Ben Popplestone

Other than walking in the mountains, for me, there is nothing that stirs the soul more than live music. Not particularly genre specific – I have a large and eclectic music collection – but I have to admit, blues and jazz really gets the juices flowing!
Summer’s always great for live music – you have all the festivals, the proms, the concerts in Hyde Park. Here’s what my summer looks like musically: (more…)

Today, Sir Jim Rose, the former head of Ofsted, has released a review of primary schools, encouraging more teaching on technology and ICT. According to Becta, the government’s technology agency, there is a risk that if ICT is not included on the curriculum, even at this young age, a “digital underclass” will emerge. However primary schools only have responsibility for children 24hrs per week, so there is an obvious challenge here for parents as well as schools in bringing kids up in a digital world with all of the associated opportunities and ‘dangers’.

Yesterday, I attended a primary school parents evening, not to evaluate children’s progress in classes, but to learn and discuss the growing implications of raising kids in a digital world. I was there as a techie advisor on the panel and answered questions about blocking/monitoring content online, but not being a parent myself, it was a learning process for me too and thought I would comment here about some of the best practices I’ve picked up from the evening and various other places. (more…)

After chicken-sitting for our friends when they went on holiday, we decided to buy some of our own last year … and we love them. It’s a growing trend, and here are some of the reasons why … (more…)