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Story themes

All stories
All the stories, irrespective of theme
Calculators
Calculators don't normally fit people's ideas of educational computing, but the need to calculate numerical tables for navigation, tides and gunnery was a major driving force for the invention of algorithms and computers, and thus calculators hold a special place in the historical development of computing at its most mathematical and its teaching.
Design for learning
Many authors have attempted to make resources for others to benefit from the experience of designing learning materials. Some have been specific to technologies and time-bound, others rise above to lay down concepts and rules-of-thumb which endure
Education and society
If you have been working in the field of educational computing for a long time, its easy to forget how times are moving along and that many of the adults working in the field have grown up with microcomputers in schools. This presents a challenge to those who have been involved since early days to respond to a growing society-wide adoption of technology where education can be seen to be lagging, whereas it once was seen to be leading.
Embedding
Stories of new practices becoming the norm in educational contexts
First Use
These are stories relating to first use of a computer in education.
Inspiration
Many adopters of educational computing were influenced by the inspirational practice of others whose creativity & ingenuity made clear the benefits of learning with new technologies
Journeys
This theme is for stories about people's experience over a long period of time, illustrating their developing insight and experience.
Pioneering practice
With the mass adoption of microcomputers in the 1980s many enthusiastic teachers and trainers found themselves responding to demand from children and adults to know more, ranging from informal courses to developing the formal curriculum
Programming
Many educators and trainers were inspired by the ability to create their own programs for computers, unleashing a new kind of creativity and problem solving which in some cases were life-changing