Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

Inert knowledge can be understood as knowledge that is meaningful only within the classroom.

Yeah... I was never a fan of banning cell phones in schools, but the evidence is clear they are a serious distraction to learning.

Despite their resistance, educators do have a responsibility to adopt those technologies that facilitate learning in their field, and they have a responsibility to prepare students to use the information technologies and information sources they will need to participate in society.

One thing I learned during 35 years in education: Many faculty interpret "new initiatives in teaching" as an accusation that what they were doing was deficient.

At least in education, hiring a consultant to do a workshop is not the same as implementing a reform.

Much that one “knows” about school is a misconception.

Todd Rose begins his 2015 book The End of Average with the story of fighter pilots in the 1940’s who were unable to control their planes because the cockpits were designed for the “average” body. Once cockpits were designed to adjust to the actual bodies of pilots, they found pilots more able to control them.

We sense things, we construct models, and we draw conclusions to gain emotional rewards that we would not if we only thought in terms of risks and benefits.

Human curiosity depends on judgments of importance, judgements made at a much faster time scale than that at which I see AI reacting... for now.

When politicians tell teachers, doctors, farmers how to do their work, we all suffer.

The golden rod is blooming in northern New England. It is the first sign that summer will end,

It the time of year when faculty begin emails to year-round staff with "I hate to interrupt your break, but...."

Learning requires hard work that challenges us, but that is not overwhelming. Tasks too easy are boring, while those too difficult are incomprehensible.

We learn best if we find an emotional connection to what we are studying; if we don’t care, we don’t learn.

"O don't have network access."
"OK Go submit a help ticket on our web site, and we will be right there." 🤦

“The primary purpose of the internet had changed from supporting a knowledge economy to growing an attention economy.”
― Douglas Rushkoff

When an IT professional is in a classroom and sitting at a computer, they are “a fly on the wall.” Teachers and students largely proceed as if there is no one else there. I learned so much about teachers and teaching during those years.

“The problem isn’t any particular technology, but the use of technology to manipulate people, to concentrate power in a way that is so nuts and creepy that it becomes a threat to the survival of civilization." -Jaron Lanier

In schools, the importance of privacy takes on special importance because of the age of the individuals about whom the information is kept and the nature of the information that is kept.

"I'm really good at multitasking."

No, actually you are not.