best pactices. Evey
teache needs to subscibe. )ally .ons6 Teache
!seful6 pactical ideas fo i$ple$entation in the
classoo$. ;andy hints fo assess$ent fo teaches.
<elinda <ogat6 Teache
.t aives co$fotably in $y e:$ailbo5 and sends $e to
inteesting places along side the info$ation it gives: and
no tees ae abused in the pocess/ . also love you
pesonal intei$s. .llya *net6 Teache
The easiest place to 3eep up to date 'ith all digital
education issues. Matin Di5on6 ;ead of E:=eaning
)o$e useful ideas6 pespectives and esouces fo
teaching #o$pute )cience and .#T. Witten in an
unassu$ing and hu$oous 'ay 'ith genuine insight and
passion. Dave >ai6 Teache
What do you think of it?
&lease co$plete the eadeship suvey. .t enables us to ty
to $a3e sue the ne'slette contains aticles that ae
elevant to the 'o3 you do. .n othe 'ods6 co$pleting
the brief suvey is a $atte of enlightened self:inteest/
Than3s to those 'ho aleady done so? 'e@e loo3ing at
you suggestions.
Important! This end:of:te$ edition of Digital Education
contains only aticles7 no ne's6 vie's o Auic3 loo3s. *nd
the only evie' 'e have included is the aticle by Ellie
>egson.
We too3 the decision to include only discusive aticles
afte $uch discussion. .n the end6 'e thought that youBd
appeciate so$ething elatively light'eight to ead at the
end of a busy te$6 and a long yea.
The 3noc3:on effect of that 'as fe'e coloued bo5:outs
and fe'e sceenshots6 'hich gives this publication a $oe
acade$ic loo3. That 'asnBt a delibeate decision6 itBs 1ust
the 'ay it tuned out C but do let us 3no' if you pefe it.
.f 'e 'ee 'ong to include only discusive aticles C o if
'e 'ee ight C please do co$plete the eadeship suvey
to let us 3no' you thoughts.
Digital Education late July 2014 Page 2 of 10
The usual $i5 of aticles 'ill be bac3 in the ne' school
yea.
.n the $eanti$e6 have a geat su$$e/
The Quest to Modernise the UK Classroom
By Suzanne Tidmas-Cole
This is a sponsored article
*coss the !"@s education secto6 thee is a palpable
feeling that a esugence of technology and innovation in
the classoo$ is abound. 9o$ students and staff being
encouaged to bing and use thei o'n $obile devices6 to
geate suppot fo e$ote leaning6 the $odenised
classoo$ can be a $oe efficient and effective
envion$ent : : $oe so than eve befoe. *nd education
leades ecognise no' is the ti$e to act fast. .n ne'
eseach fo$ the Econo$ist .ntelligence !nit sponsoed
by (icoh6 it 'as found that a full 42 pe cent of education
leades believe that they ae unde geate pessue today
than in the past thee yeas6 to continue to change faste.
,ealy half D44EF feel that they ae adopting ne'
technologies faste than co$petitos.
The ti$ing is ight. !nivesities and #olleges acoss the
county have ta3en $assive stides fo'ad to beco$e top
intenational acade$ic institutions. .t 'as ecently found
that the !" an3ed second acoss Euope6 and si5th
intenationally6 in te$s of top intenational highe
education institutions. With a aised pofile6 all eyes ae
no' on education establish$ents@ ability to $odenise the
classoo$ and ca$pus in geneal6 in ode to continue to
pogess on a global level.
Get6 thee e$ain challenges in achieving technology
po'ess. Education leades said the top t'o bottlenec3s in
achieving geate agility ae difficulty in getting
e$ployees6 business units6 o functions to adopt a co$$on
appoach D44 pe centF and bueaucatic decision $a3ing
pocesses D%H pe centF. <ut thee needn@t be such
oadbloc3s. * holistic appoach to education technology
can ceate an inteactive6 collaboative and fun
envion$ent fo teaches and students and a sea$less .T
infastuctue 'hile $eeting the eve i$potant botto$
line fo the establish$ent.
The ight solutions can help institutions in the !" to
diffeentiate and attact students fo$ ho$e and
intenational $a3ets 'hile co$peting 'ith othe si$ilaly
an3ed establish$ents6 and Massive Ipen Inline #ouses
DMII#sF. 9o e5a$ple6 collaboative technologies6 such
as inteactive 'hiteboads6 video confeencing platfo$s
and inteactive po1ectos6 allo' teaches and students to
effectively 'o3 togethe in eal:ti$e6 in eithe a physical6
vitual o hybid classoo$ envion$ent. *pplications
that e$po'e teaches and students to collaboate
si$ultaneously on pesentations via tablets6 can be used in
a vitual o hybid classoo$6 and allo' uses to ta3e notes
on thei tablets6 save the$ locally to thei device6 o ta3e
advantage of delegated pesentation ights the$selves.

Ensuing a $oden and collaboative leaning envion$ent
is essential if education institutions ae to co$pete in
today@s 'old. *nd in the ne' ea of digital
tansfo$ation6 leades in the secto have an oppotunity to
enhance the classoo$ and ca$pus of the futue in $any
'ays. 9o$ suppot fo <ing Gou I'n Device6 to the
latest in soft'ae and sevices to $a3e physical and vitual
collaboation possible6 technology innovation is eady to
ta3e cente stage as an enable and dive of change in the
education secto.
bout !u"anne Tidmas#Cole
Suzanne is the business manager for higher education at
Ricoh.
Preparing to teach the ne$ Computing
curriculum
By Terry Freedman
.Bve been giving tal3s on pepaing fo the ne' #o$puting
cuiculu$6 and as 'ell as 'a5ing lyical that also
involves listening to othesB concens. .t also $eans
heaing about so$e innovative
appoaches that colleagues have
adopted.
*t the sa$e ti$e6 . have been
conducting a suvey of 'hat people
have been doing to pepae fo the
ne' cuiculu$. .Bll be publishing
the esults in due couse. .n fact6
so$e of the esouces $entioned in
the last editionBs collection of coding esouces ca$e to
$y attention fo$ that suvey.
)o6 given that at the ti$e of 'iting theeBs about % days to
go till the end of te$ C and even less by the ti$e you ae
eading this C 'hat can you ealistically do at this stage to
pepae fo )epte$be-
The obvious ans'e is Jnot a lotK. <ut hopefully you 'ill
have aleady stated to do something6 even if you ae yet
to be able to convince youself that you ae eady to tac3le
the sub1ect.
Digital Education late July 2014 Page % of 10
;o'eve6 'hat you can do is to da' up a list of a fe'
things that you 'ill conside o do. ;opefully6 the list
belo' 'ill give you so$e ideas and $a3e the 'hole thing
$oe doable.
Ma&e connections
.f you donBt 3no' ho' to do co$pute poga$$ing6 it is
i$peative to find so$eone 'ho does. Thee used to be an
advet on <itish TL fo the *uto$obile *ssociationBs
oadside escue sevice.
JDo you 3no' ho' to fi5 this-K6 the hapless passenge
'ould as3 'hen the dive announced that the ca had
bo3en do'n.
J,oK6 ca$e the eply. J<ut . 3no' a $an 'ho can/K
Whee 'ill you find so$eone 'ho JcanK- . suggest the
follo'ingK7
Join #o$puting at )chools if you have not aleady
done so. .ncidentally6 . eco$$end #*) a lot
because . thin3 it does a good 1ob of connecting
people and facilitating the e5change of ideas and
esouces. .B$ not on the <oad of Manage$ent o
anything li3e that.
Ince youBve 1oined #*) find out 'hee you
neaest ;ub is and go to $eetings and events.
Thee pobably 'onBt be anything going on no'6
but see if you hub has a calenda of events
co$ing up in the ne' te$.
While youBe thee6 $a3e a note of the na$e of the
Maste teache in you aea. ;e o she should be
able to give you so$e useful pointes o help you
find out about taining going on in you aea.
*nd also 'hile youBe thee6 see 'hich othe local
schools ae listed6 and then $a3e a note to connect
up 'ith one o t'o of the$ ne5t te$. .t $ay be
possible6 fo instance6 to aange so$e $utual in:
sevice taining. I anothe possibility7 'hat if
you divided up the ne5t couple of te$sB 'o3
bet'een you6 so that you shae the pepaation-
.f you 'o3 'ith colleagues in the sa$e school6
you can do that in:house. <y dividing up the units
of 'o3 bet'een you6 coveing the cuiculu$
beco$es $uch easie. .t also beco$es $oe
en1oyable6 because if each peson in the tea$ ta3es
esponsibility fo paticula units6 they can
appoach each one in a 'ay that they 'ill find
$ost engaging fo the$selves. <y Jta3ing
esponsibilityK . $ean ensuing that the
cuiculu$ ob1ectives ae $et fo that unit Deg an
undestanding of loops6 cybebullying6
net'o3ing6 o 'hateveF6 devising the $ateials
and othe esouces6 co$ing up 'ith suitable
assess$ent tas3s6 and taining the est of the tea$
in ho' to teach it.
#ontact you local college if thee is one. Gou $ay
be able to ta3e on a student to help tain you6 hold
you hand in the classoo$6 o help you deal 'ith
issues of undestanding aising in the classoo$.
'ntroduce a pro(ect#based learning approach) i* +ou
have not alread+ done so
.n the last edition of Digital Education6 John &atidge
e5tolled the vitues of po1ect:based leaning D&<=F.
.nteestingly6 the suvey .Bve conducted evealed that itBs
not 1ust seconday DhighF schools that have been adopting
&<=6 but pi$ay Dele$entayF schools too. )o 'hatBs the
attaction-
9o a stat6 it $a3es it easie to cove the diffeent
ele$ents of the #o$puting &oga$$e of )tudy C
#o$pute )cience6 Digital =iteacy6 .nfo$ation
Technology and e:)afety C in a $eaningful 'ay.
<ea3ing up the sub1ect into stands $ay $a3e it
easie fo those 'ho 3no' about #o$pute
)cience to 3eep tac3 of 'hat theyBve taught6 but it
doesnBt $a3e $uch sense in the eal 'old6 and itBs
had to $a3e the sub1ect inteesting by doing it
that 'ay7 'ho 'ants to do a $odule on loops6 o
one on e:safety-
*l$ost any eal:'old poble$ can be a &<=
state7 ho' can 'e $a3e the oads aound ou
school safe- ;o' can 'e $a3e the ne5t Ipen
Day un $oe s$oothly-
* huge benefit6 both fo pupils and thei less:than:
confident teache is that they only have to lean
coding on a need to 3no' basis. That is to say6
they can lean the aspects of it that 'ill be useful
fo this paticula po1ect6 and ignoe the est of it.
That in itself $a3es teaching the sub1ect as an
expert $uch $oe doable. DDonBt ta3e any notice
of anyone 'ho tells you itBs I" 1ust to be a
facilitato and not 3no' anyhting6 fo easons
given belo'.F
,earn to code
!nfotunately6 theeBs no avoiding this6 fo thee $ain
easons7
9istly6 youBll feel a lot $oe confident in the classoo$
and in planning6 not to $ention assessing.
)econdly6 unless you ae able to delegate the teaching of
coding entiely6 . donBt see ho' you can avoid it. Ifsted
loo3s fo sub1ect e5petise in teaches6 and so they should7
'ould you 'ant to be taught by so$eone 'ho is one
lesson ahead C if youBe luc3y-
Thidly6 . donBt see ho' you can confidently and
co$petently $ove pupils on to thei ne5t step6 o to clea
up thei $isconceptions6 if you donBt 3no' eally 3no' the
sub1ect.
)o 'hat can you do-
Digital Education late July 2014 Page - of 10
9oget all the nonsense you hea about being able
to lean coding in a day. #o$pute poga$$es6
li3e e5pets in any othe field6 spend yeas honing
and e5panding thei s3ills. Gou $ay be able to
lean the principles in a day D. donBt 3no'7 . thin3
even that is a stetchF6 but not $uch $oe. .n any
case6 leaning ho' to code isnBt the sa$e as
leaning ho' teach othes ho' to code. .n $y
opinion6 all that $a3ing ponounce$ents about
Jyou can lean to code in a dayK does is $a3e
people feel inadeAuate. To $y $ind6 itBs the
eAuivalent of so$eone 'ho 3no's ho' to da'
announcing that anyone can lean to s3etch in a
day. <aloney.
Ty out one o t'o of the online esouces given in
the last edition of Digital Education6 'hich had a
focus on coding. .B$ eluctant to suggest this6
because teaches ae tied6 and have a si5 'ee3
su$$e bea3 fo a eason. <ut if you can bing
youself to spend 20 o %0 $inutes a day teaching
youself so$e coding . thin3 youBll feel a lot $oe
confident about it all co$e )epte$be.
.f that last suggestion sounds a'ful6 ty eading
the fee boo3 . $entioned last ti$e6 #o$puting
Without #o$putes6 by &ofesso &aul #uMon. .t
doesnBt sound $uch li3e holiday eading6 but it is
Auite entetaining6 'ith puMMles to ty and
e5a$ples fo$ the 'old of $agic and eveyday
life. .tBs a huge to$e6 but you can do'nload
individual chaptes if you pefe. ;eeBs the lin37
http788'''.eecs.A$ul.ac.u38Npc8eseach8educatio
n8puMMles8eading8.
>et so$e taining 'hen you get bac3. Ges6 easie
said than done6 . 3no'. .B$ Auite appalled at the
nu$be of ti$es couses have had to be cancelled
because headteaches 'onBt let thei staff out on
couses. )hot:sighted doesnBt even co$e into it.
<ut as a teache said to $e last yea6 itBs li3e
as3ing a teache of 9ench to teach (ussian fo$
ne5t )epte$be. . donBt thin3 itBs Auite that bad C at
least6 if you 'ee follo'ing the last D.#TF
&oga$$e of )tudy popely it shouldnBt be C but
. thin3 she had a point. Maybe thatBs the agu$ent
to use if you ae unfotunate enough to 'o3 fo a
headteache 'ho thin3s you donBt need to go on
any taining.
Well6 . hope that so$e of those suggestions ae useful6 and
give you so$e ideas about things can you can do to $a3e
the 'hole thing less daunting.
To put it .luntl+
Dee3 <lunt is cuently lying do'n in a
da3ened oo$6 having been ove'hel$ed
by too $any issues to ant about.
Dee3 <lunt7 <lunt by na$e6 blunt by natue.
The Computing Curriculum/ !u**ol&0s
'nterpretation
By Kathryn Day
The appoach 'e ae ta3ing in )uffol3 to the #o$puting
#uiculu$ is based on J#eative #o$puting7 a design:
based intoduction to co$putational thin3ingK developed
by the )catchEd tea$. #eative co$puting6 as the na$e
i$plies6 co$bines ceativity 'ith co$puting and da's on
young people@s i$agination and inteests to sho' the$
ho' they can be ceatos athe than 1ust consu$es. The
appoach develops #o$putational Thin3ing C thin3ing in a
logical 'ay to develop a solution to a poble$. .t@s the
'ay you have to thin3 to be able to poga$ co$putes
successfully. <ut it@s also an appoach that you can use in
all aeas of the #o$puting #uiculu$6 'hethe it@s
#o$pute )cience6 .nfo$ation Technology6 Digital
=iteacy o #ybe Wisdo$.
#o$putational Thin3ing has % aspects C pespectives6
pactices and concepts. .t@s the pespectives and pactices
that 'e ae applying acoss the 'hole cuiculu$6 'hethe
the solution lies in the ceation of a co$pute poga$6 a
speadsheet6 a pesentation6 o an ani$ation.
The three Computational Perspectives are/
Expressing C 'hee young people ealise that co$puting
is a ceative $ediu$.
Connecting C 'hee young people don@t 'o3 only in
isolation but ae allo'ed to 'o3 collaboatively to solve
poble$s.
Questioning C 'hee young people ae e$po'eed to as3
Auestions about the 'old.
The *our Computational Practices are/
Being iterative and incremental C 'hee young people
lean that to develop a successful solution they have to
develop a little bit6 ty it out6 then develop so$e $oe.
Testing and deugging C 'hee young people lean that
to $a3e sue thei solutions 'o3 they have to find and fi5
$ista3es.
!eusing and remixing C 'hee young people lean that
they can $a3e solutions by building on 'hat othes6 and
they6 have done befoe.
"stracting and modulari#ing C 'hee young people
lean that they can develop co$ple5 solutions by putting
togethe collections of s$alle pats.
Iu cuiculu$ is being developed by a tea$ of nine
&i$ay )chool teaches and eleven )econday )chool
teaches6 including one 'ho 'o3s in a &upil (efeal
!nit. We ae also 'o3ing 'ith ou eight )pecial )chools
to ensue all childen and young people in )uffol3 can
access the #o$puting #uiculu$.
Digital Education late July 2014 Page 1 of 10
Iu stating point 'as to loo3 at the #o$puting
&oga$$e of )tudy Din daft 'hen 'e began 'o3 in
May 201%F and to divide into stands. We identified 47
Computer $cience7 undestanding co$putational
concepts and ho' to 'ite co$pute poga$s?
Information Technology %IT&7 undestanding ho'
co$putes 'o36 'hat co$pute net'o3s ae6 and ho' 'e
use .T in ou lives?
'igital (iteracy7 the ability to select and use digital
technology to co$$unicate effectively to a given audience
fo a specific pupose6 including using ne' and unfa$ilia
technologies 'ith inceasing co$petence?
Cyer Wisdom7 using technology safely6 espectfully and
esponsibly6 including legal fa$e'o3s and health and
safety issues.
9o each stand 'e ae developing pogession gids 'hich
ta3e the ,ational #uiculu$ J&upils should be taught
toOK state$ents and bea3s the$ into yealy =eaning
Ib1ectives outlining 'hat young people should be tying
to lean.
=eaning Iutco$es ae identified fo each =eaning
Ib1ective and ta3e the fo$ of J. canOK state$ents 'hich
de$onstate 'hat young people need to do to sho' that
leaning has ta3en place. We then seach though the
nu$eous esouces being developed to suppot the
#o$puting #uiculu$ and signpost to those Auality
assued by )uffol3 teaches. .f thee ae no esouces to
suppot ou =eaning Ib1ectives 'e develop ou o'n. We
have developed the pogession gids and esouces to
$a3e the$ accessible fo all teaches6 including those 'ho
have little o no e5peience of #o$puting.
)o fa 'e have pogession gids and esouces to teach
the #o$pute )cience stand fo$ yeas 1:4 Dage H:14F.
The #ybe Wisdo$ stand has pogession gids and
esouces fo yeas 1:+ Dage H:11F. They can be found on
)uffol3 =eaning
i
.
The seconday tea$ 'ill be developing the #ybe Wisdo$
stand ne5t 'hile the &i$ay tea$ is 'o3ing on the
lagest stand C Digital =iteacy. We 'ill continue to
evisit6 evie' and develop ou cuiculu$ to ensue that it
stays elevant and up:to:date.
bout Kathr+n Da+
Kathryn is Computing and Technology
nhanced !earning "d#iser for Suffol$
County Council%s !earning and
&mpro#ement Ser#ice. Before training to
teach Secondary &CT she had pre#ious li#es
in the 'ine trade and archaeology. She
considers herself to be a restrained and reflecti#e adopter
of technology ( cautious of the lure of the latest gadgets
and al'ays putting learning first.
2evie$ o* !M2T mp
S)"RT "mp is an application designed to facilitate
collaboration across a range of de#ices. llie *regson+ a
,ear -. student+ discusses 'hat 'as good+ and 'hat 'as
not so good+ about its introduction into her lessons.
Thee 'as often e5cite$ent 'hen i&ads 'ee oiginally
bought into the classoo$6 but not the sot of enthusias$ .
thin3 teaches hoped fo fo$ thei students. We 'ould
spend the lesson thilled by the change in at$osphee6
ta3ing vaious photos and not focusing on the 'o3 as 'ell
as 'e could.
)M*(T *$p definitely i$poved upon this use of i&ads
in the classoo$. .t is basically intenet:based soft'ae
that ceates a Pvitual classoo$@6 'hee a teache can set
'o3 on a blan3 page and you can ans'e Auestions using
i&ads. Gou can send in you ans'es using photos ta3en
fo$ you boo3s6 'ebsites o si$ply 'iting it staight
onto the page.
Eveyone in $y class 'as co$fotable 'ith using
technology6 so the si$plicity of using this ne' leaning
facility 'as not an issue. Iu fist lesson using it 'as Auite
chaotic6 'ith a s$all pecentage of the class doing the set
'o3 on the i&ads and the $a1oity ta3ing silly pictues
and posting the$ online. ;o'eve6 this does sho' ho'
fo$ an ealy stage )M*(T *$p inteested us and 'e
found it easy to handle.
Digital Education late July 2014 Page 3 of 10
These
screenshots
illustrate the
range of
annotations
and lin$s that
S)"RT "mp
ma$es
possible to
share
bet'een
de#ices.
>adually6 the soft'ae has i$poved and as one of the
fist classes to use it6 'e have seen it go'. The teache
no' has contol ove 'hat can be posted and can ta3e
a'ay eveyone@s ability to post in ode to sho' the$
so$ething specific.
.n ou $oe ecent lessons using )M*(T *$p6 'hee 'e
ans'eed e5a$:style Auestions set by ou teache
involving finding the volu$e of shapes6 'e can eally see
that these changes 'ee necessay fo ou leaning
e5peience because no' 'e ae able to focus on the 'o3
'hen necessay.
)M*(T *$p has not co$pletely oveco$e the poble$s
'ith intoducing technology into the classoo$. *lthough
$oe people concentate than peviously6 the change of
at$osphee is a distaction fo so$e. .t is difficult to use if
'o3ing in pais because students 'o3 at diffeent paces
but $any schools do not have enough access to technology
to distibute i&ads8laptops individually. ;o'eve6 if
students 'ee able to use thei o'n $obiles fo it in the
futue6 this difficulty $ay be oveco$e.
The soft'ae is fee and easy to use6 and 'ill soon be
available fo $ost devices 'ith access to the intenet. This
$eans that in the futue teaches 'ill be able to set
ho$e'o3 fo the students on this soft'ae 'ithout $uch
e5planation6 because it 'ill be online.
.n a no$al classoo$6 'hen a teache as3s fo a student to
contibute to a discussion6 the sa$e people 'ill no$ally
spea3. ;o'eve6 students see$ to feel a lot $oe
co$fotable posting online6 $eaning that eveyone can
shae ideas $oe feely. .n addition to this6 in ou Maths
class D'hee 'e use )M*(T *$pF ou teache 'ill often
teach us ho' to 'o3 out a paticula poble$6 but not
eveyone 'ill undestand. .f othe class$ates post
e5planations o othe $ethods they 3no' of6 eveyone 'ill
have a geate undestanding.
Iveall6 )M*(T *$p definitely has the potential to
i$pove students@ ability to lean6 but shouldn@t be used
e5cessively. .t allo's eveyone to collaboate and shae
ideas but the distaction of technology that students ae
used to using in thei spae ti$e can pevent it fo$ being
as helpful as possible. ;o'eve6 it ceates a ne' 'ay to
lean that is inteesting and $oe fun to use than odinay
te5t boo3s.
9o $oe in fo$ation about )M*(T *$p6 please visit
http788education.s$attech.co$8en8poducts8s$at:a$p.
bout Ellie 4regson
llie is a ,ear -. student at Thomas Tallis school in
!ondon. She is studying for her *CSs+ en/oys 'riting
and is considering a career as a /ournalist.
5eurodeterminism as an antidote to common
sense6 ' doubt it7
)el Thompson discusses a certain type of determinism
found in the area of 0hilosophy these days. Some time &
ago & discussed this phenomenon in the field of
educational technology
ii
+ and later disco#ered that )el
and & shared certain #ie's and frustrations1 Read )el2s
article3 do you detect any similarities bet'een our t'o
disciplines4
*dvances in neuoscience have given us ne' insights into
the 'o3ings of the bain6 at least to the e5tent that the
$easue$ent of blood flo' suggests 'hich pats of the
bain ae opeating at any one ti$e. When 'e $a3e a
decision6 the only physical evidence fo ho' 'e do it is in
te$s of bain activity6 1ust as 'hen 'e go fo a 'al36 the
only physical evidence fo ho' 'e do that is the
$ove$ent of $uscles and li$bs6 along 'ith the
coesponding unconscious bain activity. )uch an
obsevation is in accod 'ith a co$$on sense vie' of the
$ind6 fo fe' today 'ould subscibe to the idea that 'e
have a dise$bodied self6 independently capable of pulling
ou physical puppet:stings. We thin36 'e 'al3 and 'e
decide 'hat to do C that is ho' 'e e5peience ouselves.
We ae eal and 'e ae e$bodied.
. a$ uttely fustated6 theefoe6 by those 'ho ta3e a
futhe step and ty to suggest that the self is nothing other
Digital Education late July 2014 Page 8 of 10
than neual activity6 o that ou evey decision is an
illusion6 ceated by neual activity that has ta3en place
pio to ou beco$ing a'ae of it. They suggest that6
because they can detect activity even a faction of a second
befoe 'e $a3e a decision6 it is not 'e 'ho have $ade the
decision at all6 but ou bains6 and theefoe that 'e have
no $oe than an illusion of being in chage o of being
$oally esponsible fo ou actions. *t this point6
neuodete$inis$ pats co$pany 'ith co$$on sense. We
3no' 'hat it is to agonise ove a decision and then ta3e
esponsibility fo it6 and no analysis in te$s of neual
activity is going to ende that pocess illusoy6 any $oe
than a MoMat sy$phony is endeed illusoy by being
analysed in te$s of a seAuence of sound 'aves. If
couse thee is no sy$phony 'ithout sound 'aves6 no
so$e e5ta:teestial ghost of MoMat6 but no list of
feAuencies is going to eplace 'hat 'e $ean by the
sy$phony o ou e5peience of heaing it.
,euodete$inis$ only $a3es sense if 'e assu$e that the
hu$an bain is the cause of its o'n activity and that
hu$an social inteaction and co$$unication ae $eely its
by:poducts. .ndeed6 so$e enthusiasts fo neuoscience
$oc3 the co$$on sense vie' that 'e have of ouselves as
thin3ing6 choosing6 ceating6 conscious beings as a elic of
a pe:scientific outloo3. .f it can@t be $easued6 it can@t
e5ist/
.n fact6 . 'ould ague that the elationship bet'een self
and bain is e5actly the evese. #o$$unication and social
inteaction6 'ith the develop$ent of signs and language6
povided the conte5t 'ithin 'hich natual selection
favoued the develop$ent of $ental capacity. Those best
able to identify one anothe6 co$$unicate and $a3e good
decisions about ho' to act togethe6 'ee able to suvive
in a co$petitive 'old6 and the bain capacity that $ade
possible such thought and co$$unication theefoe
inceased ove ti$e. To suggest othe'ise eAuies belief
in so$e e5tenal foce that appeas to have dete$ined that
ho$inids should have eve:inceasing canial capacity. <ut
C if natual selection is a valid 'ay of loo3ing at evolution
C it 1ust doesn@t 'o3 that 'ay. #hange eAuies conte5t
and co$petition. .t is because 'e flouish as a species if
'e thin36 decide and co$$unicate6 that ou bains develop
ove ti$e. &ue Da'in.
,otice that it is the eality of countless individuals in thei
inteaction 'ith one anothe and 'ith thei envion$ent
that enables this evolution to ta3e place? it povides the
conte5t 'ithin 'hich inceasing bain:po'e $a3es sense.
<ut6 Auite apat fo$ evolution6 'e also 3no' that the
bain is plastic and constantly changing. .t esponds to ou
choices and actions. *s 'e lean a ne' s3ill6 the elevant
neual path'ays enlage to eflect that achieve$ent and to
facilitate it futhe. We don@t find that 'e have a ne' s3ill
because the neual path'ays have changed? they change as
'e lean the s3ill/
What happens in the bain $ios and continues to $a3e
possible 'hat happens to us as pesons and as social
agents. We ae $oe than ou bains6 and even if
neuoscience 'ee one day to achieve the i$possible and
give a full desciption of the activity of each and evey
neuon6 that 'ould still not e5plain 'hat consciousness is
li3e6 o 'hat it $eans to be a hu$an being. That $ay be a
co$$on sense vie'6 but . thin3 it is none the 'ose fo
that/
bout Mel Thompson
Formerly a teacher+
editor and "-le#el
e5aminer+ )el
Thompson is no' a
freelance 'riter+ 'ith
a particular interest in
0hilosophy and
thics. 6is many
publications include 7 boo$s in the 8Teach ,ourself % series+
Philosophers Behaving Badly+ about the beha#iour of
some 'ell-$no'n thin$ers+ and+ most recently The
Philosophers Beach Book6 'hich in#ites you to 'iggle
your toes in the sand and thin$1
For further information about his publications+ and lin$s
to many other items of philosophical and ethical interest+
see his 'ebsite3 '''.philosophyandethics.com
ssessing pro(ect based learning
By 9ohn 0artridge
.n $y pevious aticle in the ealy July 2014 edition of
Digital Education . e5plained the easoning behind a
po1ect based leaning $odel and 'hy . believe it 'o3s.
Moving leaning out of discete units into lage po1ects is
of couse less neat6 by design. Wo3 no longe fits into
neat pac3ages 'hich can be neatly assessed and tac3ed.
.@d li3e to eflect biefly on 'hy that is oveall a good
thing. The pi$ay dive behind a po1ect appoach is it
sho's students 'hee thei leaning fits into the bigge
pictue and also ho' all the stands of technology 'eave
togethe.
The do'nside to this bluing of topics and $i5ing of
stands is that it can be hade to assess. #onceptually
students ae $oving bet'een diffeent leaning fluidly6
often coveing $ultiple aeas at the sa$e ti$e. )o ho' can
you assess thei pogess- Which is afte:all the heat of
Ifsted guidance
Dhttp788'''.ofsted.gov.u38esouces8school:inspection:
handboo3F.
Thee ae a fe' things you can do to $a3e it 'o3. 9istly6
po1ect leaning needs a eal focus on consistent language.
. thin3 this is a geat idea ho'eve you teach6 but in
po1ect leaning it@s citical. )tudents need to be able to
lin3 'hat they@e doing to pio and futue leaning. .f
you@e teaching poga$$ing then those 3ey te$s li3e
vaiable6 state$ent6 iteation6 algoith$6 loop should be the
ones you@e using. Gou need to do this delibeately and
e5plicitly. This allo's students to lin3 'hat they@e doing
Digital Education late July 2014 Page 9 of 10
no' to the last ti$e it featued in a po1ect. .t allo's you
to consolidate thei undestanding6 build on thei pio
3no'ledge and e5tend it futhe.
This consistent use of vocabulay also suppots you
assess$ent. .t 'ill help you focus on the 3no'ledge and
s3ills you@e tying to build and then you can give useful
feedbac3 to students on thei pogess.
This feeds into a $odel of assess$ent 'hich $atches
po1ect leaning6 'hich is to assess stands of 3no'ledge
and s3ills. *t ou cente 'e use the sa$e stands fo
assess$ent 'e use in po1ect 'o37 pesenting
info$ation6 data handling6 co$pute science and digital
liteacy. Each ti$e students do an ele$ent of a po1ect 'e
flag to the$ 'hich of these stands it fits 'ithin as 'ell as
the 3no'ledge and s3ills 'e@e coveing C 'hich is 'hee
the consistent liteacy is citical. The $a3 'ithin each
stand efes to thei $astey of it.
*t pesent 'e@e tialling this unde a <loo$Bs ta5ono$y
style set of state$ents. This goes fo$ an ability to
e$e$be 3no'ledge and s3ills up to ceating using the$6
'hich is the highest level of $astey. We descibe that to
students as al$ost total independence6 'hee students ae
leading thei leaning.
What . 'ant fo$ a student is the ability to appoach a
po1ect6 be able to analyse and evaluate ho' best to
appoach it and then the ability to tac3le it 'ith
confidence6 ceativity and also to a high standad. .f a
student sho's that level of independence6 . feel that is
'hat success loo3s li3e.
9inally6 an added benefit of this appoach is that it gives
$oe ganula detail to student assess$ent the one sub1ect
level neve did6 'hilst 3eeping the assess$ent buden fo
staff at a ealistic level.
bout :ohn Partridge
9ohn 0artridge is "ssistant 6ead for e!earning at the
)inster School in South'ell. 6e has ten years e5perience
as a sub/ect leader for Computing:&CT and has spo$en at
a number of e#ents across the country about the ne'
curriculum changes. 6is 'ider 'or$ in the sub/ect area
'as recognised through a ;aace &mpact a'ard in <.-=.
c&no$ledgements
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