How can social media be used in the classroom?

Social media can be a daunting prospect but it doesn’t have to be. In this article we offer a good-practice guide to managing your school Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest accounts.

The use of new communicative technologies remains a topic of wide debate with both arguments for and against.

Festivities shouldn’t replace revision necessity

The countdown to Christmas has begun, advent calendars are half-open, online shoppers are in full swing and even the snow has made an early appearance.

Yet, with all the excitement, students can overlook the importance of revision.

December and January are always difficult periods with mock exams, resits and modular exams all falling within a short space of time. You don't need us reminding you but we know it can be difficult to keep learners focused over the festive season, especially once they're out of the classroom.

Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre is facing this challenge like schools up and down the country.

Are UK universities about to embark on a global online revolution?

In the USA, a global phenomenon in online learning is taking place and many education technologists are anticipating a similar wave in the UK, albeit a much slower one.

Moocs – massive online open courses – have become a national success in the USA, yet over here distance learning remains a niche concern, often seen as a side project for UK universities to cash in on international and postgraduate course fees.

The contrast between nations is stark: while UK universities have only begun to dip their toes in, venture capitalists and leading higher-education institutes in the States are investing millions into the development of ground-breaking new moocs. On offer are free online courses to mass numbers of students across the states and internationally.

Surface vs iPad – Can Microsoft offer schools more choice?

Apple had a big head start in the tablet market, but early this year Microsoft revealed its own strategy for taking on the iPad: the latest version of its Windows operating system, Windows 8, allows for a new breed of hybrid tablet PCs – part tablet computer, part laptop.

Inspired by Apple’s touch-based iOS system, Windows 8, which launched this autumn – is radically different from its predecessors. The system doesn’t even have Microsoft’s iconic ‘start’ menu. Instead, all applications are spread across a tiled dashboard, resembling road signs that can be navigated with a swipe of the finger on the display screen or with a keyboard and an in-built mouse pad. The tiles also provide a glimpse at the activity occurring in applications connected to the web, such as email.

Ensure digital technology meets the needs of students, today and tomorrow

‘Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time’
                                                                                                                      Hebrew Proverb

Innovation in technology – from smartphones and smart TVs to tablets and even Leap pads for primary school students – has propelled our children into a digital age. A time where the average teen sends 60 texts a day, where they check and update their social statuses daily and where the average student spends from 6.5 to 10 hours a day consuming media, most of which is in a multi-activity environment. Young learners are experiencing new advances, opportunities, pressures and challenges far different from that of their parents, teachers, head teachers and school board members.