126: AI in Education: A Debate I have a stack of books about artificial intelligence waiting to be read. The field is emerging quickly, so my reading focuses on how AI has and can affect work, life, and society. Madhumita Murgia’s 2024 book Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI was the most recent Read More
Category: Technology
Assistive and Accessible Technology
In today’s digital schools, providing students with technology is about more than just giving them laptops or internet access. It’s about ensuring every single student has the tools they need to participate, learn, and succeed. This is where two critical concepts come into play: assistive technology and accessibility. While related, they address the goal of Read More
The Linux Operating System
An introduction for students in my operating systems course for community college students As a Computer Information Systems (CIS) major, you’re already familiar with operating systems like Windows and macOS. They’re great for desktops, but when you look behind the curtain of the world’s digital infrastructure—from massive cloud data centers to the smartphone in your Read More
Cloud Computing
A post for my students preparing for the AWS Cloud Practitioner exam Learning about cloud computing can feel like learning a new language. You’re bombarded with acronyms (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, VPC, EC2… what?!), abstract concepts, and a whole new way of thinking about technology. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But here’s the secret: at its Read More
Facial Recognition Technology and Schools
AI was recently asked about the potential of using facial recognition technology on campus. That caused me to return to my folder of “old stuff” I maintain and to revise a blog post I had abandoned almost 5 years ago when the pandemic caused the issue to be forgotten by those who had me thinking Read More
An Introduction to IT Networks
While you might often think of large corporations or government agencies when considering network security, the truth is, some of the most critical and challenging networks to secure are right under our noses: school IT networks. These networks are essential infrastructure, connecting students and teachers to data, information, and interactions locally and across the Internet. Read More
Why Our Machines Need to Understand Us
In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, the conversation often centers on cutting-edge algorithms, computational power, and the impressive feats machines can now accomplish. But what happens when these incredibly capable systems need to operate in the messy, unpredictable world of human beings? In Chapter 13 of “Possible Minds,” titled “Putting the Human into Read More
Knowledge & Information
I just discovered this from a piece I wrote about 10 years ago. It seems timely given today’s fascination with generative AI. As has been established, the instructionism of the 20th century was designed to transfer information into student’s brains. Educative experiences necessitate a more sophisticated purpose for teaching. Data and information, which are the Read More
Prompt Engineering
Prompts can be composed of text, images, or both, depending on the model. Fundamentally, prompts get converted into tokens, and the quality of this initial input strongly influences the relevance and accuracy of the model’s response. While there’s no single formula, effective prompts often contain elements like keywords, guidelines, formatting instructions, and examples. Several techniques Read More
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Generative AI (GenAI) has burst onto the scene, capturing global enthusiasm and driving the next wave of digital transformation. At the heart of many GenAI applications are Large Language Models (LLMs), powerful AI models trained on vast amounts of text data to understand and generate human-like text. LLMs, like OpenAI’s GPT series, Read More