Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

Educators often find it hard to see how technology affects student learning. Many perceive electronic and print information delivery as equally effective, reflecting the old "neutral" view. #EdTech

Ambivalence means technology inherently necessitates decisions. These choices are influenced by context & side-effects, and given the consequences, they are often political.

Philosopher Andrew Feenberg used the term "ambivalence" to capture the wide range of social uses and effects any technology can have. It highlights the complex nature of tech's impact.

Technology isn't neutral Information technology scholars are now revisiting the work of media theorists who showed tech's strong sociocultural influence.

An AI audio deep dive into a paper I wrote in 2016.
https://hackscience.education/2018/05/01/the-application-of-technology-acceptance-to-educational-design/

A challenge in integrating tech? Curriculum & instruction often continue unchanged despite tech availability. Leaders often note the exasperating amount of contradictory advice on what "works".

The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) incorporates factors influencing tech use. Key factors include: Effort Expectancy (ease of use), Performance Expectancy (usefulness), Social Influences, and Facilitating Conditions. #TechAcceptance #UTAUT

Educational Design Research is an iterative process used by practitioners. It involves analysis, design, and evaluation to create and refine educational systems, often drawing on theory. #Research #Education

The idea that tailoring teaching to student learning styles (like visual, auditory, kinesthetic) improves learning lacks credible scientific evidence. There's no proof that matching instruction to a preference works. #LearningStylesMyth

Today's educators gather more information than ever. There's increasing recognition that diverse assessment data are necessary to completely describe student learning and improve schooling.

Actively scanning the external environment is key to identifying trigger signals for innovation. This involves looking for trends in technology, markets, and competitors.

While an educator may claim a theory-free approach to their practice, this isn't truly possible. Every instructional strategy fundamentally embodies a theory of human learning. #LearningTheory #TeachingStrategies

Your epistemology – your beliefs about how knowledge is created – does influence how you approach curriculum and instruction. It impacts what you believe the purpose of education is. #Epistemology #TeachingBeliefs

Frameworks are helpful tools for educators. They facilitate the work of replacing doxa (opinion-based) with logos (theory-informed), helping design coherent curriculum & instruction.

AI isn't about mimicking human intelligence; it's about computers as cognitive prostheses, doing things humans can't or wouldn't, like processing vast amounts of data. #AIinEducation

Select response tests inherently have false positives and negatives. They can test game-playing skills rather than true understanding, lacking "construct validity". #TestingProblems #ConstructValidity

A blog post, now with audio:
https://hackscience.education/2018/05/11/non-neutrality-of-technology/

Science and Pseudoscience
https://hackscience.education/2025/05/08/science-and-pseudoscience/

Over time, the ZPD "goes up". Problems once "too complex" move into the ZPD, then into the "too easy" category.

For decisions with significant consequences, ensure a human is in the loop. AI should act as a copilot, assisting humans who make the final critical decisions. #HumanInTheLoop #AICopilots