On the future of education. The rhetoric of “education is changing” has been white noise since I started in the field. (This year marks 40 years since I started my undergraduate studies. I started in the same year A Nation at Risk was published.) My career has also coincided with the arrival of desktop computers, Read More
School users are also well-known for trading reliability for functionality and ease. IT professionals know that systems can be configured to perform many more functions than are typically used. Further, many users will use only a fraction of the tools and features available in the applications they use. Of course, using these tools and features Read More
There are two types of tests that are typically administered to students: standardized and standards based. For IT professionals who are designing systems to administer the tests, there is no difference; devices must be able to establish reliable and secure connections to the servers where the test is housed, user accounts must be created, and Read More
A colleague asked for an appointment this morning. She wanted to be sure she was properly reading the logs from the LMS. If you did not know, your LMS tracks everything that you do. What you clicked, when you clicked it, and from where you clicked it are all recorded by the LMS. I have Read More
When upgrading the computers in a school that enrolled students in grades K-12, the new technology coordinator did not change the minimum complexity requirements of passwords for the organizational units containing student users. When they first logged on to computers, they were prompted to change their passwords and were met with the complexity requirements. Students in the Read More
Regardless of the nature of the organization in which they work, all IT professionals are very familiar with the importance of network and data security; this is a lesson taught in preparation programs and all organizations inplement data security practices. IT professionals working in schools should also promote data security, but they must be sure Read More
In biology, exaptations are those structures and functions that evolved for one purpose, but then were applied to a different purpose. The typical example is feathers, which were originally structures adaptations that allowed for thermoregulation, and later were adapted for flight. An analogous process occurs with technology; it is used for purposes unimagined by the Read More
Scholars have recently rediscovered the significant and active influence that information technology exerts on the nature of societies. They generally differentiate three types of societies and have documented different types of interaction and cognition in each. Cultures with Primary Orality Cultures without writing are referred to as demonstrating primary orality, and communication in those cultures Read More
I’ve worked in educational institutions since 1988. My jobs have been in public k-12 schools, public community colleges, and various universities as an adjunct faculty member. In addition, I have participated in (and been a leader of) multiple educational organizations. Almost all these organizations have been marked by have some level of workplace conflict. In Read More
I found a slide from a presentation I gave about 10 years ago. It contained three quotes from John Dewey. It seems relevant today, although I am curious what John Dewey would say about the current efforts to ban books. One must wonder it that really represents a “social interest in education” or is it Read More