Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

No matter the technology used, if one reads your message and thinks “what does this mean?” the problem is not the tool.

That shiny new technology you want to adopt... you probably have an unused tool that does the same thing.

I have begun responding to bad decisions with silence.

We can email, chat, videoconference, and share with individuals or groups. Despite the facts that these systems exist and function, they are available on all platforms and devices, and users receive training on how to use the tools, “ineffective communication” is still a problem in organizations.

"Curriculum comprises well-defined information and skills that represent necessary human knowledge." Yeah, this is a myth,

As an #edtech professional, I see my job as removing folks' excuses. They don't like that.

“Scientific questions cannot be decided by majority vote in any case.”
― Stephen Jay Gould

It is possible (actually it is very likely) students are learning in all of their courses and classes, but they may not be learning the intended curriculum.

If your data are invalid, do you still use it?

What if your students are learning, but your tests don't measure it?

Be careful when setting goals. If you alone don't have control over its achievement, do not set it. We all may want to be hired to be the president of the college, but that is decided by the board of trustees; we may do what we can to be prepared, but we have not control over the many factors that affect the position becoming vacant, the alignment of our skills to those thye believe they need, and the absence of bias that leads to someone’s friend being hired.

In your conference presentations, you can stop naming the toosl you studied... they no longer exist. (Not really, but it is true!)

“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”
― Isaac Asimov

I miss the days when conspiracy theories made people laugh.

One reason we teach theory: Every theory clearly identifies those factors that are relevant and that deserve attention as we design interventions.

“I turned out just fine.” Did you? Did you really?

Sometimes I envy those who do not feel compelled to be reasonable.

I’ve paid enough attention over my career that I can tell when decisions and plans are being made by folks who have only managed or led but never worked (at whatever needs to be done in the organization).

One of the most significant changes faced by information technology professionals in
schools (and other organizations) has been the adoption of cloud-based data and productivity
systems.

Explaining too much makes it useless.