From Ruth Kelly’s opening address to BETT …one of the biggest challenges for technology to support Personalised Learning will be increasing home access. Yes, the ratio of computers to pupils continues to get better in secondary and primary schools. Yes, the number of schools with high speed broadband access is now up to 85%. And…

In 2006 I will… Understand users better Having created something like Yacapaca, you would think we would know why and how people use it. But I am constantly surprised by what is, and is not, important to real users. In 2006 I shall ask more, watch more and listen more. Build friendships It’s amazing the…

I remain mystified as to why Grids for Learning and Regional Broadband Consortia are so keen to spend huge amounts of money on proprietary VLEs. Ever since I started working in the elearning area, the best services have been free. Not just the Chalkface ones (we charge for content but not service); Think.com is another…

Twenty years ago, I decided to learn to touch type. Struggling with conventional classes, I looked for an alternative and discovered that the psychologist Robert Dilts had just invented a computer program that could teach me. No Google in those days; it was fortuitous that I already knew Robert, having trained under him. So I…

It was Ted who named our company, when he coined the term ‘Chalkface’ in his TES column in 1989. We felt that our values as publishers were closely aligned to his as an educator, and wanted to make that link visible. It stood us in good stead over the years. Thanks Ted, you will be…