David Rogers

www.twitter.com/daviderogers

www.davidrogers.org.uk

Current job: Professional Tutor and Curriculum Leader for Geography, from September 2013 will be Assistant Head Teacher.

Been a teacher since: 2003

Location: Portsmouth, UK

Current mobile device: iPhone 5; Dell XPS 10 running Windows 8 RT; iPad 2; Kindle

Current computer: HP Laptop, MacBook.

School-issued devices: MacBook Air.

One word that best describes how you work: Differently.

How do you manage your calendar/diary?

Mainly through the iPhone 5 calendar together with the iCloud app via PC and MacBooks.

How do you manage your lesson planning?

I have a moleskin notebook and all ideas go in there. I lesson plan analogue through mindmaps and writing / sketching before transferring to Priory Geography’s Schemes of Work in Google Docs.

How do you manage your marking?

We mark each class every four lessons and have a shared rota within the department tied to monitoring.  I mark when I want to and have blocks of time.  I never take books home to mark, preferring to stay later in school.

What’s your best tip for term-time weekends?

Weekend’s is family / friends / me time.  I run, taking part in my first Marathon in April this year.

What do you do during school holidays?

Mainly spend time looking after my 3 year old son, exploring, climbing, going to the Alps with friends to climb.  I also lead a number of school trips. In 2012/13 these have included Iceland, Duke of Edinburgh Award.  I also travel with family and work with Discover the World who have sent me to Morocco.  Some of the time is spent on freelance projects for the Royal Geographical Society, Discover the World, Microsoft’s Partners in Learning and Hodder.  Bottom line is that holidays are important recharge time.  Read this blog post about how, like Fireman Sam,  I’m never really off duty though: http://daviderogers.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/never-off-duty-productivity-and.html

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

Evernote, Google Docs, Dropbox, the Office suite, Internet browser (I don’t care which).

What offline tools can’t you live without? 

My Moleskin notebooks, my running kit, my tents, my mountain bike, coffee, real ale.

What’s your main workspace like?

A disorganised mess, but I know where everything is.  Most of the time.

What do you listen to while you work?

BBC News, my eclectic selection of tunes.

What’s your best time-saving trick?

Say no to people.

What’s your favorite to-do list manager?

Seriously, my head. The my Moleskin and recently the reminder app on my iPhone, especially the ‘remind me when I get to a place’ feature.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without?

Kindle. I read a book a week on average during my 90 minutes of commuting each day.

What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?

My team would say keeping the focus on the main thing.  Which is learning, even if that means upsetting everyone.

What’s your sleep routine like?

Up at 6am, usually with my son. I hate wasting the day and have always gotten up early.  I go to sleep when I’m tired. Or bored.

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?

A reluctant extrovert.  I am because it’s how to get things done and learning improved.

 I would like to I’d like to see Ollie Bray answer these same questions.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

You can piss off everyone in the school, apart from the caretakers, photocopy team, the Head’s PA and the Bursar.

Decide what you can control and can’t. For those things you can’t, adjust the way you react to them. For those things you can, get them right.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I love my job and don’t consider it any more difficult than any other. I consider myself a habitual underachiever.

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Many thanks to David for agreeing to post here. Other *This is how I work* posts are available here.

Twitter: @lisajaneashes

Blog: http://lisajaneashes.edublogs.org

On Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lisa-Jane-Ashes/e/B00CBI7H0A/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1365761904&sr=8-2

Consultancy: http://www.independentthinking.co.uk/Who/Associates+(A+-+D)/Lisa+Ashes/default.aspx

Current job: Advanced Skills Teaching and Learning Leader

Been a teacher since: 2007

Location: Gateshead

Current mobile device: iPhone 5

Current computer: Macbook Pro

One word that best describes how you work: Relentlessly

How do you manage your calendar/diary?

Everything gets written somewhere… it is a miracle that I manage to keep all of my appointments but I do.

How do you manage your lesson planning?

My lessons get written into my teacher planner usually the day before I teach them. I have a long and medium overview that are a bit like shopping lists for classes to make sure I cover all skills but these rarely get used more than once as every class is so different. This explains how I plan: http://lisajaneashes.edublogs.org/2012/11/19/how-i-plan-for-progression/ (extract below – great post!)

Note this is not my new way of planning but the Manglish model is not quite ready yet…

STAGE ONE

What do they need to know?

Begin by using your Key Stage 4 specification to work out what your subjects’ core topics are and how they will be assessed. Look to the very top band of the mark scheme to see what the end result would look like if you had prepared your pupils for perfection. For example:

The core topics that make up the AQA GCSE English Language and Literature course are:

Speaking and listening

Spoken language

Other cultures

extended reading

plays

Shakespeare

Exploring poetry

Writing for various purposes

Pupils are tested for their understanding and skill in exam conditions for all of the above topics. The skills that the mark scheme dictates they must demonstrate are:

SPEAKING AND LISTENING

Pupils are able to highlight priorities and essential detail when communicating complex and demanding subject-matter. They can
use a sophisticated repertoire of strategies to…

How do you manage your marking?

Extract from: http://lisajaneashes.edublogs.org/2012/11/03/what-are-you-marking-that-for/

Did you find yourself at some point his week with a HUGE pile of books to mark? When you opened them, did you need to look back over several lessons that you had forgotten you’d even taught? I really hope not!

If you did, there are ways to avoid such a backlog such as only ever setting a written task for a purpose. If you asked pupils to write a page of work but you have just returned to it to mark it now, what were your reasons for them writing it in the first place?

Click here or link above to read the full post on Lisa’s blog.

What’s your best tip for term-time weekends?

Grab every second of fun you can! Don’t be grumpy because it is Monday tomorrow; remember it is Sunday today.

What do you do during school holidays?

I paint. Of course I spend time preparing for the next term too but I try to do things that I never have time to do during term time and painting with my kids is top of the list.

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

Twitter

What’s your main workspace like?

A mess! I know where everything is but it gives my line manager heart palpitations when she sees my piles of stuff. My classroom has my favourite quotations on the walls to keep me smiling and I filled the wall with stars to cover the messy staple marks.

What do you listen to while you work?

Kids debating the questions of the lesson.

What’s your best time-saving trick?

Little and often – don’t put it off

What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?

Inappropriateness

What’s your sleep routine like?

Not too bad… pro plus anyone?

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?

I would love to say introvert but that’s just not true. “If anyone is further outside the box than Lisa, I would hate to meet them.” Proud moment when that was said about me.

I would like to I’d like to see David Didau answer these same questions.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

When I was about to go into my AST interview my HOD stopped me and said: “Lisa, whatever you do, please just don’t be yourself!” I ignored this advice and got the job. That was not the best advice I have been given but it reminded me that someone else told me “always be yourself; don’t let anyone change you.” True that!

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Being a teacher is hard, damn hard but it is also fun, damn fun! If you hate it, get out; if you love it, it is the best job in the world.

Tait Coles

 Blog: http://taitcoles.wordpress.com/

Twitter: @Totallywired77

Current job:  Assistant Principal for Teaching and Learning at Temple Moor High School in Leeds, from June I will be Vice Principal for Learning and Innovation at Dixons City Academy in Bradford.

Been a teacher since: 2004

Location: Bradford

Current mobile device: A very old iPhone 3. As one of my ‘very confident’ Year 9 students told me, as I was looking at my phone on duty one day: “Sir, its 2013; change your phone!”

Current computer: MacBook Pro

One word that best describes how you work: Passionately

How do you manage your calendar/diary?

Old skool! I use my School planner

How do you manage your lesson planning?

Now, I’m not being deliberately controversial here, but I rarely write down what I’m going to do. As I was told once by a great friend: “Don’t take notes, take action”. I know what outcomes I want my students to achieve and I have a very agile approach as to how they can achieve them. The majority of my lessons involve Punk Learning anyway, where my students are having complete control of their learning.

How do you manage your marking?

A huge emphasis in my classroom is on critique, so much of the lessons are spent with students critiquing each others work. I also ensure that I am giving my students constant verbal feedback during the lessons. Of course I do mark! For BTEC Science classes I tend to mark and assess the work with the student along side me, as I believe that helps them understand what they’ve achieved and what they need to do to improve.

What’s your best tip for term-time weekends?

Enjoy them, because they go quick!

What do you do during school holidays?

Relax! For me, it’s a time to consolidate and reflect on what you’ve achieved. It’s also a time to generate new ideas and get inspired. I’m reading a lot at the moment, especially in the holidays. I haven’t read a book on Pedagogy for a while, I tend to get my inspiration from other sources. I am currently reading Jon Savage’s “England’s Dreaming”

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

Twitter

What’s your main workspace like?

Minimal! I don’t tend to be in my office during the school day much

What do you listen to while you work?

BBC Radio 6 Music

What’s your best time-saving trick?

Don’t put things off, get them done straight away.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without?

My stereo

What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?

I make a good brew!

What’s your sleep routine like?

Very good thank you!

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?

I guess I’m an extrovert

I would like to I’d like to see Darren Mead, Pete Jones, Kenny Pieper and Lisa Jane Ashes answer these same questions.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

This is one of my favourite quotes from one of my inspirations. I think about this almost every day “Authority is supposedly grounded in wisdom, but I could see from a very early age that authority was only a system of control and it didn’t have any inherent wisdom. I quickly realised that you either became a power or you were crushed” Joe Strummer

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Well, if I can have a shameless plug for my book…

http://www.independentthinkingpress.com/book-titles/never-mind-the-inspectors/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Mind-Inspectors-Tait-Coles/dp/1781351120/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366829932&sr=1-1&keywords=tait+coles

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Many thanks to Tait for agreeing to post here.

David James

@EducationFest;

http://festivalofeducation2013.org.uk/category/directors-blog/

Current job: I have a few: Director of IB at Wellington College, Senior MYP School Consultant for the IB and also Director of the Sunday Times Festival of Education. Oh, and teacher of English.

Been a teacher since: 1995

Location: Wellington College

Current mobile device: iPad, iPhone 5, Blackberry, Nexus 7

Current computer: iMac, Toshiba laptop

School-issued devices: Toshiba laptop

One word that best describes how you work: Connectively

How do you manage your calendar/diary?

I prefer to manage it myself, although other people have access to my calendar and can make appointments; I find it saves time to control it myself using Outlook and Google Calendar.

How do you manage your lesson planning?

I try to get these sorted on the Sunday before the teaching week, but many of my best lessons have been composed ‘on the run’ in response to something that has just happened in the news, or on Twitter, on in a magazine I’ve just read.

How do you manage your marking?

Not as well as I should.  It should get easier, but it gets harder.  One thing that has made a difference is Google Docs: it means I can make interventions as the students are writing, and feedback to them quickly so that changes before bad habits become entrenched.

What’s your best tip for term-time weekends?

Take Saturday off if you can (although in my school we teach Saturday morning). Read.  Walk. Cook.  Watch football.  Mark and prepare lessons Sunday morning and finish work by 7pm.

What do you do during school holidays?

For the last few years I’ve been writing: two new editions of Shakespeare’s plays are due out next year and I’m contracted to write a book on the IB.   I travel, read, meet up with friends. Be with my family. The usual stuff.

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

Google tools dominate my work: Drive, Docs, Chrome, G+.  Because I have so many email addresses I increasingly use Apple’s Mail which brings them all together beautifully: Gmail on Mail is much cleaner and easier to use.  Outlook for planning my Calendar.  I use Twitterific on iPhone, iPad and OSX. Other apps would include Kindle on all devices, Spotify, Facebook and Dropbox.

What offline tools can’t you live without?

I’ve heard there is life offline but I haven’t seen it for a long time. But I still buy books and lots of magazines and newspapers.

What’s your main workspace like?

My office is usually neat and tidy: school PC, phone,  every broadsheet to pick up anything relating to education that day.  It  overlooks a quad in Wellington with a water feature outside, so is rather nice. Home office is surrounded by books and dominated by my iMac and various mobile devices.

What do you listen to while you work?

I subscribe to Spotify Premium, and so I make use of their Apps.  Usually a combination of jazz, chillout, classical…nothing massively distracting.  And I use iTunes of course. I make use of both Spotify’s and iTunes’s radio which introduces me to most new music.

What’s your best time-saving trick?

Give things that urgently need doing to busy but efficient people.  Trust others to get things done.

What’s your favorite to-do list manager?

Reminders or Wunderlist.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without?

iPad and Nexus 7.

What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?

I wouldn’t have the temerity to say.

What’s your sleep routine like?

I don’t tend to get enough of it, but after having three children and being a teacher you tend to get used to be constantly tired.  If I’m not tired I feel guilty for not being so.

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?

Depends on the company.  Probably the latter.

Who would you like to see answer these questions?

I would like to I’d like to see Carl Hendrick and Tom Sherrington answer these same questions.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

By my mentor, Dave Clifford, in a tough comprehensive: he told me to be firmer, less tolerant, more impatient with those who weren’t trying.  He also told me to enjoy teaching more, and to see it as often surreal and great fun.  He had maximum respect from his students.  He was intolerant of lack of effort but hugely patient with those who were trying their hardest.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

A blatant plug: if you’re interested in education why not come along to the next Education Festival? June 21 and 22.

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Many thanks to David for agreeing to post here. Other This is how I work posts are available here.

Andy Kemp

Current job: Director of Studies

Been a teacher since: Secondary Teacher since 2005; Adult Education since 2002

Location: Wells, Somerset

Current mobile device: iPhone 5

Current computer: iMac at work, and an 11” Macbook air at home

School-issued devices: iMac, iPad mini, and iPhone 5

One word that best describes how you work: If I had to chose one word that best describes how I work I guess I would say ‘focussed’

How do you manage your calendar/diary?

I manage my diary in Google Calendar (which we use for all our school calendars), this enables me to have access to my diary from lots of devices and enables my PA to add events to my diary as the day goes on!  To make it easier to add events to my diary I love Fantastical, which enables me to make new calendar events using natural language!

How do you manage your marking?

I find Saturday mornings when the office is quieter a good time to do some marking!

What’s your best tip for term-time weekends?

By the time I get to the end of Saturday it’s typically been a busy week, so I try to keep Sunday’s free to spend with my wife and children who have to suffer from my perpetual distraction during the week!

What do you do during school holidays?

As well as spending time with my family in recent years I’ve used the school holidays for personal study.  I studied for my MSc a few years ago, and decided to keep going and am currently trying to finish my EdD.

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

I love Google Docs for it’s ability to work collaboratively on documents with other people in the school – this saves me a huge amount of time!

I use Reeder (on Mac, iPad and iPhone) to read my RSS feeds, which enables me to keep an overview of what is happening in several news areas – unfortunately this is based on Google Reader which is being discontinued so I’m still waiting to see what the developers of Reeder come up with to keep this going!

In a similar vein I started using Pocket again about 6 months or so ago, and finally got it working for me (the missing link was having it linked to everything else I use!).  This enables me to keep track of the the longer articles I’d like to read but otherwise wouldn’t get round to – and is great for catching up with when sat on a train!

I do less of this than I used to, but am a massive fan of ScreenSteps for producing user guides and documentation – and will be going back to this next year when we replace our MIS!

Not related to my work but for my studying I couldn’t get by without the combination of Sente – which manages all my journal articles and Scrivener which is the best writing application I’ve ever found for when you need to write something of any serious length!

What offline tools can’t you live without?

A cup of tea!

What’s your main workspace like?

My office is in a beautiful building.  It has a good sized desk which holds my iMac and several chairs which I use to meet with various people throughout the day.  I don’t feel like I’ve really left my mark on it however as it’s still full of stuff that belonged to my predecessor!

What do you listen to while you work?

I tend not to listen to music at school, as it would be too distracting for others around as my office door is nearly always open.  When I’m working at home my go to music is anything by Counting Crows!

What’s your best time-saving trick?

Work out when you can save 20 emails with a 15min meeting, and when you can save an hour long meeting with an email!

What’s your favorite to-do list manager?

I’ve tried most of them and have never managed to use any properly.  I’m currently notionally using Things…  But keep most of it in my head.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without?

My Kindle!  Whilst I don’t read as much as I’d like to, I find I’m reading much more with my Kindle than I was beforehand!

What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?

Making technology work – not by doing anything in particular – but seemingly my presence in the room means that when people try the same thing they did 5mins before, it works when I’m standing watching!  I blame it on my magnetic personality…

What’s your sleep routine like?

I’m definitely a night person by preference and am rarely in bed before midnight, my alarm then goes off at 6:45am marking the beginning of another day!  I usually get to school around 8am.

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?

Definitely an introvert at heart, but have worked hard at my extroverted characteristics

Who would you like to see answer these same questions?

I would like to I’d like to see Mark Steed (@independenthead) & Kevin Fear (@kevinfear) answer these same questions.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Take every opportunity presented to you, as you never know where they will lead!

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Many thanks to Andy for agreeing to post here. Other This Is How I Work posts are available here. 

I am Colin Goffin and this is how I work

Colin Goffin

Current job: Assistant Headteacher – Standards (CPD, Self Evaluation, Recruitment etc) The Benjamin Britten High School, Suffolk

Been a teacher since: 1999

Location: Norfolk

Current mobile device: Iphone 5

Current computer: Macbook Pro

School-issued devices: Laptop running Windows 7 – never leaves school as prefer Macbook although transferring one to the other can be a challenge.

One word that best describes how you work: My wife would say ‘continuously’ which I suppose is a fair summary. I certainly feel like I work hard but don’t see myself as alone in that or some sort of martyr!

How do you manage your calendar/diary?

iCal on my phone mainly. Input events here and also email to outlook on school system which is shared with Head’s office team who can add events in – although the sync from school to phone never seems to work as well as vice versa.

How do you manage your lesson planning?

I plan collaboratively a lot with the rest of the CBC (Competency Based Curriculum) team and we use a common school format which I designed based on TEEP. All staff are trained in TEEP so we have a (developing!) common language of learning. After Easter though I’m getting more punk thanks to Tait Coles @totallywired77 so the students will be planning their own paths

How do you manage your marking?

I used to mark Nationals in Media which was fantastic as was all ICT based feedback but the CBC uses more books and essays etc so I’m back to hand written comments which is a challenge for me and the kids! I use a trick I was taught as an NQT – arrange in piles of 5 and always do some when there’s time. I also mark in the morning when there’s nobody else in school.

 What’s your best tip for term-time weekends?

Get up early and make the most of the day. I can walk my dog – who is a godsend for my sanity – get some work done and a few tweets and be clear by the time my wife is up and ready for the day. Aside from that don’t be an Arsenal fan as you never know how they’ll bugger up your weekend!

What do you do during school holidays?

Last year I spent most of the summer doing things to our house as we moved in in June and there’s still some bits to do there. I love having people round and barbecues when the weather’s up to it and I’m getting back into reading. Had found it hard for a while as nothing kept my attention but now rediscovering it. Billy Bragg’s The Progressive Patriot is my current read as I search for my own identity.

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

Just to be predictable Twitter is a massive one for me. Am learning not to get too involved in some debates there though as wasn’t switching off very well! I also love the podcast app and new bbc radio player for dog walks.

What offline tools can’t you live without?

Is it cheating to say music player on my ipod?!

What’s your main workspace like?

My classroom is a lovely space with big windows out on to the field in a building that was previously a middle school but became part of our site under when we moved from a three to a two tier system.  For a long time I was the Harry Potter of the SMT in an office with no windows (not even in the door) and strip lighting that was fairly erratic but now have a brilliant space with daylight and a table we can have meetings round as well as my desk. At home I work in the kitchen although will be moving to ‘the bunker’ a half converted garage when we moved in that will be fully converted some time…

What do you listen to while you work?

I always have music on. Itunes on random has gone from Billy Bragg to Miles Davis, The Roots, Simon and Garfunkel, Radiohead and Laura Marling (swoon) while doing this and at work have my docking station or Radio 2 if I want a giggle listening to Jeremy Vine.

What’s your best time-saving trick?

Just get on and do it really. Not much use that one is it?

What’s your favorite to-do list manager?

My head. Can generally carry things along there and keep on top.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without?

Ipod or DAB radio – although I suppose phone can do both of these.

What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?

Sausage casserole.

What’s your sleep routine like?

Having a dog helps here. Pretty set – bed between 10 and 11 and up at 5 (although sometimes a little later at the weekends if it’s too dark to head to the beach).

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?

Probably extrovert most of the time and I’d imagine that’s what people would say about me if asked but from time to time I like to withdraw into myself and take stock.

Fill in the blank

I would like to I’d like to see Tait Coles @totallywired77 , Chris McShane @McshaneChris , Lucie Lakin @lucielakin and Andraea Parker @dreya84 answer these same questions.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

My barber always says ‘don’t let people take kindness as weakness’ but he also says ‘if you can’t fight get a big hat’ so perhaps not the best. I’m indebted to Chris McShane the headteacher at Winton School Andover for being a mentor because he always puts me on the spot and asks difficult questions which have been more beneficial than hints and tips.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Grateful to be asked to contribute at all. Thanks.

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Many thanks to Colin for agreeing to post here. Other This Is How I Work posts available here.

The updated version of Frog4 demo site was sent to me today. The update that makes sure it works on all devices. These first four images are taken on my Nexus4. It allows you to scroll around the web page now. In landscape mode as the first image implies.

The other images show the page using Firefox on android. As you can see, not a lot to see. I thought we were going to get a platform that reconfigured pages for smaller screens. This does not do that.

These images below are the same thing on the iPad mini. I’m pleased to report that everything works as you would expect. Except in portrait mode where you get the black screen of switch to landscape.

This post was written on Nexus4 and iPad mini wordpress apps. They take a little getting used to and there wasn’t much I could do about the different image sizes presented by the apps.

Nick Dennis

Current job: Deputy Head at Berkhamsted School

Been a teacher since: 2003

Location: Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, UK

Current mobile device: I have two at the moment. I have an Android Galaxy S3 and an iPhone 5. As I do a lot of work with mobile learning I thought it would be useful to experience Android over the long term. Can’t say I love it. I also have an iPad Mini with 3G.

Current computer: I have an iMac and a Chromebook (provided to me gratis by the people at Google at one of the first Chromebook events).

School-issued devices: MacBook Pro 13 inch which also runs Windows 7 via a Virtual Machine (Parallels). I also use it at home as I can connect to the school network.

One word that best describes how you work: Now, I would say ‘effective’. Before, I would say ‘improving’. This does not mean that I am not improving now!

How do you manage your calendar/diary?

As I work in a PC dominated environment, I use Outlook when at my desk (my MacBook has Windows running via a VM). This way Mrs R (our PA) can manage my diary. I have my diary sync to my iPhone so most of my calendar management happens there.

How do you manage your lesson planning?

Depends on the lesson. I use Planbook to log things but often plan on an A3 pad when I need to be clear about what I am trying to get the students to learn through the activities I am using.

How do you manage your marking?

I try to do it early in the morning before anyone comes into school. I actually enjoy it more now. I know. Strange.

What’s your best tip for term-time weekends?

I always read at the weekend as it keeps me focussed. I normally go and support students/colleagues at matches on Saturday and it is great to see them in a different setting and is a weekly reminder that Education is more than what happens in the classroom. It also gives me a great opener with students when I see them during the week at school. The Salesians of Don Bosco talk about the ‘liking what they like’. Although not a Catholic, having volunteered for the organisation via my Catholic friends, it certainly cemented the view that ‘Education’ is about positive, healthy and appropriate relationships.

What do you do during school holidays?

Sleep and see family/friends. I have inconvenient friends who live in the corners of the country so I normally get to see them when I am on the break. I also read a great deal. It keeps me off the streets.

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

At the moment? Clash of Clans. I am addicted to it. I would like to  thank my Year 8 class who suggested that I play it. A waste of time but I need to harvest more elixir…

On a more serious note, I use Twitter quite a lot to find out what other people are doing. I used to be an avid forum user but find it better to connect with people outside my immediate interests. This is not to say that it is wonderful…

What offline tools can’t you live without?

Paper. Pen/pencil. Books.

What’s your main workspace like?

My office is lovely. I have a great view of the school and it has some student/personal prints on the wall. I also like the fact that I have a comfortable sofa that parents/students/colleagues can sit on when they come in. It is a little thing but it makes all the difference. At home, I use a desk and my dining table to write on. I have moved my computer display to the top of a cabinet so I can stand and type/browse/email which is better for my back.  I intend to buy a ‘standing desk’ at some point.

What do you listen to while you work?

Nothing at school as I do not want to distract others and my office door is open so colleagues/students/parents can come in to see me. At home, it depends. I find that when I really need to concentrate, I do not listen to any music at all (especially in the morning). At other times, a wide variety including classical, funk, R&B, indie. Anything really.

What’s your best time-saving trick?

Personally? I always put things into my calendar. Makes it easier to plan the day and allocate focus which saves time. I don’t have a general time-saving trick.

What’s your favorite to-do list manager?

Notebook and Firetask.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without?

None really.

What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?

Procrastination.

What’s your sleep routine like?

I go to sleep earlier now than I used to. My aim is to get to bed by 10 during term time and wake up at 5. I usually go to bed at 11 and am awake by 6.

Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?

I am an introvert who has learned/acquired extrovert tendencies.

Fill in the blank.

I’d like to see David James, Colin Goffin, Mark Steed, Jamie Portman, Mark Lovatt & Andy Kemp answer these same questions.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Can’t remember anything specific in terms of work but working with Mark Lauder, Headmaster at Ashville College, was an ‘advice fest’ in itself. Especially when it came to haircuts. Personally, things my Grandma says.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

No thank you.

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Many thanks to Nick for agreeing to be the first person to post.

The first post is by Nick Dennis who recently organised the fabulous Teaching, Learning & Assessment conference at his school, Berkhamsted.

A few weeks ago we met in the corridor and he had not managed to make his twitter enquires bear fruit. Another meeting in front of a web browser was had to try and steer the way toward something fruitful; he had yet to nail down a research question. We drilled twitter a bit and found a few leads, enough to make him make me feel like he now had something to pursue. A couple of days later another chance meeting carried with it a smile on his face. He had made a connection or two with other people out there somewhere. Reddit, ‘the front page of the Internet’ had turned up trumps for him and he mentioned a PhD researcher who had responded with promises of support. I remember my early days of reaching out to people on the web via twitter and blogs. They were not easy. It was emotional and I was naive.

Following this great news I asked the student if they might write another post to explain his journey. I received it attached to an email this evening. The email was full of apology and offers to rewrite it in favour of twitter. Of course I declined and thanked him for his courtesy. Twitter is an important tool to me and, however nauseous it may sound, I wanted his words about what he found useful out there on the web.

What comes next is his text, not mine. Thank you Seb.

Using Social Media for research – Twitter vs. Reddit

As part of a project at school, I’ve been trying to use social media as a tool to add depth to my research. The thinking was that social media would allow me to connect with researchers and their current work rather than just reading through countless journals.

With the help of Mr. Barnes (the owner of this blog) I started off with twitter. Although my topic of ‘quantum computing’ is quite specialized, I knew from researchers’ blogs that there was certainly an active community interested in the topic but it seemed that researchers just didn’t bother using twitter. Whilst a quick search for ‘quantum computing’ does turn up some useful tweets of news articles, these tend to be popular science articles which usually aren’t useful for research.

Having grown frustrated with twitter, I tried searching for quantum computing on reddit, a social news and entertainment website only to find there was a whole sub-forum dedicated to it, involving both recent news about the topic and questions from graduates and non-experts alike. Seeing the fantastic feedback that experts provided I decided to ask if anyone had advice for my project. I ended up getting several leads for further research with one person even teaching me rudimentary linear algebra and quantum mechanics after a brief exchange of messages on reddit.

It is apparent to me that the usefulness of social media is based on your intentions; you can start with a view to network and research or you can spend your entire time looking at pictures of cats. Not only is the reddit style of fielding an open question to provoke discussion useful to glean different perspectives, the sheer variety of expertise encountered through reddit is enormous – I’ve had questions answered by people who are merely interested in the topic to PhD graduates and researchers with grants from U.S. Defence contractors to build the next commercial quantum computer. Perhaps twitter does have some fantastic uses that I’ve yet to tap into, however it seems that reddit is exponentially better than twitter in that a single message can instantly provoke discussion and interaction in a concentrated community of people interested in your topic, rather than desperately trying to strike up a conversation with one person on twitter.