About these comments The following comments were received from some of my clients, subscribers and visitors. The named ones, apart from Pat Williams, are part of recommendations made on Linkedin. Products mentioned Some products and subscriptions are mentioned a number of times, so here is a summary of them and where they may be found: Computers in Classrooms (free newsletter) and Practical ICT (for leaders and managers of educational ICT). Ebooks, such as Managing ICT. Every Child Matters: What it means for the ICT teacher "Characteristics of boring ICT lessons" is available on the website through the Practical ICT subscription, or as a book: Go on, bore 'em: how to make ICT lessons excruciatingly dull The comments and recommendations Initial response time was excellent. Terry caught the school's "feel" quickly, and I could not have asked for a better quality of work. The documentation was concise and precise. Overall, a first class service. Headteacher (from evaluation form). ~~~~~ An excellent service. Headteacher (summary of evaluation form). ~~~~~ I am writing to thank you for your sterling contribution to the PGCE IT programme over the last two years. You have been instrumental in establishing a comprehensive and well-run IT course for the trainees, for which we are very grateful. PGCE Training Manager. ~~~~~ I would like to thank you for your workshop on e-assessment. In your session you succeeded in presenting a comprehensive range of assessment principles to an international audience, stimulating responses that highlighted a range of cultural nuances. The particpants appreciated the experience and the opportunity to take away excellent resources for implementing effective electonic assessment in their own schools. Project Co-ordinator, Education and Technology Department, international organisation. ~~~~~ In collaboration with the ICT Leader, Terry had organised a clear but flexible agenda for the visit. Terry’s thorough preparation included detailed notes and analysis of the school’s SRF. His carefully prepared questions were well focussed and illustrated his depth of background study. His natural professional and enthusiastic approach quickly drew relevant information from all stakeholders and left them clearly happy with their experience.
Terry carried out the assessment efficiently and effectively showing a thorough knowledge and understanding of local and national initiatives and issues that would impact a secondary school of this kind.
Terry quickly established a natural rapport with the different groups consulted. His effective and sensitive style of questioning drew responses from all those involved.
Terry was confident and professional in dealing with members of the Senior Management Team and gave positive feedback and encouragement to the Headteacher and ICT leader, confirming actions and priorities for future development. He confirmed that the school have reasons to celebrate the ‘ICT development journey’ they are on, at the same time sensitively acknowledging the challenges ahead and making clear suggestions for possible future action.
Terry worked successfully to a tight schedule throughout the assessment. Pat Williams, ICT Mark Lead Assessor / Independent ICT Adviser, on my performance as an ICT Mark assessor. pat.williams1st@btinternet.com Home/Office tel:+44 (0)1767 681843 ~~~~~ I enjoy reading about the advancements in ICT. It is great to have the links to check out new sites. ~~~~~ Super journal. (Practical ICT) ~~~~~ Thank you so much for being an innovator and having the foresight to know that technology in education is forever evolving. ~~~~~ Can I just say a big thank you for this readable interesting set of articles. ~~~~~ I have so much to read and this was so easy to scan through and pick out articles that I am interested in. ~~~~~ The pdf (Practical ICT eJournal) looks great - the style of layout & writing makes it very easy to skim-read and then to choose which bits to read in detail. ~~~~~ I also think there is a real need for practical advice like that [the Practical ICT eJournal] - there is nowhere else to get it. From my experience Local Education Authority support now seems to concentrate solely on the curriculum/ks3-4 strategy and not the practical management of ICT. And even there they don't seem prepared to be innovative, but work to preprepared material. ~~~~~ I have one complaint about this subscription (to Practical ICT) - there is SO much to read! Terry is obviously a very busy man, with lots of different interests within his field. The articles and podcasts are fascinating, and it's always good to get someone else's perspective on a topic you think you know something about - it's all very thought-provoking and informative. Hints and tips, reviews and evaluations; I am sorry now that I didn't subscribe before. It's going to take me ages to get up to date. with all of the articles to catch up on. Thanks, Terry, for this amazing collection of resources! ~~~~~ I have recently forwarded the Christmas issue to a newly-qualified teacher of Information & Communications Technology - she said that she could not put it down and had to finish the whole issue all in one go - thank you very much for giving fellow readers so much hope and inspirations. ~~~~~ Surfing the net exposed me to your wonderful package. I think the package is interesting. ~~~~~ Thanks for sharing. ~~~~~ Thank you. I will point people to your great site and add your details to my handouts ~~~~~ Thank you for providing free resources! ~~~~~ I just listened to one of the podcasts yesterday and I am excited and looking forward to the next book. ~~~~~ I found this website through Joyce Valenza's blog and I am excited to read it. Thank you. ~~~~~ I think your site is fantastic, by the way. I've found it incredibly useful and it's great to see someone looking at Web 2.0 and what it means to teachers. ~~~~~ Glad I've found your web site. ~~~~~ I am regularly receiving the Computer in Classrooms Newsletter. It is very interesting and useful. ~~~~~ I am very glad that I have found your site - your comments are relevant and erudite - and you open up more e-learning horizons with your links and contacts - thank you ~~~~~ I just hit on your innovative work recently and I must say you are quite inspirational. ~~~~~ I really like your passion for innovation- I love reading about flicker toys and podcasting etc ~~~~~ I would love to book you to speak at one of my training sessions. ~~~~~ Your podcasting article actually empowered one teacher to try it with a group of borderline students and it worked wonders!!!! ~~~~~ I have used your easy guide to Every Child Matters for ICT teachers with my subject leaders and it has worked a treat! ~~~~~ A very useful site which not only offers useful and comprehensive advice, but also offers useful links to further information, saving a lot of precious time. ~~~~~ Thanks for all you're doing- I love the web2 book and the Every Child Matters book has been very handy and Iam passing it on to primary teachers and recomending it ~~~~~ Terry, I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. (A teacher trainer, on the series called Characteristics of Boring ICT Lessons) ~~~~~ Having 'read' all my documentation and carefully filed it in my ICT subject leader development folder and the like, I find myself reaching the same conclusions that you reach in your articles. You're focusing on the issues that matter in ICT teaching today. ~~~~~ I'm annoyed with myself for not visiting the site more often. ~~~~~ Thank you! ~~~~~ Many thanks Terry, for your contributions. I am pointing my students to your site. ~~~~~ I am working on several different projects from K-12 through adult learning. Thanks ~~~~~ I this this would be very useful for my faculty and their students and in my work as faculty support ~~~~~ Thanks for your generosity.
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Thanks for such a great website. ~~~~~ Wonderful website and resources Terry. Anything that adds simplicity and saves reinventing the wheel is going to have the best leverage integrating emerging technologies within the classroom environment. Time is the biggest issue so simplicity is the answer. ~~~~~ Thanks for your amazing efforts ~~~~~ Thanks! ~~~~~ Glad I've found your web site and look forward to these docs ~~~~~ I eagerly look forward to each new entry and publication whether it's through Computers in Classrooms, general articles and blogs or my premium subscription. The articles inspire me to think outside the box and frequently make me smile. Even more, they are always practical and have an immediate application. Thanks for a fantastic resource! I have learned so much. ~~~~~ I enjoy reading about the advancements in ICT. It is great to have the links to check out new sites. ~~~~~ Tery, thanks for sending the summary. I found the meeting very worthwhile as I now have a structured list of priorities to get my teeth into and I'm clear about how to go about them. ~~~~~ [Managing ICT] has been a lifeline and has got me through a very successful Ofsted inspection where our ICT had improved greatly. ~~~~~ Lots of practical advice here that should help a lot of people. ~~~~~ Really jam-packed with great advice. ~~~~~ Thank you for an incredible resource. I learned so much in such a succint manner, and had my faith remewed in pragmatism all at the same time! ~~~~~ You really have surpassed yourself, an excellent read. ~~~~~ Keep up the great work! ~~~~~ Your site is the only place on the internet where the comments and explanations are directly useful to ICT teaching in the real world. No messing about, no pie in the sky 'classrooms of the future' rubbish. When I read an article I'm normally either struck by the thought that yes, that really is the issue we're facing at the moment or That's a good idea, we should try this out. Thus, I find the articles refreshingly direct, honest and useful for ICT teaching, learning and management. The content is immediately useful for all involved with ICT. ~~~~~ I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. ~~~~~ Send me your paper please via email or link to your excellent website. ~~~~~ What I like most about this book is that it reads easily and will appeal to a beginner as well as seasoned technology user. ~~~~~ WOW! I don't know what possessed me to link to your newsletter, Terry, but you have captured, in the sample issue sent to me, what seems to be the top ten list of significant educational issues and boiled them down into - manageable undertakings?! Don't let the teaching colleges find out about this, or they will run you out of town. ~~~~~ I remember the articles because I always like to read them more than once. ~~~~~ I greatly respect the ethics you bring to your work!!!! ~~~~~ The pdf (of Practical ICT) looks great - the style of layout & writing makes it very easy to skim-read and then to choose which bits to read in detail. ~~~~~ Thanks for a superb seminar today at BETT. You really put things together clearly and in a logical way. ~~~~~ I find it (Practical ICT) really useful and interesting - saves my trawling around finding articles. ~~~~~ I'm glad we have professionals like you in the education world who can inform others of what education actually means for children. ~~~~~ Thanks very much for what is to me the most useful edition (of Practical ICT) yet. I’m getting to grips with exactly that problem of promoting VLE use in my school. Your advice is straightforward and implementable and I’m definitely going to include it in my plans. I missed the inspection report previously, so will check through that too. ~~~~~ These two books (Web 2.0 Projects and Coming of Age) were just released and they are a great resource for teachers who want to find out more about some resources that area available on the Internet and how to use them in their classrooms. ~~~~~ Thanks once again for all you write- it may be a headahce at times, but there are many of us around that value what you do. ~~~~~ The fantastic Terry Freedman, of Coming of Age ebook fame, just twittered that he collated and uploaded his new Web_2.0_Projects! ~~~~~ The new 36-page pdf ebook offers nearly 60 projects, organized by age group, designed to incorporate Web 2.0 tools in learning. Fabulous fodder for partnering with your teachers in September or before. ~~~~~ Thank you so much for posting your Web 2.0 Projects. Your shared information has empowered and excited me. ~~~~~ Thanks Terry some very interesting stuff here (in Computers in Classrooms) ~~~~~ Thanks for the usual collection of interesting items (in Computers in Classrooms)! ~~~~~ So thankful for your always support and I wish you more success. ~~~~~ Many thanks for the Computers in Classroom newsletter which was very interesting and also the articles about the Black Box and School leadership. You are doing a great job. ~~~~~ Hi Terry, Thanks a lot for the book Web 2.0 Projects. ~~~~~ Great articles (in Practical ICT and Leading & Managing Educational Technology), keep em coming ~~~~~ It is absolutely refreshing to find an educator who is also an Educational Technologist with conviction to say what is correct verses what is popular. Terry Freedman is that educator. A tireless Author, Blogger, Podcaster and a quality person, do yourself a favor. Introduce yourself to Terry. He is truly one of a kind. Shawn Wheeler ~~~~~ Thanks for a useful Practical ICT edition this week - definitely going to take on some of your action points. ~~~~~ Terry Freedman is an incredible educator. I know his work through his website, publications and through collaborating on recent podcasts, articles and e-books. He is the ultimate professional: highly respected, highly ethical, knowledgeable, articulate, thought-provoking, unassuming/humble (his work speaks for itself), and a great sense of humor. He makes me think, laugh and learn! Peggy George ~~~~~ Traveling from ~~~~~ Terry is a tireless advocate for the timely and appropriate use of ICT in schools. His drive, enthusiasm, and hard work resulted in creation of the Coming of Age teacher guide, an essential resource on Web 2.0 technologies Catherine Howell ~~~~~ Terry has had a meticulous and caring approach that takes into consideration the needs of the project timeline and the needs of the stakeholders. I am always impressed with Terry's ability to see things from a fresh perspective and to therefore encourage further reflection and analysis. He is never content with 'good enough is near enough' and strives for high standards in his own work while expecting it from others as well. I consider Terry an authoritative colleague and value his expertise in education and opinion on the best ways to improve learning for all. Julie Lindsay ~~~~~ I highly recommend Terry as a writer, advisor, educational consultant, and man of character. He remains one of my constant friends and advisors as I work in the classroom and beyond. Terry has an outstanding reputation in international circles largely for his single-handed publishing of one of the most influential educational technology publications, Coming of Age. He has not taken any proceeds from this document which included many educators from around the world writing on a variety of topics. Terry is a bridge builder in the world of educational technology and one of its most outstanding contributors! Vicki Davis ~~~~~ Terry is a good communicator with a down-to-earth approach which readers can relate to. You can rely on Terry for practical, helpful advice based on his own experiences. He also keenly researches an article to make sure current practice is incorporated. Julie Yaxley (Editor) ~~~~~ Terry Freedman has been one of our original TechLearning bloggers and as such has helped our readers think more clearly about educational technology issues. As our only foreign correspondent, Terry's take on issues has been refreshing and informative. Gwen Solomon ~~~~~ Terry's Coming of Age eBook publication was my first exposure and introduction to the possibilities with Education and Web2.0. Thank you for launching my new career path. Alex Ambrose ~~~~~ Thanks again for the service you provide through your site and articles, I've found so many of them incredibly useful. ~~~~~ "Terry you always impress me with being squeaky clean on boundaries." Mike Bostock