Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

Those subject matters that are so important in school do not exist outside of it.

A blog post for my students studying for the AWS Cloud Practitioners exam focusing on economics and billing.
https://hackscience.education/2025/10/05/a-cloud-practitioners-guide-to-aws-economics-and-billing/

The best path forward rarely comes in survey results.

AI—in the absence of a trusted colleague—has helped fill a teaching need.

"Isolation is a surprising reality of an educator’s life." This isolation stems from a lack of meaningful, peer-level collaboration

To better serve teaching and learning, we must treat AI like a colleague and interact with it in that manner, integrating it into academic life.

Treat AI as a Colleague: AI is a resource for both teaching and learning. We improve its service by changing our attitude and treating AI like a colleague, interacting with it just as we would with a human coworker. #AIIntegration

The Integration Mandate: AI is here. We must learn to integrate AI into our academic lives. Crucially, we must help our students integrate AI into the skills they develop in the classroom. #SkillsOfTheFuture

A blog pot considering the role of AI in education. Motivated by a book chapter.
https://hackscience.education/2025/10/04/how-ai-helps-teaching-and-learning/
#schools #education #AIEducation #teaching

The s-curve illustrates the typical trend observed in technology adoption. This trend consists of a period of slow initial adoption, followed by a period of rapid adoption, and finally a slowing of adoption as a limit is approached.

A blog post, now with audio, looking at innovation:
https://hackscience.education/2018/11/26/the-shape-of-innovation/

Data rate, also called bandwidth, is a zero-sum quantity. If students start streaming music, they are using up the finite capacity of the network, making that bandwidth unavailable for other uses. #BandwidthManagement

The secure wiring closet contains crucial devices: racks of switches, the gateway (connecting the LAN to the Internet), and the unified threat management (UTM) appliance that protects data from malware and hackers. Prudent IT professionals secure this closet.

School #NetworkSecurity is multidimensional, focusing on three core goals: Confidentiality (authorized access only), Integrity (data is accurate/unaltered), and Availability (users who need access get it).

ChatGPT supports constructivist principles by enabling learners to explore ideas, ask questions, and receive immediate feedback, enriching their educational experience.

Motivation can be internal, external, or situational. Situational is the type #eductors must master.

For AI in education to be ethically responsible, it must adhere to principles of fairness, accountability, and transparency to mitigate biases. #TrustworthyAI

Practical guidance includes ensuring transparency. Educators must actively involve students in understanding how AI tools are used, their limitations, and the importance of ethical use.

It never ceases to amaze me how institutions invest in expertise, ignore it, then hire someone with dubious experience to lead initiatives in need that expertise.

Especially now, with AI changing everything, ethics must emerge as reality emerges.