Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

Beware of "Guess what I am thinking disguised as brainstorming"
. This is when a leader says "there are no bad ideas," but they're really just waiting for someone to suggest the answer they already pre-determined! 🛑 #LeadershipFail #WorkplaceCulture

“This schedule is best for our learners,” is perhaps the least accurate statement I ever heard as a teacher.

I once very had a department of very needy and impatient faculty with whom I nurtured a good relationship for more than a year. Good will on both sides... then the new department head was hired.

When goals become the goal, I’m resigning.

You know the word for books one buys, but never reads? We need a similar word for PDF’s downloaded to our mobile devices.

Labels create boundaries. Sometimes we need these, but most often (IMHO), they limit options.

“Once students meet the standards, then we can...,” is an apocryphal way to start any sentence.

“Complainers hissing in their emails,” is my new favorite characterization.

Real critical thinking begins when we begin to doubt our own assessments of the quality of our information and ideas.

Blaming teachers is a version of blaming the victim... they might be on to something there.

If we know that novices most need to understand the unifying themes and concepts to organize their emerging expertise, why do we focus on measurable outcomes which cannot reflect the ideas?

When goals become the goal, I’m resigning.

“Who benefits if things don’t change?” is a question that leads to important insight #leadership #management

The context in which one learns matters.

“Productive learning is bidirectional.” Yup, can’t really disagree with that one. #teaching #learning #highered #highschool #school

In general, the statement, “I know what my students need,” is wildly inaccurate... and "data" does not help.

Coding is fine, but I really think databases have an important role in computer science education... especially ethics... what data do we keep/ organize/ use is increasingly important.

Design principles lead to more effective practice, but practitioners must figure out what they mean... they often prefer recipes.

Yeah, the problem with SAMR is it allows that substitution is the first step of "technology integration." I worked with a faculty reluctant to progress who reasoned, "yes, this our first step," and they stayed there for years.

EdTech PD cannot be a passive event led by outside vendors
. By categorizing PD into Training, Planning, and Design, schools provide targeted support that empowers teachers and ultimately benefits the students sitting in their classrooms