Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

Go ahead and share your opinions. But don’t complain when you are criticized for espousing them.

There’s fiction and non-fiction, then there are those books written by experts who provide no examples or supporting references... those books are more like fiction.

Simple models are great, but don’t depend on them to be accurate.

AI beats humans at algorithm-based tasks, but then we would expect that.

The task is clarified until we know the tools, but sometimes the tools change the task we decide to do.

“It was better when x was true.” (x can be anything you decide)

These proclamations are wrong… they are all the result of euphoric recall.

For most people, the computational tasks they can do depend on the technology they have... and know how they use it.

Humans who are thinking in groups do it differently than when they do it individually.

Most cognition depends on the setting. When we ignore that in education, we are in trouble.

There is no need to whine at me that “you are being judgmental” when I judge you based on the folks with whom you associate or the (debunked) ideas you espouse. I know that’s what I’m doing, and I’m not going to stop.

An acquaintance works in a school that has adopted a new digital time clock. They system administrators do not allow punch in until 7:50, which is when they arrive at work. Many who use it arrive at work at 6:00 AM. System admin can’t figure out how to change it. 🤦

“It was better when x was true.” (x can be anything you decide)

These proclamations are wrong… they are all the result of euphoric recall.

When a decision has been made to suffice, leaders should admit it. Most of us see efforts to promote it as the best solution as disingenuous.

Here is your regular reminder that Deming was working in manufacturing not education.

I often buy books at used book sales that I find offensive (The Bell Curve is an example) and I leave them in my library indefinitely. Should I continue this practice? Is it OK to take the books for recycling?

I’m old enough to remember when it wasn’t necessary to ask “where are you?” When talking to someone on the phone.

Let’s stop using colors that make slides unreadable to those who have imperfect vision.

Call me what you will, but I participate in and identify with communities that reject ideas that are demonstrably false.

Many good people work in broken systems.

AI is overly confident in its conclusions that are based on biased data. So, this is different from humans?