ICT systems that are embedded in everyday teaching and learning must be highly functional and have high effort expectancy among educators. These characteristics are not necessarily coincident. For example, systems designed for highly controlled access may be safe from accidental or malicious misconfiguration, thus highly resistant to change and highly functional. Complicated rules for accessing Read More
Author: Gary Ackerman
My First Computer
I opened a random file on a hard drive I use to store archived files just for the fun of it. I discovered a draft of a piece written about 10 years ago; it contained this account of my entry into computing: As an undergraduate science education major, I concluded that computers were certainly a Read More
#edtech for #edleaders: 10 Commandments of Computer Ethics
For many years, we who teach teachers spent part of out sessions discussing computer ethics. We reasoned that educators had a responsibility to both teach about and model ethical computer use. Over time, I have seen this sense of responsibility wane. One of the resources I used most often when this was higher on my Read More
#edtech for #edleaders: Imaging
This is one of a series of posts that introduce common information technology management activities to educational leaders. In the vocabulary of IT technicians, imaging refers to the process of creating a file that contains the copy of a computer hard drive, then sending that to the hard drives of other computers. This strategy is Read More
#edtech for #edleaders: Edtech Professionals and Customer Service
Regardless of the role or she fills, all IT professionals who work in schools should be expected to demonstrate excellent customer service skills. “Customer service” is not a term commonly associated with education professionals, but they are skills needed for those who are providing technology support. Exactly what is meant by customer service also depends, Read More
#edtech for #edleaders: Password Security
With the growing importance of accounts and the growing amount of information and communication that occurs on digital networks, password security is becoming very important. In the same way that you would not leave your house keys around for anyone to use your house, you should not leave your password around for anyone to use Read More
#edtech for #edleaders: User Accounts
Almost all computer systems in the 21st century require a user account. These accounts are used to control which computer resources will be available to the user. This is done to protect the system and the information stored on it. Accounts are typically assigned one of these levels of control: > Administrator accounts have permission Read More
Ethical, Legal, and Responsible Computing
130: Ethical, Legal, and Responsible Computing The emergence of digital computers and digital networks is changing what is means to be an ethical, legal and responsible user of computers. Most schools do include policy statements that teachers and administrators will use information technology in ethical, legal, and responsible manners. Remember also that in those cases Read More
Education: Science? Art? Technology?
In general, humans like to categorize using dichotomies; an object is placed in one group or another. As an undergraduate student preparing to be a science teacher, I classified plants using dichotomous keys for a particular botany class, hours examining specimens (usually alone and with coffee) to decide if each demonstrated a trait described in Read More
Curriculum Repositories Defined
Teachers’ capacity to use technology in classrooms is also improved by the easy availability of technology-based activities and lessons that are aligned with their curriculum needs. Dexter, Morgan, Jones, and Meyer (2016) observed that accessible resources (those that could be incorporated into classrooms with minimal adaptation) were associated with greater use of technologies. This led Read More