Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

"Nothing is more dangerous than a dogmatic worldview - nothing more constraining, more blinding to innovation, more destructive of openness to novelty." -- Stephen Jay Gould

A blog post, now with audio, focusing on the problems of testing as a data source in education. https://hackscience.education/2018/09/24/why-standardized-testing-flopped/

Professional learning for educators encompasses: Training (procedures), Learning (understanding tech's role), and Design (creating new solutions). Each requires a different approach. #ProfessionalDevelopment #EdTechPD

"Future workers need complex communication & expert thinking skills, as routine tasks are automated. Schools must broaden curriculum to include these crucial 21st-century competencies." Is this still true?

Weak AI plays chess. Strong AI asks why we play.

Technology is non-neutral! Digital information is a paradigm medium profoundly affecting human cognition, behavior, social organizations, and society's norms. Schools must reflect this reality. #DigitalLiteracy #SocietalChange

The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) explains tech use based on performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influences, & facilitating conditions. User perceptions drive acceptance. #TechAcceptance #EdTechResearch

Theory is crucial for efficacious IT management. It helps identify relevant factors, predict changes, and explain observations, steering decisions away from unreliable "fads." #EdTechTheory #DataDrivenDecisions

Effective IT in schools must be appropriate (for teaching/learning), properly configured (functions as expected), & reasonably implemented (considering resources). These 3 dimensions are interdependent. #ITGovernance #SchoolManagement

A core root cause of inefficacy in school IT management is a lack of shared understanding among disparate professionals. Building a common language & understanding is essential. #SharedVision #EdTechLeaders

Putt's Law captures school IT challenges: Professionals manage what they don't understand (pedagogy or IT complexity). Collaboration is key to bridge this gap for appropriate, proper, & reasonable tech. #SchoolLeadership #TechManagement

Schools are information-rich places, but managing tech for teaching & learning is complex. It requires collaboration between educators, IT pros, & school leaders for efficacious technology management. #EdTech #SchoolIT

Yeah, I admit it. One of my goals as a #teacher was to prepare my #students to recognize, call out, and contradict stupid ideas. I guess that makes me a “political” teacher.

Being “non political” is one of the most political stands one can make.

Always remember the principle of AAAAAAAAA (alliterative acronyms always aid adopter’s awareness and analysis abilities) when preparing your school initiatives.

Yeah, if your invite me to learn about an “exciting new program/ idea/ theory” and you use an acronym to name it, I’m going to decline the invitation.

I'm sorry, but if you study or sell "tracking" (as in digital tracking) and associate it with #education in any way... it's unlikely to be recording anything important to individuals' learning... and it is creepy.

If you cannot assess what you believe, then you have not learned the thing about critical thinking.

Reach out to HR for a time-sensitive problem... they respond 2 weeks later. Really?

“Assessment is an act of interpretation, not just measurement.” I sure wish all #educators understood that, especially those who are “data-driven.”