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Alan Harrison

@httcs.online
1.4K followers 1.9K following 1.7K posts

Educator, author and podcaster, BSc #ComputerScience, MA in #Education, Teacher Trainer, Tutor and Lecturer, #TeamCompSci #caschat, I'm #Autistic and #ADHD and a LGBTQ+ ally, mental health advocate, proud supporter of DEI. httcs.online

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Reposted by Alan Harrison
Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 14/07/2026
I enjoyed researching and writing this for @seced.bsky.social and must thank Dave Leonard @itbadger.bsky.social of Watergrove Trust for the excellent insight into how they manage #AI in #schools #UKEd #edusky
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Reposted by Alan Harrison
Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 15/07/2026
As seen at the Festival of Computing hosted by @craigndave.bsky.social and @aqaeducation.bsky.social My new #coding fluency app six(im).possible().things() is FREE until end September and early adopters get a discounted Teacher Pro subscription for just £99/year. #TeamCompSci #UKEd #Programming
Screenshot of a website showing an IDE-like layout with title Six Impossible Things, a coding sandbox, output window with testing shown and feedback messages.
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 30/07/2026
I'm running #computing #CPD for OTSA again next year. All Tue 4pm: > 17 Nov 2026: How to Teach Data Representation > 24 Nov 2026: How to Teach Computer Systems > 23 Feb 2027: AI and Data Literacy > 27 Apr 2027: Preparing for the new Computing GCSE www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/otsa-30340... #TeamCompSci
eventbrite.co.uk
OTSA
OTSA is a partnership of over 300 schools and organisations who share the belief that we have a moral responsibility to work together for the benefit of all children and young people.
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 15/07/2026
More proof that money and power makes you evil.
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 15/07/2026
As seen at the Festival of Computing hosted by @craigndave.bsky.social and @aqaeducation.bsky.social My new #coding fluency app six(im).possible().things() is FREE until end September and early adopters get a discounted Teacher Pro subscription for just £99/year. #TeamCompSci #UKEd #Programming
Screenshot of a website showing an IDE-like layout with title Six Impossible Things, a coding sandbox, output window with testing shown and feedback messages.
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Computing in a Nutshell @advanced-ict.info · 14/07/2026
I wrote this blog ten years ago, but the representation was also a key part of ICT - specifications used to include things like the portability of file formats and linking vs. embedding. #TeamCompSci www.advanced-ict.info/blog/represe...
advanced-ict.info
Blog: The Representation of Data Links the Whole of Computing
A look at how an understanding of how data are represented inside the computer links together the whole curriculum.
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OperaBunny @operabunny.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Sounds like a great policy. Should be funded by fossil fuel companies, including installation of solar panels and air conditioning/cleaning in schools. #UKEd
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Alasdair Beckett-King @misterabk.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
The great thing about Britain is you're free to think whatever you want to think and say whatever J. K. Rowling's lawyers permit you to say.
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 14/07/2026
I enjoyed researching and writing this for @seced.bsky.social and must thank Dave Leonard @itbadger.bsky.social of Watergrove Trust for the excellent insight into how they manage #AI in #schools #UKEd #edusky
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Headteacher Update @headteacherupdate.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
The DfE #genAI Product Safety Standards offer a framework for safer #AI use in #schools. Alan Harrison – @httcs.online – outlines practical steps on risk, #safeguarding, DPIAs & compliance for leaders: buff.ly/cIHSvkC #education #teaching #edusky
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Headteacher Update @headteacherupdate.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
The DfE #genAI Product Safety Standards offer a framework for safer #AI use in #schools. Alan Harrison – @httcs.online – outlines practical steps on risk, #safeguarding, DPIAs & compliance for leaders: buff.ly/cIHSvkC #education #teaching #edusky
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SecEd @seced.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
The DfE #genAI Product Safety Standards offer a framework for safer #AI use in #schools. Alan Harrison – @httcs.online – outlines practical steps on risk, #safeguarding, DPIAs & compliance for leaders: buff.ly/4h5mkvc #education #teaching #edusky
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Headteacher Update @headteacherupdate.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
The DfE #genAI Product Safety Standards offer a framework for safer #AI use in #schools. Alan Harrison – @httcs.online – outlines practical steps on risk, #safeguarding, DPIAs & compliance for leaders: buff.ly/cIHSvkC #education #teaching #edusky
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 26/06/2026
Remove home secretary Mahmood and rip up her asylum plans, says Alf Dubs
theguardian.com
Remove home secretary Mahmood and rip up her asylum plans, says Alf Dubs
Veteran Labour peer who fled Nazis as a child attacks ‘performative cruelty’ of Shabana Mahmood’s policies * UK politics live – latest updates Shabana Mahmood should be moved out of the Home Office and her asylum policies of “performative cruelty” ripped up by Andy Burnham’s administration, Alf Dubs has said. The veteran Labour peer who came to the UK aged six in 1939 fleeing the persecution of Jews in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia said the home secretary’s talents “would be better used elsewhere in the cabinet”. Continue reading...
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 26/06/2026
This is remarkable.
Bar chart which shows y-axis running 0-8000, and x-axis showing years 2019 and 2024. For 2019, a light orange bar runs up to just over 6000, with a darker orange running up to 8000. For 2024, a green bar runs up to 4000, with a dark green running to about 5000. The text "40% lower" is on the lighter green bar. Text at the top of the graphic reads "Estimated air pollution deaths are down by around 40%. New analysis estimates deaths associated with air pollution in London reduced substantially between 2019 and 2024." Text at the bottom of the graphic reads "Note: darker shading shows estimated ranges. Data based on a comparison of estimated mortality burden using updated methods and a scenario-based analysis where only air pollution changes. Source: london.gov.uk/aqmortality". The Mayor of London logo sits in the bottom right-hand corner.
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Christabel Cooper @christabelcoops.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Extraordinary credit to Sadiq Khan for pushing through this deeply controversial policy. This is what can happen when politicians are prepared to stick to their principles.
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 26/06/2026
I am at the #STEM Tech and #AI conference in York, come and say hi if you're about.
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 17/06/2026
David Dimbleby: "As for the benefits of leaving, 10 years have passed – and we are still waiting." www.independent.co.uk/voices/nigel-…
independent.co.uk
I broke the news of Brexit to Britain – we still haven’t seen a single benefit
I’m more convinced than ever that EU membership was far too fraught an issue to put to a simple referendum – and looking
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 15/06/2026
Coming soon... #TeamCompSci
Screenshot of a coding app I have been working on. Will be on show at the Festival of Computing - https://craigndave.org/conference/ - on 1st July in Bromsgrove UK. 

Screen shows an IDE-like environment with code sandbox on the left, and output on the right. Integrated testing and feedbacack is visible, with output that says:

All 4 tests passed — nice work!
✅ Test 1 — Normal - EUR to GBP
✅ Test 2 — Normal - GBP to EUR
✅ Test 3 — Boundary - zero amount
✅ Test 4 — Normal - large EUR
Style
💡 Wrap your logic in a function — e.g. def calculate(): — and call it from a main block.
Score: 7/10
💪 Nearly there — aim for 8/10 or above before moving on to other styles.
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Tanja Bueltmann @tanjabueltmann.net · 10/06/2026
16) These UK developments sit within a global fascistic turn with some of the most advanced patterns evident in the US; in Germany the AfD leads polls. 17) Democracy collapses much more quickly than most people think, because it doesn't actually have to collapse for it to become non-functional.
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Tanja Bueltmann @tanjabueltmann.net · 10/06/2026
14) Meanwhile, many in the UK do not understand how far down this road we already are. A prominent far right extremist was correct when he said that the Overton window has been ‘obliterated'. That is not what many see when culture wars and 'anti-woke' agendas are manufactured to speak for them.
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Tanja Bueltmann @tanjabueltmann.net · 10/06/2026
There are, in my view, 25 things everyone needs to understand in light of recent events: 1) Those out in our communities last night were not protestors, but organised far right extremists. 2) Their actions align with fascist ideologies. 3) So yes: these are fascist practices on our streets. 🧵
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 11/06/2026
If a left party (which Labour once was) tries to win votes from the right by validating their talking points, three things happen: - They lose votes to more progressive parties - They do NOT win any votes from the right - The right is emboldened by the support and grows in confidence.
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Ian @ianpadg.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Hitler and Lord Haw Haw had medium wave, around 3KHz and the Daily Mail. Putin and Farage have X,RT and GB News, amplified via the BBC. Reform are destabilising the country.
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The Bear @bearlypolitics.co.uk · 11/06/2026
Should X be banned? Yes. And it should have happened in January when non-consensual sexual imagery proliferated on the site. The government’s inaction on what is becoming increasingly a vehicle for violence and hate is appalling. Much more needs to be done. And quickly.
bearlypolitics.co.uk
Republication: Is Banning X Really Censorship - or Long-Delayed Accountability?
Why governments should no longer be willing to ignore a platform architected for harm.
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 26/05/2026
Reform, Restore and Advance are all white nationalist parties, the children of the BNP, formerly the National Front, formerly the British Union of Fascists. They believe in white supremacy, and do not believe non-white people can be truly British. They are neo-Nazi in nature.
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 26/05/2026
Name this band. Wrong answers only. No, I mean that's the name of the band 😁
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 26/05/2026
Yikes. Hope everyone is OK in France and Spain.
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Bylines Network @bylinesnetwork.co.uk · 26/05/2026
Climate targets scrapped. Committees abolished. Climate language removed. What Reform councils have done after taking power. @eastangliabylines.co.uk
eastangliabylines.co.uk
Reform in charge: what happens to local climate action now?
Reform’s local election gains have opened a new front in Britain’s climate politics
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 26/05/2026
I am running the Manchester 10k on Sunday for the MIND charity, if you can spare a few quid that would be purely belter... Please RT. Thank you ! ajbellgreatmanchesterrun2026.enthuse.com/pf/alan4mind
ajbellgreatmanchesterrun2026.enthuse.com
Alan is Running for Mental Health
It's OK not to be OK. Everyone is not OK sometimes. We all know someone who has had struggled with mental health. (If you didn't, well, hello. You do now*) MIND supports millions of people in their ho
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 20/05/2026
Having an interesting chat with Claude, I asked about accuracy of LLMs and it answered (in the first person) some fun admissions: "Treat with scepticism anything where I sound confident but you can't easily check — confidence in my outputs is not well calibrated to accuracy" 😯 #UKEd #TeamCompSci
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Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Employer contribution rates to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme may fall by as much as 10 per cent next year, experts predict, relieving pressure on cash-strapped post-92 universities. Juliette Rowsell reports #TPS #pensions #edusky ow.ly/1JCJ50Z18MW
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SecEd @seced.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
SecEd Webinar: Our best practice webinar on June 11 will outline practical ideas & lessons learned for effective academic enrichment activities in secondary #schools, including how to develop key skills & effectively prepare students for higher #education: buff.ly/9bnPpyD #teaching #edusky
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 18/02/2026
Had a great time last week delivering one of the A-level residential days for the NCCE @wearecomputing.bsky.social at the STEM Centre in York. I had the joy of explaining the origin of the phrase "2's complement", and doing lots of floating point binary exercises. #TeamCompSci #STEM #NCCE #Computing
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Craig’n’Dave @craigndave.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Have you subscribed to At the chalk-face yet? At The Chalk Face is our YouTube home for teachers, by teachers – where Craig’n’Dave’s magic comes to life! 👉 www.youtube.com/@thechalkface #TeamCompSci #CraignDave #AtTheChalkface
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
In the spirit of brotherly love, could I gently enquire why the almighty **** are government departments, government ministers and Labour MPs *STILL* using X?
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darraghfeeney.bsky.social @darraghfeeney.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
It is unconscionable to use X. To do so gives succour to Musk and all he represents.
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 05/01/2026
Let's hope that 2026 is the year we start to disensh*ttify the internet! pluralistic.net/2026/01/01/3...
pluralistic.net
Pluralistic: The Post-American Internet (01 Jan 2026) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
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Alasdair Beckett-King @misterabk.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Let me tell you a story (before the ship explodes):
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European Space Agency @esa.int · 18/11/2025
Today is #LGBTQinSTEMDay 🌈 ESA proudly joins the STEM community in celebrating the unique contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals. The Pride Flag will fly across ESA sites as a reminder of how far we’ve come, and how much more there is to do. #SpaceForAll
Image of the progress pride flag flying at our ESAC site in Spain.Image of the progress pride flag flying at our ESRIN site in Frascati, Italy.Image of the progress pride flag flying at our ESEC site in Belgium.Image of the progress pride flag flying at our ESOC site in Darmstadt, Germany.
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Thomas Fuchs 🫯 @thomasfuchs.at · 18/11/2025
Downdetector is down because it’s on Cloudflare
Screenshot of downdetector.com being down
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InnerDrive @innerdrive.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Want students to take great notes? Use the Cornell Note-Taking Method ⬇️ www.innerdrive.co.uk/blog/effective…
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 18/11/2025
Can't read that, cloudflare is down!
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 18/11/2025
The irony of a DDoS protection service going down is off the scale.
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 23/10/2025
Book now for my #Programming #Pedagogy short course from OTSA. Learn proven techniques like #PRIMM, #SemanticWaves, Parson’s Problems and the Notional Machine to help you teach programming more fluently in Secondary Schools. Wed, 12 Nov 2025 16:00 - 17:30 GMT, £45. #TeamCompSci bit.ly/otsaprog1
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Dad Jokes @dadsaysjokes.com · 07/11/2025
My nerdy friend Tim just got a PhD on the history of palindromes. We now call him Dr. Awkward.
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 08/11/2025
The Sky News investigation into X was a robust, qualitative study providing incontrovertible evidence of something we suspected was true. Now we have the evidence. It's a shame some people are knocking really good journalism.
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 24/10/2025
Places still available on my #Programming #Pedagogy short course from OTSA. Learn proven techniques like #PRIMM, #SemanticWaves, Parson’s Problems and the Notional Machine - teach programming more fluently in Secondary Schools. Wed, 12 Nov 2025 16:00 - 17:30 GMT, £45. #TeamCompSci bit.ly/otsaprog1
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 08/11/2025
If you're free on Wednesday after school, why not boost your programming pedagogy with my online short course brought to you by OTSA. #caschat #TeamCompSci #Computing #Programming #PRIMM
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Alan Harrison @httcs.online · 06/11/2025
Screenshot of BlueSky post from @franzsherbert:

Me to my Al-enabled smart fridge in 2038: Do we have any milk left
My fridge: Wow. Now that's a question worth exploring. By asking me something like that, you've proven that you're not thinking in ordinary ways -you're dialed in to what's really vital about food. Let's dive in.
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