Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

I have worked in #edtech for decades, I have heard "we value your expertise, but we aren't going to take your recommendations" in every conceivable way.

When framing a problem, we define what we believe its cause along with the conditions that will indicate the problem has been solved.

If we frame a problem incorrectly, then it won't be solved... well it will be solved, but maybe not for those who are most affected by it.

User: I need a new laptop, the screen won't turn on.
IT: Have you checked that the brightness is turned up?
User: The what?

"They have really great input" is often said by folks who don't recognize those who like to stir up trouble in departments other than their own.

I've seen enough presentations to know the more words on your slides, the less information they communicate.

Especially in education, our unquestioned assumptions are the most incorrect.

I always see folks who challenge my decisions or actions as a chance to both explain my rationale and understand it from their perspective. This cannot be done if one is immediately defensive.

If you get offended by contradictory ideas, you don't belong in education.

Edtech for Edleaders: IP Addresses
https://hackscience.education/2018/05/30/edtech-for-edleaders-ip-addresses/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

Go into a classroom of students using computers. Do you hear tying and mouse clicking? The teachers are doing it wrong.

Diversifying the Fleet of School Computing Devices
https://hackscience.education/2018/05/29/diversifying-the-fleet-of-school-computing-devices/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

Curiosity, testing, synthesizing , analyzing, problem solving, inventing... maybe we reintroduce these to classrooms.

At the top of every educator's "to do" list should be to shift from grades to learning.

A leader recently indicated they were going to appoint one of two people to lead an initiative. They were puzzled to hear that the two had vastly different stances towards the initiate and would take it in very different directions. This is what happens when leaders lack guiding principles.

What is the effect size?

Recent observation suggests asking this question of one who is a self-described "evidence-driven educator" results in blank stares.

Hypothes.is
https://hackscience.education/2018/05/25/hypothes-is/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

Ostensibly, education is a simple endeavor. In reality, it is complex and difficult.

Can we finally ditch this idea? But let's keep the idea (which is well-founded) that learners benefit from a variety of experiences.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41539-023-00190-x

Schools are interesting and rewarding workplaces for IT professionals, but they can be challenging as well. The differences between business and industry and schools can make the strategies and methods they developed less effect than they might predict when applied in schools.

The best data begins from the null hypothesis. We assume, "there is no difference" or "our intervention had no effect." We then look for evidence that we can reject that hypothesis. If you "look for evidence in the data" you are not using data but you are cherry picking data.