Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

A brief blog post on how technology affects organizations, especially schools now with audio:
https://hackscience.education/2018/07/31/technologies-and-structural-deepening/

A blog post with a rationale for technology integration specialists, written for school leaders:
https://hackscience.education/2018/08/01/edtech-for-edleaders-whom-to-hire-technology-integration-specialists/

A blog post on an article that has informed my thinking about graded for a long time:
https://hackscience.education/2025/07/06/the_deceptive_simplicity_of_percentages/

Social scaffolding involves dynamic interaction and dialogue between students and teachers, or between peers. This includes coaching, guidance, questions, clarifications, and answers, fostering a collaborative learning environment. #CollaborativeLearning #EdChat

"Big idea" leaders often find they can't get folks to follow along. That's because those of us who can implement ideas are too busy with our own ideas.

For scaffolding to be effective, learners need a sense of the entire task or solution they are working towards. Scaffolds have little impact when skills are taught in isolation. #TeachingTips #StudentSuccess

While flexible for small data, spreadsheets can be challenged by formal business needs. When data access grows or a centralized store is needed, organizations often transition from spreadsheets to relational databases. #DataManagement #BusinessAnalytics

“Anyone who believes in indefinite growth in anything physical, on a physically limited planet, is either mad or an economist.” -Kenneth Boulding

Facial data is inescapable; you're always connected to your face, making constant, permanent surveillance possible. This eliminates "practical obscurity," meaning students can't blend in or manage their presence, impacting their coping strategies.

Databases employ strong typing, strictly enforcing data types to prevent errors (e.g., a numeric column only accepting numbers). Spreadsheets, however, use weak typing, offering flexibility but potentially leading to inconsistent data.

The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), first elucidated by Davis in 1989, focuses on factors that increase the likelihood of users choosing to use technology. It posits that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are positively associated with the intention to use technology.

LibreOffice Base uses SQL (Structured Query Language), pronounced "sequel". You can enter queries in the GUI or directly as SQL code. SELECT, FROM, and WHERE are core commands! #SQLBasics #DatabaseQueries

I subscribe to you email newsletter (something I rarely do). I get the first edition and the links that look interesting all end up with 404 errors. Yes, I am unsubscribing.

A key distinction between human and artificial intelligence lies in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Humans have diverse needs including cognitive and aesthetic ones, but AI programs do not operate with such a hierarchy.

The Turing Test, developed by Alan Turing, assesses a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human. If an interrogator can't tell the difference, the computer is considered to be "thinking". #TuringTest #ArtificialIntelligence

Framing technology infrastructure and configuration needs in terms of technology acceptance empowers school leaders. It provides a clear "target everyone understands" for improving ICT, allowing leaders to manage tech decisions more actively. #Leadership #EdTechManagement

Curriculum Repositories serve as collaborative online spaces for educators to share open educational resources. They organically foster social influences and positively impact effort expectancy and performance expectancy by providing accessible, useful materials. #OER #ProfessionalLearning

Educational Design Research is an iterative process of analysis, design, and evaluation. It helps practitioners develop interventions deeply informed by theory, while also refining theory based on real-world application. #DesignResearch #LearningDesign

The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) identifies four key factors for tech adoption: effort expectancy (ease of use), performance expectancy (usefulness), social influences, and facilitating conditions. These are positively associated with the intention to use technology. #UTAUT #TechAcceptance

“Why can’t AI have unconscious biases?”

Stop and read your question again.