Intelligence has been perceived to be a cognitive activity originating the brains of an individual for generations. While there is surely a cognitive component, learning science is telling us that human brains evolved to learn from and with other brains. While methods that find students learning together continue to be contentious, it is clear that Read More
Month: November 2021
An Instructional Video Rubric
Teachers talking over slides (or images or diagrams or animations) has become an important teaching strategy during the pandemic. It is likely to continue to be a staple of teachers not just because it will make the pivot to remote teaching easier when it becomes necessary, but because it allows for alternative method of teaching Read More
Elevator Pitch on Natural Technology
Technology is a force that exerts strong influences on society and culture. For those living within a culture its effects are so familiar they are barely perceived and thought to be a natural part of every culture or society. What we expect of people (our peers, our leaders, our children, etc.) and out institutions (schools especially) Read More
Bricoleurs in #edtech
The French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss introduced the concept of the bricoleur. Wikipedia is a good starting point for defining new terms, so I started with that definition when I started promoting this approach to using technology in schools more than a decade ago: “It is borrowed from the French word bricolage, from the verb bricoleur Read More
Hire a Former Teacher… or Maybe Not
A colleague and I were talking over a video call today… No… that is not true. We were bitching… we were commiserating… we were griping about careers being spent in education and the things educators can do when they leave the field… or more precisely the things it is assumed we cannot do when we Read More
Skeptic or Cynic?
Over my career, I have adopted the role of skeptic. Whenever anything new comes along, I look at it carefully and I must become convinced there is a compelling reason to adopt it. I also, however, turn the same critical eye to my own practices; I seek to convince myself that what I am doing Read More
On Learners
Learners and their brains are the natural phenomena in which the technology of education is grounded. To be educative, an experience must be compatible with the physiology and psychology of their bodies and brains. For the 21st century educator, the classroom is filled with learners who have much different relationships with technology compared to those Read More
Elevator Pitch on Working in School
Everyone has experience in school. If you are reading this blog, it is likely you attended elementary, middle, and high school as a child. You may have some experience in higher education or professional training. In addition, you may have experience as a parent or caregiver who has interacted with schools. One of the most Read More
Elevator Pitch on IT Work in Schools
There are many reasons why IT professionals decide to work in schools. Some want to use their skills for a socially responsible purpose. Compared to other businesses and industries, schools tend to be relatively low stress for IT workers. Network disruptions that would be disastrous in other industries can be managed and the effects more Read More
Thoughts on a Tweet
Seriously teachers. Stop tweeting pictures of students. — Dr. Gary Ackerman (@GaryAckermanPhD) November 11, 2021 I recently had a tweet go “viral” in the non-celebrity sense… something like 80,000 impressions in a day which I attribute to the likes, replies, and retweets. In this post, I dig a little deeper into my rationale for the Read More