Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

Those who believe they can predict the future should stop to read a little about unintended consequences.

When you are a good and strong #leader, we see the benefit of supporting and following you. When your organization has significant turn over, you should get the message.

Much current political discourse seems to resemble children yelling “am not”. “Are too.”

There can be no standards for “showing good judgement,” but surely our students need to learn it.

I left my second professional job because of the toxicity. More than 30 years later, I had opportunity to work in the school more that 30 years later. One teacher was there when I was, and the second longest serving teacher at the school had taken my position. The culture was equally toxic. That, my friends, is how culture works. It lasts generations.

“No, that will cause drama.” When the decision is made for that reason, you must wonder about the culture of the organization.

Just because the tool is available, doesn’t mean alternatives are not better.

“I’m not a good public speaker,” is not a reason to read slides. Get someone from your group to make the presentation.

Education that is standardized—the same for everyone is not worth students’ time... or our money.

I’m still amazed at the people who read from slides. Sigh.

You may believe as you wish, but not act as you wish.

Did you ever notice the same people who say “I hope you get to take time off this summer” are the same people who say “it is essential you add these projects to your summer schedule?”

“If you are raising the dust, don’t complain you can’t see.”

The idea that we can simply "switch off" a superintelligent AI is considered a dangerous assumption. A robot uncertain about human preferences might actually benefit from being switched off to prevent undesirable actions. #AISafety #ControlProblem

By recognizing that human traits are "jagged" or multi-dimensional, we can avoid the pitfalls of comparison to averages and unlock true potential. #HumanPotential

"Average" doesn't work because no one is truly average across all dimensions. Systems should accommodate variation. #NoAveragePerson

This message of unique potential cannot be communicated if we continue to hold "sameness" as a value. We need to celebrate diversity in talent and approach. #ValueDiversity

Making up your own world is healthy for children... it builds their cognitive abilities. When adults make up their own worlds... things go wrong... terribly wrong.

A blog post on The End of Average, now with audio:
https://hackscience.education/2018/08/01/the-end-of-average-how-we-succeed-in-a-world-that-values-sameness/

The jagged principle shows context matters for behavior. A child might be aggressive towards bullies at school, but not other peers or adults. Behavior isn't always a fixed trait.