It happens to us all. Experienced, novice alike. You expect a task to be a piece of cake, a second to do and your world collapses into a world of furrowed, frowning f ups...

I needed to scan a document. Plug-in the scanner that I haven't used for months and months. No driver. Out on to the web... Gotcha... Install.
Nothing.
Four hours later...
I find a better, newer driver.

Four hours lost. I had a finely tuned day of big rocks, pebbles and sand grains in my jar of time management. Then, this clunking big boulder four hours big comes out of nowhere.

One day, will computers be easier?

No matter how well set up you are, there'll be a four hour boulder coming your way soon. And mine. Again.

Tip: Try not to repeatedly think of violently smashing anything with a hammer. It distracts.
# Posted by steve hooker at 13/1/09; 10:54:10 PM to the Off topic dept.
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I hate computers

'It takes stamina to overcome the barriers': "At the end of the day it takes a lot of stamina to get through it all, if you have a lot of barriers, class, background, financial, but it is worth it.

The government needs to offer a lot more financial bursaries to breakdown the barriers for people from lower socio-economic groups, to create more opportunities for them.

And they (young people) need to keep being ambitious."

# Posted by steve hooker at 13/1/09; 4:57:00 PM to the Education news dept.
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Push, push, push and believe

Virtual learning 'slow starter': "The study found "very limited" use of VLEs in primary schools, a little more use in secondary schools - with the most developed use in further education colleges."

Dunno why they are surprised at this. Giving sites is one thing, but leaving them empty for teachers to fill up is absurd. And the bulk of the VLE's look just awful. Children can smell fake a mile off.

# Posted by steve hooker at 13/1/09; 4:50:03 PM to the Education news dept.
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VLE ain't happening

Gordon Brown to launch package of measures to boost social mobility: "Gordon Brown will unveil a series of measures today to improve social mobility in the UK, including offering the best teachers £10,000 "golden handcuffs" payments for working at the worst-performing secondary schools.

From September, headteachers at the toughest secondary schools will be able to offer recruits £10,000 payments at the end of three years of teaching.

The scheme will apply to around 500 "national challenge" schools at which less than 30% of pupils achieve five good GCSEs including maths and English, and a large proportion of pupils are eligible for free meals.

Heads will be given discretion over which recruits are offered the incentive to stay, but it is expected to be those who perform best at training colleges."

# Posted by steve hooker at 13/1/09; 11:46:08 AM to the Education news dept.
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£10k for roughing it.

Polly Toynbee: Harriet Harman's law is Labour's biggest idea for 11 years: "Geoffrey Vos QC, former head of the Bar Association, who sits on the Milburn review, chairs the Social Mobility Foundation which helps high-flying pupils on free school meals into top-rank professions."

That is the strangest, most upside down thinking I've ever heard."Helps high-flying pupils on free school meals into top-rank professions." If it has legal teeth, great. If not, it's a start on the right road.

# Posted by steve hooker at 13/1/09; 11:05:17 AM to the Education news dept.
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Class