Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

If you don't have an agenda, don't have the meeting.

Asking students questions before they learn new material (prequestions) can significantly boost learning. This technique is supported by research in cognitive science.

“Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition.”
― Adam Smith
I sure wish all of those who advocate for his bastardized economics with such zeal advocated this part of Smith's thought equally.

Sailors on the HMS Beagle called Charles Darwin "the Flycatcher."

My life is better knowing this fact.

The best education planning is non-linear. Unlike a step-by-step process, it's a continuous cycle of assessment, design, implementation, and evaluation, responding to the ever-changing reality of the classroom.

Designing solutions for education requires recognizing diversity. Different groups have different needs and values. Successful solutions must consider these varied perspectives to be effective.

Technology is non-neutral. The tools we use shape our thinking and actions. In education, technology influences how we teach, learn, and even define knowledge itself.

School administrators often make #edtech based on their "pain points." That is unfortunate as fixing those points may not improve learning; actually it never fixes it. At least it hasn't in the 30+years I've been working in the space.

Education is recursive and modular, meaning it's made up of smaller parts (like classrooms) that are part of larger systems (like districts). Changes in one part ripple through the whole system.

Ideas are uninteresting without evidence. Empirical evidence. And maybe some logic.

Equations are a form of shorthand. Nothing more. Nothing less. The meaning we draw from them is where it gets interesting.

“AI makes predictions. Images that follow this pattern will be perceived as dogs by humans.” This seems the most accurate summary I have encountered.

School tech decisions are complex! School boards, admins, educators, and tech experts all have different perspectives & understanding.

Successful tech planning requires ongoing dialogue & a planning cycle. This helps ensure systems meet the needs of educators & students.

Traditional tests isolate students and focus on individual performance, yet we believe they accurately predict students' abiliy to use the information... in the wild.

I complain about MFW at work, but not on my private accounts.
Does that say anything about me?

For generations folks avoided coding... I hope we can reverse that and have students create, customize, evaluate, and improve AI tools.

Robots reading text generated by AI... yeah this time seems different. I think there are folks who'll be happy to repace teachers with this model.

Ethics. Whatever you field, if it isn't in your syllabus, you are not doing your job.

If you conclude in your book that “AI is neutral and takes bias out of decisions,” in not sure I trust your judgment on the rest of the chapters.