Everyone who works in or studies education is familiar with the word pedagogy. It comprises the strategies and methods teachers use to teach. Included in pedagogical practices are a wide range of activities that are grounded in behaviorist, cognitive, and connectionists psychologies. The methods are connected by several assumptions, however. Specifically, pedagogy assumes the teacher Read More
Author: Gary Ackerman
IT Folks Working in School
If you are like most people, you have distinct memories of each phase of your education from elementary through middle and high school, and perhaps into trade school, college, or employer-based training. It is likely you were somewhat successful in school, otherwise you would be unlikely to be considering or working in a school. I Read More
On Expertise In School Technology
Schools are also organizations that rely on diverse expertise, and this is especially true in relation to information technology. Early in the history of desktop computing in schools, it was common to find tech-savvy teachers who supported and managed the devices. Even today, there are many tech-savvy educators who have successfully installed consumer grade networks Read More
On #edtech Excuses
ON Excuses One of the most important roles for an IT professional in a school to remove perceived barriers to using technology for educationally sound purposes. I use “perceived barriers” as a euphuism for excuses. You will find, there are teachers (and others) who will find a series of excuses to avoid using technology voluntarily. Read More
Tests: Learners as Rulers: Clouds
Consider for a moment clouds. We know they are collections of water (or ice) droplets, and they are “things.” When we look at the sky, we know they are individual things, but when we look out of the airplane window, we see they are less clearly bounded than they appear, and foggy days confirm they Read More
The Technology in Schools and Those Who Support It
For the last several decades, the information technology used in schools has been evolving. Electronic digital computers (in various forms) and networks first augmented paper resources and records, but now they are replacing print. Regardless of the age of the students the school enrolls, the number of students, or the nature of the curriculum, all Read More
Thinking About IT Professionals and School
For the last several decades, the information technology used in schools has been evolving. Electronic digital computers (in various forms) and networks first augmented paper resources and records, but now they are replacing print. Regardless of the age of the students the school enrolls, the number of students, or the nature of the curriculum, all Read More
On School
A common characteristic of all schools is the separation of learning from situation in which what is learned will be used. School isolates learners and teachers; while isolated, teachers design and deliver lessons through which the students will change. After completing school, everyone (the educators, the students, and those paying for the school) all expect Read More
On Interactive Whiteboards
Another common piece of hardware one encounters in schools is interactive whiteboards. Ostensibly, these look like whiteboards that have replaced chalkboard in most schools. When connected to computers, these whiteboards function as an input device. Teachers or students using them can launch applications, navigate files, and even use digital markers to write on files. (One Read More
Where Are Schools Going?
My career in education has been filled with many changes that are very superficial. My colleagues and I do things differently now than I did when I started, but many of those changes have not necessarily changed the experience of being a student. We are teaching the same way we did in the 1980’s (which Read More