Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

When I started in education, tech-savvy teachers could reasonably manage one or two devices in each classroom in their spare time. I know because I did it.

White-collar work, much blue-collar work, and popular culture are dominated by digital data and electronic digital computing.

As a teacher and educational technology professional, I have watched educators use IT that was well-managed, and I have watched them use IT that is poorly managed. I have watched school leaders struggle to provide effective leadership to, supervision of, and evaluation of IT professionals.

It is difficult to ascertain if leaders believe their spin or not. We should not blame them for appearing delusional, in many cases. Their boss or other politically powerful individuals want the narrative of the spin to be true, so they actively participate.

“Spin” is a fact of life for school leaders. They are faced with uncomfortable situations, and they must describe them in a positive light.

As a student, I attended a high school that had four computers available for students (my classmates’ recollections confirm my memories). I was thoroughly unimpressed with the devices.

I found a description of video conferencing I wrote in 2017. I has not aged well.

Classrooms are now both physical places and online spaces.

On the Obsolescence of #edtech https://hackscience.education/2024/03/05/on-the-obsolescence-of-edtech/

Remember leaders: Cheap. Good. Fast. You only get two.

I unexpectedly encountered the widow of one of my best friends from high school today. There are some things you don't think you will ever talk about, but then 40 years passes.

Users' perception of your IT matter more than yours You might think it is perfect, but if they find it difficult to use, it is.

Technicians plan, design, and build systems according to their skills and knowledge and as the budget and extant technology limit them. But ti they don't meet users' need, they have the responsibility to update the configuration.

One of the perennial complaints of educators is that information technology systems they use at school are not configured for easy use; one of the perennial complaints of technicians is that educators do not use the systems as designed.

"AI can give feedback to students, thus encouraging active learning." This seems to be grounded on a weak concept of active learning.

English biologist D’Arcy Thompson observed “We have come to the edge of a world of which we have no experience, and where all of our preconceptions must be recast” in the early 1940s. He was talking about DNA and how it was changing biology. It sure is true about education today.

Hey.. guess what? We all have calculators with us all day everyday.

I guess I was right that my math students should learn how to use them well.

Today, I put in the scrap pile some overhead projectors. I remember being envious of the teachers who had them.

Declarative and procedural knowledge is time, but it that is all you teach, you are doing it wrong.

Usability in #edtech
https://hackscience.education/2019/03/10/usability-in-edtech/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon