Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

When folks post “science discoveries” that are were newsworthy, but have since been rejected… I usually don’t respond as that is all I would ever have time to do.

“Understanding is the first step…decisions made out of fear are often based on assumptions related to the worst possible outcomes. Learn about the things that scare you—they’re usually not the monsters you believe them to be.”

I used to be an amateur vexillologist… now I see the purpose of flags.

Thanks for sharing the IT tool you like. You have figured out how to use it to meet your needs. Perfect.

That does not mean it is appropriate for everyone. That does not mean I (the #edtech guy) know how to fix your problems. It’s very likely I tested it and was unimpressed.

Whenever I'm asked "is this a good tool" for my online students/ courses, I check to see if it works on mobile devices. If tools aren't built for mobile, we cannot include them in our online teaching. Like it or not, that's what students access their courses with.

“I taught it, but they didn’t learn it.” Yeah… don’t be one of those teachers.

Maybe “back to school lists” be experiences:
Help someone.
Read a book someone recommends.
Learn a new game.
Make something with sticks.

Because “learning” is conflated with “work” in a industrial production sense. If widgets aren’t being produced, then the factory fails. If facts aren’t being memorized, then the school fails.

It’s mass dissolution.

“Learning about” and “experiencing” are different things. What is experienced is learned (our brains and bodies are designed for it), what we learn about is forgotten… even if we score well on the test.

I just heard a news report suggesting there is a bill recently passed to reduce chronic absenteeism in schools by expelling the students. Really?

“Punishment.” This is the theoretical foundation of much pedagogy and school decision-making.

Indignation does not strengthen your argument.

“Entitled people feel victimized by bad luck.” Lots of questions, but this sure seems to accurately capture the real world.

How much of what you know exists outside your brain? More than we are led to believe in school.

Recent conversations have led me to conclude many who have advanced degrees... including those with science and math backgrounds don't understand "correlation does not mean causation."

Hey teachers... stop conflating your interest with relevance to students.

The stories in any workspace... that is where the real wisdom exists.

The answer to a technology problem is rarely another technology… well at least if you seek to resolve the problem.

Write down everything you know about data ethics and how you practice it. If it is difficult or your find you are just making stuff up, you aren’t a “data person.”

The purpose of data is not to make you look good.