Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

Much of what we know about the science of learning comes from "WEIRD" populations (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic). We need more diverse research to ensure our understanding of learning applies to all human beings

Physical exercise isn't just for the body; it is beneficial for learning and cognition. Consistent exercise training in children is associated with improvements in reading comprehension, executive function, and mathematical computation.

It is neurobiologically impossible to think deeply about information for which you have no emotion. Emotions are a ubiquitous dimension of thought that steer our behavior and tell us what is important to remember.

A growth mindset—believing that intelligence can be acquired through hard work—leads learners to adopt mastery goals. Conversely, a fixed mindset often causes people to prioritize "looking good" over the actual effort required to learn

Culture is not an external influence but a central aspect of being human that coordinates the biological systems involved in learning. All learning is a social process shaped by and infused with a system of cultural meaning.

Schools must be careful not to let "educational technology titans" exploit students for profit or use them to test new products. Technology should serve the educational good, not techno-corporate ideals. #StudentPrivacy #EdTechEthics

The role of school IT managers is evolving. Beyond technical support, their core responsibility is to ensure that technology integration is never achieved at the cost of a student’s privacy or long-term interests. #ITLeadership #Ethics

Managing student data is like entrusting a sensitive family heirloom to a high-tech vault; while you want the vault to be secure and functional, you must constantly audit the operators to ensure they aren't secretly using your treasure for their own profit.

A blog post, now with audio, describing common multimedia tasks in schools. Focuses on accessibility and privacy.
https://www.hackscience.education/multimedia-in-schools/

True technology literacy isn’t just knowing which buttons to click on a single system. If a student can only use one type of computer, are they really literate?

The three pillars of network security are Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. For schools, confidentiality is particularly crucial due to legal requirements like FERPA that protect sensitive student data.

Over my career, I’ve been labeled, belittled, yelled at, and asked to scale back my lessons by principals, curriculum coordinators, superintendents. They never got what they wanted.

Good documentation of your network. including a logical map and device locations, is vital for troubleshooting and upgrades. Unfortunately, it is often neglected one school networks because IT professionals are overworked

A recent blog post on IT networks in schools, now with audio:
https://www.hackscience.education/an-introduction-to-it-networks/

Bandwidth is a zero-sum quantity. If students are streaming music or video, they are consuming resources that become unavailable for other educational tasks.

Don't be fooled by cheap home setups and the enterprise-grade networks are required for schools just because you set one up does not mean you can do the other.

Educators can no longer defer entirely to IT professionals; they must understand how these systems function to support effective teaching and learning.

School IT networks are among the most complex and challenging systems to secure because they connect students and teachers to data locally and across the globe. These networks are now essential infrastructure for modern education,.

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. - Albert Einstein

I interviewed in a school district. The superintendent was audibly reacting to messages on her phone and responding during the interview. At the end, I caught her eye and said, "My phone has been blowing up in my pocket for the last hour, I wonder what needs my attention next."