159: Multimedia in Schools Generations of students have created presentations using a series of programs that combine text, images, audio, and video (thus the “multi” in multimedia). Many trace the beginnings of this type of educational software to HyperCard and HyperStudio, programs that available were for Apple computers marketed in schools in the early 1990’s. Interest in multimedia grew when video cards, color displays, audio Read More
180: On Multiple Working Hypotheses When I was an undergraduate student studying biology, a botany professor shared with us an article from Science magazine published in 1890. The paper was presented to the Society of Western Naturalists by its president T. C. Chamberlin. It was very influential to me in 1985, but during a move Read More
161: A Story About School IT Leaders I once coached a technology coordinator who was fond of saying, “I built what they asked for, it they asked for the wrong thing, that is not my problem.” He used it whenever the educators decided the system they wanted wasn’t exactly what they wanted and they asked him to Read More
When I was a student, I was not a strong math student; my lowest grades were always earned in math class. I attributed this to the “D” I earned in math when I was in 4th grade. Despite this, I became a math teacher. My students (and their parents) frequently said I was among the best math teachers they ever had. I attribute this to Read More
165: BYOD and School Networks | RSS.com To minimize the expense of one-to-one initiatives, some schools choose to participate in bring your own device (BYOD) initiatives. This finds schools encouraging students to bring devices they own to school, connecting them to an SSID, and using them for their schoolwork. This can pose several difficulties for IT professionals; security being the most important. Others raise concern about equity as individuals may not be Read More
If you asked someone to design the future of computing, they’d probably picture a sleek brain-computer interface or a 3D spatial reality headset. They probably wouldn’t picture a whiteboard. But tldraw—the team behind the beloved open-source infinite canvas—has been quietly building one of the most radical reimaginings of how we interact with software. It’s called Read More
152: The Ethics of Educational Platforms: Data, Privacy, and Technoethical Audits I am reviewing some recent books and chapters I have written as I prepare my next book. As I review, I am have AI blog posts. This is an example. The modern school is fundamentally dependent on digital technology for nearly every aspect of Read More
151: Not Your Average User: Why School IT Is Different from Business IT This is an AI-generated post based on a chapter from a book I published under a Creative Commons license a few years ago When we talk about Information Technology (IT) in schools today, we are almost always referring to complex systems utilizing Read More
163: Comfort Zone Technology | RSS.com One of the challenges of being a school technology leader (and probably in other fields as well, but my area of greatest expertise is in education) is what I (and probably others) call “Comfort Zone Technology.” Here is the general situation: A new leader is hired into whatever is Read More
150: Spinning Up Distance Learning Classes Quickly I uploaded the syllabus for a course I planned, but never taught, to NotebookLM which generated this post Introduction: The Challenge of the “Empty Classroom” If you’re an educator, you’re likely familiar with this scenario: you’re handed an empty digital “course shell” in your learning management system and Read More