Defining the purpose of school is as a problem as wicked as any that we encounter in education. Many of the political discussions and debates are focused (either implicitly or explicitly) on negotiating the purpose of school, thus the structures and organizations that will accomplish that purpose. Ostensibly, all participants in these debates are focused Read More
Goals seem a natural part of human organizations and design; we define what we want, then take steps to achieve what we want. Those who have been involved with defining or achieving goals are likely familiar with the phenomenon of “moving goals.” We observe this when a goal is defined and when we are getting Read More
Another post from words I wrote years ago… this post is derived from something I wrote in 2013: Education. Ever since there have been humans, they have invented methods ofteaching. The need to teach arises from our nature as social and technology-usingcreatures. Humans need to teach the young how to survive (what to eat and Read More
When there is information organizations find their members need, the leaders of the organization will arrange training. The model is familiar to most everyone who has worked in a profession: “something” new is arriving (perhaps hardware, software, or a procedure) and time is taken away from “work” to learn what the information necessary is that Read More
Humans have a long history of using technology. It is reasonable to conclude that humans and their technologies cannot be separated. Without our tools, our species would not have become the Earth-altering species we have become. When reviewing the history of our technology, we see that information technologies are a relatively recent invention, but for several thousand years, we Read More
I am cleaning out my files and discovered (rediscovered is more correct as I knew these pieces were there), writing from decades ago. I must say that teacher looking forward to a career in education knew his stuff. For proof, I submit this from the fall of 1992. (At the time, I was starting my Read More
All IT users know the systems work well sometimes and they don’t work well other times. Systems function well only when they are properly configured, and IT professionals (usually) complete formal programs of study to learn the craft of configuring IT and pass professional exams to verify they know what they are doing. IT configuration Read More
Innovation is defined as “doing things differently.” In education, leaders, including technology leaders, must negotiate a balance between existing practices and innovation. Educators are professionals who are deeply invested in what they do and how they do it. While “we have always done or this way” is too often given excuse for not implementing new practices, including those thought to be improvements, it is also given Read More
echnology comprises hardware, software, network infrastructure, cloud platforms, and personnel resources. IT leaders must be prepared to accurately assess each when making technology procurement decisions. The assessment must integrate both internal and external factors. The internal factors are grounded in the contingencies described in a previous section. Software, for example, has system requirements, and if the existing hardware and operating systems do not meet those requirements, and there are not sufficient funds Read More
This post was motivated by a quote (see it below) from an unpublished piece I wrote a few years ago. Individuals who have developed the skills we once taught as a liberal education seems to be exactly what we need in society right now. We could also use educators, law makers, regulators, philanthropists, and other Read More