For generations, a fundamental purpose of schools has been to give students experience using the dominant information technology and data sources. When the dominant data type was printed and scripted on paper, education took a very familiar format. Reading, writing, performing calculations on paper, and drawing on paper became the fundamental skills practiced as one Read More
Author: Gary Ackerman
Elevator Pitch: IT Leadership
When the leadership team comprises individuals who admit they are not “technology people,” they will often defer to the technology leader on all decisions other than budgets. They reason, “as long as they have the budget, I trust them to keep stuff up and running.” This makes sense as education leaders lack the expertise to Read More
AI Can Help Learners
For generations, students returning home from school were met with the question “what did you learn in school today?” The answer, of course, has been “nothing” for just as long. What was lost on all those generations is just how useful that question could be to our learning. We know that reconstructing what we have Read More
File Formats
We have been teaching in online classrooms for decades now, and I still see faculty–many faculty–who take the files they create with their productivity suites and upload them for students. When they do this, they impose an unnecessary level of complexity on students. In some cases, they cannot open the files as they lack the Read More
Defining Intelligence
The arrival of ChatGPT brought new questions to the forefront of our thought. Perhaps it is more accurate to observe it reminded us of questions we have been unable to answer; some of these have been unanswered for a long time. The hard problem of consciousness is one that I have been thinking about. We Read More
Another Look at TPCK
Several years ago, I posted on TPCK. This post further develops my understanding of it. In 2006, scholars Punya Mishra and Matthew J. Koehler from Michigan State University detailed the TPACK framework. According to this model, three types of knowledge affect educator’s use of technology. These three define seven independent and combined domains of knowledge. Read More
Whom We Find in Schools
The composition of the leaders who set school agendas, policies, and procedures is an interesting aspect of these public institutions. In general, we recognize two groups of people who participate in schooling as adults. There are those who liked school or were successful in school; individuals in this group tend to advocate schools that reflect Read More
IT and School Curriculum Planning
Educators are constantly reviewing what they teach. Many regulatory agencies require curriculum documents to be updated, and professional organizations update curriculum suggestions as well. IT professionals are often expected to participate in some of these efforts. Although IT professionals will not make recommendations about what should be taught, they are asked to participate in curriculum Read More
What Makes School Unusual for IT Professionals
There are many types of institutions that are labeled “school.” In the United States, the public institutions that enroll students in kindergarten through grade 12 come to mind. Students typically enroll in these schools after they have turned five years old and graduate just after they have turned 18. Much that happens in these schools is observed Read More
Elevator Pitch on Innovation
Education is a practice that has an interesting relationship with technology, especially information technology. Whenever a new technology arrives, there are teachers who perceive it to be an intrusion. This is a reasonable response as the new technology will be causing them to reassess their practices, change some, and abandon others. Many interpret this as Read More