For me, 2007 has been a bit of a drought year in terms of reading. The arrival of my son Ben in January put pay to any thoughts of doing anything other than sleeping after going to bed. Having said that, I did manage at least one book per month on average, so below is a list of them with a one-sentence review.
I went to see Will Smith’s latest film I Am Legend yesterday with my brother-in-law Sean. I was expecting a bit of an action film and not have to think too much, but I was pleasantly surprised. It a rollicking good story with fantastic special effects – although obviously not as good as Beowulf which Hannah and I saw in glorious 3D on my birthday (December 22nd for those that missed it…) Continue reading “‘I Am Legend’ has it all”
BBC News reports that both the Children’s Minister and the NASUWT’s General Secretary of Teaching have urged parents to ensure Christmas toys stay at home. The latter, Chris Keates, is quoted as saying, “can be a real headache for teachers when they are trying to get everyone settled down to start learning. Teachers would be grateful if pupils just brought a pen.”
This is fairly short-sighted and in fact does not reflect the view of all, or even most, teachers. At the time of revolutionary devices such as the iPhone and the benefits of ‘games’ such as Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Age we need to be looking towards new pedagogies to replace the ‘teacher-at-the-front’ model. The two spokesman above have shown how out-of-touch they really are with education in the 21st century; it’s time to start harnessing the power of the technology students own to really personalise learning. 🙂
