One day of planning went into Covid school closures, inquiry hears | BBC https://buff.ly/QpJGuHV < as the Inquiry queries the lack of govt planning, a reminder of my blog post from 2020 detailing the Govt's abandonment of pandemic planning for schools https://bit.ly/3B3bUyK

Europe forces Microsoft into free extended support for Windows 10 | PCWorld buff.ly/ziVpLVg < of course, since Brexit, the UK does not benefit from this change of approach by Microsoft....

For when you despair that the current US administration will ever get anything right? FTC Secures Historic $2.5 Billion Settlement Against Amazon buff.ly/tQOM9hB < A Prime example of a good result!

UK government wins £122m pandemic case against Michelle Mone-linked firm over faulty PPE www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o... < now here's some good news for a change. Just the criminal charges to wait for now?

The severity of cyberattacks on schools has worsened, with more than 10% now reporting ‘critical damage’, according to Ofqual data

Europe win Ryder Cup: Rory McIlroy hits out at 'unacceptable' behaviour after wife hit by drink - BBC Sport www.bbc.co.uk/sport/... < yet so many US 'fans' are excusing, claiming it is traditional and ok to barrack a golfer addressing the ball!

Not a fan of golf, but I do think the appalling behaviour and lack of sportsmanship by the US crowd at the Ryder Cup encapsulates all that's wrong with Trump's America. This is making America grate again... #losers

As Palestinians are by definition Semites, doesn't that make the appalling terror attacks Israel is carrying out in Gaza antisemitic? #irony

At This Rural Microschool, Students Will Study With AI and Run an Airbnb - EdSurge News www.edsurge.com/news/2025-09... < the 21stC AI-driven equivalent of sending children up chimneys and down mines?

Ex-FBI director James Comey indicted on two charges as Trump pushes to prosecute political enemies ,| Guardian www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025... < the very definition of Trumped up charges! And the total irony of Trump accusing him of misleading Americans! A sad day for justice.

Microsoft backtracks, makes Windows 10 ESU program free in the EEA | Windows Central www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/wi... < European Economic Area users are now offered a further year of Windows 10 without the usual strings! A few million more computers saved from landfill?

Trump Admin. Cancels Dozens More Grants, Hitting Civics, Arts, and Higher Ed. buff.ly/7OkcSEp < Education Department is saying thesevprojects no longer align with the administration’s education policy focus on “merit, fairness, and excellence.”

Excelas - GCSE Mathematics and Science AI Exam Marking Service excelas.ai < Introducing ExamGPT2, a GCSE AI Mock Exam Marking Service already in use in some UK schools.

Trump first claims free speech is under threat in the UK, then threatens to remove the licences from TV networks that are critical of him and his supporters. Just what definition of free speech does he believe in? #whatabouthe1stAmendment

Something at the State Banquet seems to have disagreed with Melania ...

Four arrested after images of Trump and Epstein projected on to Windsor Castle

The Watch List | Second Breakfast buff.ly/TDMZtPA < Audrey Watters on conservatism and violence in education. "Want to make these folks [ed tech entrepreneurs] really mad? Call metal detectors "ed-tech."

Tiny11's free update strips down Windows 11 for Windows 10 fans | PCWorld buff.ly/wyEuJXJ < for those with machines there capable but are still reluctant to 'upgrade' to Windows 11 and its clutter

WINUX provides the Windows 11 experience in a Linux distro | Windows Central www.windowscentral.c... < can't upgrade to Windows 11? Even a top Windows site recommends moving to WINUX on old machines!

Google's NotebookLM now lets you customize the tone of its AI podcasts | TechCrunch buff.ly/aWYnuqp < In addition to different customizable formats and durations, Google is also bringing the addition of new voices for its AI podcasts.

Excellent entirely AI-generated parody of a 'Yacht Rock' music video from the '70s by @EricKerArt, with a fascinating twitter thread explaining how it was created and assembled. x.com/EricKerArt/sta...

So the walking ego that is Trump has tried to upstage Sinner and Alcaraz by turning up late for the US Open final. What a pathetic c*nt that man is.

What is Comparative Judgement and why does it work? | No More Marking buff.ly/Sw8E88M < "What happens when we ask AI to do Comparative Judgement?" - good overview by @daisychristo

With the news of the death of Katharine Worsley, Duchess of Kent, happy memories of attending her wedding in York Minster as a steward. "An improper Charlie…" | Parkin Space tonyparkin.wordpress.com/2020/03/31/a...

21 behaviour and attendance hub schools named | Schools Week buff.ly/3wImiMA < Behaviour and attendance hubs are being merged, with £1.5 million investment – significantly lower than the two schemes it replaces. Tom Bennett and Jayne Lowe return as ambassadors.

Call Me A Jerk: Persuading AI to Comply with Objectionable Requests | SSRN buff.ly/BOHZuA3 < surprise, surprise - LLMs trained on human language models are just as prone to flattery and persuasion as humans. So much for objectivity.

What does computer literacy mean in 2025? | ITPro buff.ly/0J72vXc? < "workers are expected to master AI collaboration, critical thinking, and adaptability, not just navigating systems or software." So shouldn't the school curriculum change?

'£150 for school uniform is money I don't really have' - parents face struggle to afford school uniform | BBC buff.ly/uRJe8Lo < the well-known annual repeat story about absurd uniform prices that follows right after leaping blondes with exam results.

Two in five teachers feel they're 'cheating' when using AI | Schools Week buff.ly/iL9ikh0 < “AI isn’t about replacing teachers. It’s offering them the chance to focus more on what they do best..." - strong 'do more with less' 'W1A' vibes here!

Handover of £233m teachers' pensions contract from Capita to Tata delayed | Schools Week buff.ly/nKkdbpR < I'm sure there is nothing to worry about in this 'from Crapita frying-pan to Tata fire' situation for all our pensions?

Claude Users warning! Updates to Consumer Terms and Privacy Policy | Anthropic buff.ly/weWqSOV < if you wish your Claude chats to remain private, you need to toggle off the 'Help Improve Claude' setting in Privacy Settings now! buff.ly/kBbFOWq

I Know What You Did Last Summer | Second Breakfast buff.ly/murSnsA < the excellent Audrey Watters on US education developments under Trump - "The end of public schools. The end of democracy. They are intertwined."

70% Americans fear AI permanently displacing workers, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds | Reuters buff.ly/o4Tgfnc < and nearly 80% fear political chaos caused by AI. Reasons why Trump is so keen to promote AI?

MIT report: 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing | Yahoo Finance buff.ly/yLoUVpI < enterprise AI pilots are being directed towards sales and marketing, rather than back-office automation where lies the real potential. Managers protecting their own jobs?

Trust Communities: In Discussion with Sir David Carter | Edurio Blog buff.ly/LmVhBiy < post about the webinar in which @Carter6D shared his insights on how schools and trusts can work together to create a culture of shared growth and success.

When you ask Google's NotebookLM to give you a video overview of a 66-page KCL report on 'The Future of Computing', rather than the podcast you previously asked for... youtu.be/T01kmofKnPk

AI Has Done Far More Harm Than Good in My Classroom (Opinion) | EdWeek buff.ly/oX1x8vU < the English teacher doesn't need students to tell them the answers, they need the students to learn critical thinking and creativity.

AI Has Done Far More Harm Than Good in My Classroom (Opinion) | EdWeek buff.ly/oX1x8vU < the English teacher doesn't need students to tell them the answers, they need the students to learn critical thinking and creativity.

This is the one Windows setting I always change first on any PC | XDA www.xda-developers.com/one-windows-... < no suprise that it is the abomination that is default OneDrive, Microsoft's egregious cash cow.

This is the one Windows setting I always change first on any PC | XDA www.xda-developers.com/one-windows-... < no suprise that it is the abomination that is default OneDrive, Microsoft's egregious cash cow.

Education and the New Cult of Efficiency | Second Breakfast buff.ly/40rfEtx < "Management meant measurement, as Taylorism would dictate, and what emerged were all sorts of new, bureaucratic practices in schools". Audrey Watters takes aim....

Introducing Kaggle Game Arena | Kaggle buff.ly/4D5myPb < Games can offer an excellent proving ground, ensuring that AI can't just use memorised answers from its training. Google launches this test arena with chess now, and other games to follow.

New Gemini app tools to help students learn, understand and study even better | Google Keyword buff.ly/3932K0S < Guided Learning breaks down problems step-by-step, and adapts explanations to your needs to help you uncover the "how" and "why" behind concepts.

Elon Musk & X notch court win against California deepfake law | Politico buff.ly/z5xNOzs < Judge overrules state laws that would have blocked the hosting of deceptive, AI-generated content related to an election, & would require the labelling of doctored content.

How to get another free year of updates for your Windows 10 PC - Ars Technica buff.ly/gXtnPCT < Buying Windows 10 a one-year stay of execution doesn't have to cost anything. (And gives you time to explore upgrading that old machine to ZorinOS for free!)

Proton's new privacy-first AI assistant encrypts all chats, keeps no logs | TechCrunch buff.ly/ggqY5EZ

Taskforce launched to reform 'broken' SEND system | Schools Week buff.ly/Wtj6vDP < The IPPR’s independent inclusion taskforce, chaired by former ASCL general secretary Geoff Barton, will make recommendations on how to improve SEND provision in schools in the autumn.

REMINDER: The State of Palestine is already recognised as a sovereign nation by 147 of the 193 UN member states, representing 75% of the international community.

What make great edtech science? – MediaTaylor buff.ly/I6oTV7g < in which @dick_taylor celebrates the success of Australia's Stile Education, and reminds us of the earlier astute strategy of the equally excellent TWIG.

Schools 'over a barrel' as exam fees rise again | Schools Week buff.ly/OfZgU3J < Cost of exams will increase at a greater rate than school funding in 2026, with some going up by >8%. Many increases are above inflation, “and all are above the rise in per-pupil funding".