My mouse ate my homework

Kids say the funniest things, apparently.
Pupils today have come up with a list of decidedly 21st century excuses for not delivering their homework on time.
Excuses now involve technology, although it seems many still lack any kind of wit or imagination. They include:

My computer crashed and I lost it
I finished my homework but then I deleted [...]

First Post, blue badges, flying saucers and woggles

A new week and there is a new era and a brave new world kicking off a new round-up:
The Birmingham Post has relaunched as a compact as part of the radical overhaul of newspaper publishing in the Midlands.
First impression last, so they say. And by and large first impressions of the smaller Post are positive [...]

The education game, RIP Grange Hill and welcome The Apprentice (Irish style)

I had planned to write up a piece about how we hunt and gather news these days after my experiences in Spain as the world’s financial markets went haywire.
But I still find myself playing catch-up, so I’ll restrict myself to a round-up:
Fellow WMBN member Francis Anderson has turned his attention to video games with his [...]

Blogging – newspapers; the law; education

Several interesting items scattered around today on all things blogs.
First up, a warning from legal types about legal implications of what you write on a blog.
Only five per cent of internet users are clear on their legal rights and responsibilities when posting comment online, according to new research from law firm DLA Piper.
The journalism and [...]

Immigration will fan the flamers in election countdown

Further evidence that immigration is likely to become the key issue at the next General Election.
A new report – The Economic Impact of Immigration – by a House of Lords committee claims that record levels of immigration have had little or no impact on the economic well-being of the UK.
The peers, including several ex-Cabinet ministers [...]

The kids aren’t alright

I cannot help but feel pity for today’s youngsters, even the skateboarders.
We continue to fail them over everything from their diet to their schooling, put all kinds of pressure on them to grow up too quickly and demonise them at almost every opportunity.
In many ways it is the lot of the teenager to be picked on [...]

Modern parenting is all about delegating responsibility

Parents are increasingly looking to schools and teachers to fill the moral vacuum that exists within their own children.
According to a senior headteachers’ leader, pupils lack realistic aspirations and are too heavily influenced by what they see as the “easy” lives of celebrities.
John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, believes some children have [...]

MP calls for Facebook lessons

Schools should set aside time each week to give pupils lessons on the responsible use of Facebook, other social networking sites and the internet in general.
That is the view of Madeleine Moon, the MP for Bridgend who was so quick to indulge in some bandwagon jumping when news first started to break about a number of [...]

Everyone welcome in Gordon’s culture club

The mass ranks of Goats – sorry, Government Of All Talents (sic) – are on a mission to unlock our full potential, whatever it might be.
Gordon Brown has drawn inspiration from the glut of X-Factor style talent shows that swamp our TV schedules and is now a passionate believer that the UK is populated by hidden gems, [...]