74: Diversifying the Fleet of School Computing Devices School and technology leaders have interesting choices when purchasing devices for students and teachers that they did not have even a few years ago. Whereas they once purchased desktop or laptop computers, they can now choose from: Internet-only notebooks (i.e. Chromebooks)—These are inexpensive devices that are easy Read More
Author: Gary Ackerman
Hypothes.is
I have become numb to the messages, tweets, blog posts, and other social media summarizing “the top x tools to do y with technology.” The x is a number that is way too large… if you are pro-porting to be an expert by going public with your recommendation, then tell me *the best* tool in Read More
What Plato Said About Writing
75: What Plato Said About Writing The role of microcomputers in curriculum and instruction has been debated since they first arrived in schools; some advocate for quick adoption of every new tool while others advocate for avoiding digital technology altogether. Disparate perceptions of emerging information technologies among educators is not a new phenomenon. In his Read More
On #Data and the Quality of Data
Appropriate Proper Reasonable As an undergraduate science major, I came to understand quantitative data; we measured what we observed in the laboratory and in the field and we summarized and evaluated it to draw conclusions about the world as we saw it. Patterns in numbers were our window into the systems we studied. As a Read More
Vygotsky and the Zone of Proximal Development
70: Vygotsky and the Zone of Proximal Development Lev Vygotsky was a Russia psychologist who worked in the early part of the 20th century before he died at 38. Many educators who adopt methods that are commonly called constructivist ground their pedagogy in ideas he developed. One that is particularly useful in designing all curriculum Read More
Continuing to Think About Theory in Education
A theme that recurs in my blog and in my other writing is the importance of theory in education and educational planning. I maintain the position that theory is a vital part of teaching and learning and leadership because it helps us understand exactly what matters in what we do. We can focus on relevant Read More
Understanding the Quality of #edtech
“So, is my school’s technology good enough?” is a question that principals and curriculum coordinators and superintendents ask—of course they don’t usually ask it when their IT coordinators or staff are within ear shot. The reality is that most school administrators do not have the expertise to assess the IT for which they are responsible. Read More
Three Choices When Faced with Technology
79: Three Choices When Faced with Technology Technology is a permanent part of society and culture. For decades, scholars who study technology and society have documented the active influences of technology on individuals who experience it and on institutions that reflect it in the organizations that emerge. These effects are particularly acute for educators. The Read More
Deconstructing #edtech
The question of just what should we educational technology professionals spend their time and energy doing and what school leaders should expect of the IT professionals they hire is one that has been raised by several within my network in the last year or so. The answer that I tend to give is this one: Read More
Education as the “Recitation Script’
Ronald Gallimore and Roland Tharp (1992) educational psychologists who studied conditions in classrooms that influence learning, referred to this type of teaching as a recitation script and observed, “the predominant experience of American school children. Sitting silently, students read assigned texts, complete ‘ditto’ sheets, and take tests. On those rare occasions when they are encouraged Read More