Yochai Benkler, a professor at Harvard Law School (2006) observed “the change brought about by the networked information environment is deep. It is structural. It goes to the very foundations of how liberal markets and liberal democracies have coevolved for almost two centuries” (p. 1). Reference Benkler, Y. (2006). The wealth of networks: How social Read More
Author: Gary Ackerman
Planning and Goals
A short excerpt of a school leader’s comments on goals and the valuable planning methods she had discovered. All of the leaders articulated the expectation that they follow prescribed planning methods. Carol indicated the expectation had been formalized in her school district. “Once the state department of education started taking about SMART goals, we were Read More
On Facts
Research depends on “facts.” In the vernacular, fact typically means information that is true and accurate; implicit also is the assumption that the fact is objectively defined so that every observer will agree on the both reality of the fact and the meaning of the fact. A more sophisticated view of facts recognizes the role Read More
ePortfolios: What? Why?
ePortfolios: What? & Why? © 2014 Dr. Gary L. Ackerman Portfolios are a tool whereby learners can demonstrate their abilities. They document complex skills, knowledge, and habits for learners and other audiences. In the 21st century, there appears to me a growing schism in education based on the nature of educative experiences. The extreme focus Read More
Paradigms
The concept of the paradigm shift was introduced in the 1960’s and revised in 1970 by Thomas S. Kuhn in his influential book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Kuhn 1970). Kuhn was the first to publish this account of how knowledge in science advances: Scientists conduct experiments and carry out their observations to study unanswered Read More
Types of Data
Different problems require different methods, and all education researchers must understand the nature of the problems they study and the nature of the methods available so that data can be ethically gathered and reliable conclusions can be drawn. In general, education researchers may use either quantitative research methods or qualitative research methods. Quantitative methods are Read More
Vygotsky was Right
Lev Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist who lived from 1896-1934. He was relatively unknown to educators until the 1960’s and 1970’s when his work was rediscovered and interpreted. (Many believe the difficulty with reading Vygotsky’s work arose from the little editing he did during his end-of-life brain dump during which he recorded as many of Read More
Vulnerabilities and Their Effects
My inbox and feeds have been filled with stories of the threat posed by a widely-used video conferencing client. In simple terms, those who installed a piece of software use a specific tool can have their webcams controlled by others. This is clearly a privacy concern… I will simply stop here so this does not Read More
On Language and Humans
Many animals other than humans live in social groups, and many of those demonstrate complex cooperative behavior, much of which is mediated by communication. In non-human species this communication is described as signal-based. Scientists who conduct field studies of social creatures (and even those who watch television programs about those social creatures) are familiar with Read More
Thoughts on Decades in #edtech
For more than 30 years, I have considered myself a part of the NEMS community. I attended conferences early in my career. Later, as I was completing my degrees, I presented master’s thesis and doctoral studies at numerous conferences. I served in leadership positions within the organization, and always found the community quick to challenge Read More