Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

Names of ideas are fine, but conceptual understanding is far more important.

We are in trouble if we think AI really is I.

I was very interested in science as a teenager. I’m sure glad I got to hang out with skilled teachers who knew science that my parents didn’t.

I’ve seen humans parallel park. Let’s allow computers to do this task.

The brain is like a muscle. When it is in use we feel very good. Understanding is joyous. -Carl Sagan

My first day as a student teacher (in 1988), the teacher gave me some research papers from high school students to read. The first one, I identified as copied fro encyclopedia. The students admitted it. Don’t stress over ChatGPT writing essays.

“This is great, everyone needs to use it.”

“It must be banned.”

Reality is somewhere in the middle.

But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright Brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown. -Carl Sagan

Students own their work… even if it is handed in as part of an assignment. Please don’t violate their copyright.

Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge. -Carl Sagan

Some observations on learning: A blog post now with audio
https://hackscience.education/2019/11/19/some-observations-of-learning/

“… because autocrats feel threatened by the mere existence of democracies.” -George S. Takach

A blog post (now with audio) on Whitehead's idea of inert knowledge .
https://hackscience.education/2019/11/25/inert-knowledge/

A blog post based on a chapter I wrote a few years ago:
https://hackscience.education/2025/11/01/supporting-new-teachers-with-open-source-technology/

We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology. -Carl Sagan

Humans are complex creatures… ignoring that reality assures teaching will fail.

Improving efficiency is rarely the answer in education... unless we are talking about central office staffing.

There is no recipe for successful teaching… there are recipes for successful lessons, but no recipe works for all teaching situations.

A superintendent was bothered by students passing his office on their way to the restrooms. So we were expected to monitor students on their way to the restroom… while teaching.

Sure, we can use AI for our writing tasks. We do miss out on the insights we gain while composing, however.