Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

I’m an atheist and have been for decades. I was saddened to read the obituary of the priest who used to be walking his dog when I walked on my morning commutes. We would walk and chat for maybe half of my 1 mile walk to work.

the one rule they don’t teach you in “teacher college” is to never eat the treats/ potluck/ appreciate meals that are offered to you.

If you don’t understand and practice defining and testing null hypotheses, then you aren’t really using quantitative data.

In 40 years in education, I’ve discovered most data are quite precise. Inaccurate, but precise. #education #data

When writing marginalia, #3 pencil is the only acceptable instrument.

Telling folks to “stay in your lane” is really telling them “plan and act as if your plans and actions do not affect anyone else.” Sorry, but I don’t see this as a message #leaders should be communicating.

Your beliefs and opinions quantified are not data.

I understand perceived ease of use as a factor affecting technology use, but if you reject a “two-click” solution IT devised for your unique situation because you want a “one-click” solution don’t expect your one-click solution to arrive anytime soon.

Science takes a deep look at an intuitive thought and questions it. Quackery finds proof intuition is right. Scientists understand the difference. Quacks do not.

It is funny... no... it is distressing how ineffective reason, evidence, and theory are in convincing data driven educators to revise their pedagogy.

Higher education lost something when it was coerced into participating in cost-benefit analyses... but the unfettered spending and cost increases contributed to the context that made them necessary.

When quacks get a platform and dupe an audience... bad things happen.

“Statistics cannot be any smarter than the people using them.” -Charles Weelan

I can’t argue against that.

A blog post looking at the dubious history of IQ:
https://hackscience.net/2025/09/06/the-enduring-mismeasure-why-iq-tests-fall-short/

I wonder... Are the parents who claim teaching should not be political the same parents who seek to remove books from the curriculum?

When people learn no tools of judgment and merely follow their hopes, the seeds of political manipulation are sown. -Stephen Jay Gould

Note to self: Don’t demonstrate how to sign out of Google accounts during a Google Meet.

My former colleague (a vehement and frequent climate change denier on social media) continues to complain he can’t find a job... in a field that requires significant capacity to interpret data. Should I tell him?

“Learning [may] not happen by accident,” but it is often spontaneous, serendipitous, and contrary to the intended lessons. #education #teaching #school

Anyone else noticing the educator who is reluctant to record, caption, and publish their sessions is the same one who insists all training sessions be recorded?