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
Technology that is appropriately used meets the needs of those who provide the mission-critical functions of the organization. For the technology to be reliable, robust, and secure, it must be properly configured. Technology is reasonable if is fits into budgetary limits and aligns with the organization’s policies and mission. If the technology fails to meet Read More
This post continues the theme developed in Cold Closure in #edtech Repairs and Another Take on Cold Closure in #edtech Repairs In the return to in-person teaching, we have discovered that IT systems have degraded. We can’t be surprised by this. IT professional have been overwhelmed with the “to do” list. Until systems are restored Read More
I’ve been cleaning out my Google Drive account along with some other older files. I’m trying to reduce both the physical and digital clutter in my places and spaces. Here is an interesting story rescued from that clutter: We have a new fleet of largely dysfunctional computers. Two months ago, the principal invited me to Read More
While I am a distance learning professional and I spend most of my time working at a computer and encouraging educators to use computers, I am an educator before I am a technologist. Teaching decisions must be made to benefit students. For much of my career, it has been easy for many individual educators to reject all technology-based and distance learning options categorically. They were justified in reasoning they could Read More
Teachers who create classrooms in which students pay attention are skilled at finding the correct balance between familiar and novel. Human brains are adapted to figuring out “just the right amount of change.” The logic behind this adaptation is simple: If a situation is familiar, then it is predictable so we have a sense of Read More
Much of the 20th century recitation script for education, in particular the articulation of measurable goals and the focus on efficiency, was based on the assumption that becoming educated was a tame problem. So that curriculum goals could be achieved efficiently, the problems that became learner tasks were de-contextualized; the context of rich information and Read More
Every instructor can expect their college will provide a course shell on the learning management system they support. The shell may be largely empty, or it may be completely filled with the materials for the course, or it may be partially filled. Student are likely to be enrolled in your course shell without the instructor’s Read More
In this blog, I have reasoned educational technology must be appropriate, proper, and reasonable. As I think about this more, it seems there are three separate and related, but largely independent groups that must give input into the management of information technology in school organizations. Steering Committees are diverse groups comprising representatives from across the Read More
I found this conclusion to a piece I wrote about 2 years ago… seems timely now: School leaders are encouraged to develop plans for continuous improvement (Cohen-Vogel, Cannata, Rutledge, & Socol, 2016) and they are also encouraged to use data to inform their decisions (Saltman & Means, 2017). Many of the problems school leaders seek Read More