Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

You would think that—after 40 years of using computers—I’d know to check the power... including the wall switch that controls the outlet.

Managing your work and organization to meet goals is fine... unless your goals are misguided.

So much that passes for education is not. So much that passes for leadership is not. Thinking a hermit lifestyle suites me.

Hear that noise? It’s you actions speaking louder than your words.

Finished reading a book about data science... what does it mean that the shortest chapter (except for the conclusion) addressed addressed privacy and ethics and followed ever chapter (except the conclusion)?

My children’s middle school science teacher had a closet full of lab supplies she never used. I asked her about it once. Her straight response was, “If I use them, then I won’t have them anymore.” I talked to the principal... he knew her answer already.

If your data seems to contradict your business model, it might be wrong... the business model that is.

Sometimes your data confirms your suspicions, sometimes it contradicts your suspicions. How you react determines the quality of your decisions.

A blog post on why corporate IT strategies often fail in schools, now with audio:
https://www.hackscience.education/an-observation-of-it-in-schools/

A blog post on IT Goals and Schools, now with audio.
https://www.hackscience.education/it-goals-in-schools/

A brief story about enterprise IT and educators' lack of understanding of it.
https://www.hackscience.education/a-story-about-enterprise-systems/

I read the business reports that say employers find graduates lack the skills they need (I question that)... then I read the education reports that we need to focus on the opposite of what employers claim they can’t hire.

That problem you just solved... some did not think it was a problem... others see your solution as a worse problem... others think you were distracted by it while other problems rage.

I’ve decided I’m too old to work in organizations where there the leaders don’t “walk their talk.”

There is something distressing about leaders who do not recognize the expertise within their organizations.

My brother in law’s WiFi is named “FBI spy van” and he does have a van that is parked in his driveway intermittently. I asked if he changes the name of it when the van isn’t parked there. He doesn’t rename it, but he does stop it from broadcasting. Yes, he is a funny man.

I propose any course with publisher-supplied homework, video, quizzes, etc. can have unlimited enrollment, and the instructor be paid whatever the rate is for being a substitute at the local public school.

You might not be able to fathom taking a course on in a phone, but your students are! Make it mobile-friendly!

As I look back on my career, I see the root cause of me leaving a position is that I loose trust in leadership when their actions don’t meet their words.

Hey leaders... you can’t both say collaborative leadership is the only way we succeed, then make decisions that ignore those whose input you claim to value... well you can, but then no one trusts you.