Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

What we mean by "they learned it:"

In addition to having strong foundational knowledge (what we traditionally understand learning to be), we want those who have “learned it” to be able to use it critically; they should be able to judge the quality of their knowledge and the degree to which it will suffice in the current situation. We want those who have “learned it” to be able to use it creatively; they should be able to use what they have learned to craft something that did not exist previously. We want those who have “learned it” to be able to use it pragmatically; when faced with real-world situations and challenges, an educated person should be able to use it to solve the problem. We want those who have “learned it” to value it and value the world differently because of it.

I'm interest in #teaching #learning #communitycollege #highered #onlinelearning #science #math #education #computers

Richard Feynmann served on the commission that investigated the Challenger disaster in 1986, and he observed that much empirical evidence had been ignored and that decisions that led to the disaster had been made for political reasons. Feynman concluded his observations, which appeared in an appendix rather than in the full report, with the statement “For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled.” Progressive discourse requires the group to regard reality as Nature intends, and observation is necessary to expand the factual basis of progressive discourse.

I do appreciate the extra characters in Mastodon posts... I keep posts shorter than my blog, but a paragraph sure seems better than 280 characters. Of course, I'm a fan of article abstracts also.

Thinking about facts...

Research depends on “facts.” In the vernacular, fact typically means information that is true and accurate; implicit also is the assumption that the fact is objectively defined so that every observer will agree on the both reality of the fact and the meaning of the fact. A more sophisticated view of facts recognizes the role that one’s perspective exerts on how one senses and interprets facts. In science, a fact is any idea that can be tested; and some are refuted by tests while others are supported by tests. Those facts refuted by observation are probably inaccurate, and those supported by observation are more likely to be true and accurate.

I've been rediscovering Wolfram Demonstrations after not using them for several years.

https://demonstrations.wolfram.com/

I sure appreciate the folks who develop and share them.

#math #edtech #edutoot

One of my “professional hobbies” has been observing leaders… how they act and react to circumstances, plan and implement initiatives, and interact with others. On occasion, I have decided I must distance myself from certain leaders.

I find reasons to avoid meetings at first, but eventually I am clear about my active dissociation from them.

One of the projects that has captured my attention lately is getting a test server with WeBWork up and running for the math faculty at my college.
https://openwebwork.org/

This is an open source project designed to provide a platform for "online math homework" (think MyMathLab).

We have the test up and running so the faculty can explore it, and will be moving to development in the spring, with a target of production for the fall semester.

I'd be glad to hear advice/ recommendations from folks who have rolled this out.

#math #webwork #education #teaching #STEM

#introduction

Dr. Gary Ackerman here. I’m a retired #science #math #computerscience #teacher and #technology coordinator. Now serving as the director of the teaching and learning innovation center at a #communitycollege in northeast USA.

My interests include online teaching and learning, educational technology, sound pedagogy, andragogy and heutagogy.

I'm nearing the end of redeveloping two courses for the spring semester. If you were teaching "Linux Programming" (with a focus on server management) and or "Network Security," what would you say "must be in the syllabus?"

These are community college students in the United States.

Hello Mastodon...

Dr. Gary Ackerman joining the community. My field is "educational technology" which sure is broad. In my role as the director of teaching and learning innovation at a community college, I support online teaching and manage the audio visual technology on campus.

Why, yes I have joined Mastodon.