Prior to the wide-spread adoption of one-to-one initiatives, most computing resources in schools were shared. As a result, it was necessary to adopt a strategy for scheduling time in the computer room, presentation spaces with high-quality projectors, and similar resources that existed in small numbers. Since one-to-one computing has become the norm in schools, the Read More
Category: Edtech for IT
edtech for IT: Google Workspaces
Since it was introduced in 2005, then made available to schools at no cost a few years later, “Google Docs” has changed the educational technology landscape. Since then, the platform has undergone nearly continuous upgrading and updating, and renaming. In 2023, it is called Google Workspaces and the basic level of service which includes productivity Read More
On User Devices in Schools
Cell phones have been arriving in schools in the packets of students for the entirety of the 21st century. For most of this century, the cell phones they have been bringing into schools are smartphones which can distract students with a myriad of channels for communications and apps. Those channels for communication and apps can Read More
Standardization of IT
Schools are characterized by large numbers of users all with similar technological needs. For example, in a school enrolling 500 students in the middle grades and providing one device for each student will need 500 identical devices. Deploying identical devices is particularly important for school populations as teachers must plan for all students to have Read More
edtech for IT: Technology in Teaching
When designing systems to move useful bits to people in most business settings, IT professionals can make certain assumptions about the abilities of the people who will be interacting with the systems. It is also probable that those people will have clear and well-bounded needs; workers in specific offices need the software and data to Read More
edtech for IT: Elevator Pitch on Users in Schools
Assumptions about the users’ capacity to operate the devices, adapt to changes, and operate the systems effectively all affect how systems are designed. For those who have experience managing IT in organizations where all the users are adults and those who have completed typical IT programs in schools (including trade schools, community colleges, and universities) Read More
edtech for IT: Creative Commons
Lawrence Lessig, a law professor at Harvard, founded the Creative Commons in 2001. This non-profit organization supports authors who apply Creative Commons licenses to the works they create. While materials published under any Creative Commons license (as of 2022 there are seven different licenses) are available at no cost, they are still copyrighted, but—depending on Read More
edtech for IT: What They Teach- Coding
Coding, of course, refers to teaching students how to program. Coding can be it’s own subject in school (such as high schools participating the Advanced Placement Computer Science courses), it can be incorporated into other lessons (such as middle school math students coding with Scratch in mathematics courses), or it can be the focus of Read More
My Response to ChatPGT
Some colleagues in IT departments and I had a chat about ChatGPT and similar tools yesterday. It was interesting to get the perspective of those who work primarily in IT rather than in education. As our chat ended, we were considering how to respond to calls to block access on our institutional networks. Here is Read More
#edtech for #IT: On Instructional Technology
Of the digital information technology available in schools a part is used by teachers and learners for their interactions; this is the technology I define as instructional technology. The technology that falls into this category must be affordable, usable, and operational and used to engage learners. Affordable. Traditionally, schools have small budgets for technology, and Read More