Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

It may seem unnecessary to state it, but schools are places where children are present. Lots of children. Children who reflect the social, racial, ethnic, and other characteristics of the local population.

When one thinks of a classroom, they picture the teachers standing in front of the seated (in rows) students with the teachers telling students what they need to know. For IT professionals, this is a familiar and comfortable place for which to design technology: Give the teacher a computer and projector with web access and a presentation application and let them teach.

One of the most puzzling aspects of teaching for many adults to accept is that teaching is a much more interactive and dynamic activity than many experienced (or remember) or that they see in the popular culture.

When looking carefully at problems in education, we discover they cannot be isolated; and solutions may resolve symptoms but not causes.

n the domain of information technology, all problems are solvable. We all know what IT systems are supposed to do, and we get frustrated when they do not. IT professionals know the function of each component; they adopt systematic troubleshooting steps and most problems can be isolated and resolved in minutes or a few hours.

Many problems are not really solved for all populations, and in many cases one solution creates new problems. Problem solver rarely recognize these realities .

#edtech for #edleaders: On-boarding and IT
https://hackscience.education/2019/02/12/edtech-for-edleaders-on-boarding-and-it/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have a faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them. ~ Steve Jobs

Autonomy and Innovation
https://hackscience.education/2019/02/07/autonomy-and-innovation/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

To be a true expert, one must also be able to accurately self-assess the limits and boundaries of your expertise.

Recognizing and rejecting quackery is a good predictor of expertise.

Our nicknames are signs of endearment, they reflect our relationships, and they build connections. If you find the nicknames are not doing the job, stop using them.

Students may not be as motivated by the subject as they teacher, they may not believe the teacher who says “this is important” but who cannot demonstrate the importance.

#edtech for #edleaders: Reporting, Ticketing, and Triage
https://hackscience.education/2019/02/04/edtech-for-edleaders-reporting-ticketing-and-triage/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

Problems occur in classrooms when either teachers or students (either collectively or individually) decide they are doing all they should and the other must accommodate them.

Much of the school curriculum is also built around topics and assignments that are not performed elsewhere and that neither teachers nor students would complete were they not in school.

Learning is hard work. Students must attend to the lesson, reconcile what is new with what they already know, and practice so they can remember and work to apply their new knowledge.

We are comfortable responding to legitimate email addresses with inexact usernames. Phishers know this and create email addresses with ambiguous usernames in email addresses with slightly different domains than we expect.

Remember, few IT emergencies are as urgent as phishing attempts suggest, so take the time to verify the sites you visit and the accounts to which you respond.

#edtech for #edleaders: Fundamental Concepts of Networking
https://hackscience.education/2019/02/04/edtech-for-edleaders-fundamental-concepts-of-networking/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon