Over the decades I have been working with digital technologies, teachers, and learners; electronic portfolios have been a recurring topic. The story usually plays out like this: I arrive in a school (maybe k-12, maybe college) and there are groups (often departments in colleges) in which there is interest in adopting electronic portfolios. I hear, Read More
Category: Technology
Ensuring Ease of Use of #edtech
The selection of technology can be a wicked problem for a community. The devices or software available are likely to have some features that are needed but are underdeveloped in the available tools, while other features that are less important will be highly developed. As a result, a poor technology selection can leave some important Read More
The Transition to #edtech
As a student, I attended a high school that had four computers available for students (my classmates’ recollections confirm my memories). I was thoroughly unimpressed with the devices. I had fun playing the game in which I tried to hit my opponent’s castle with projectiles. Ostensibly, the game was played to reinforce the lessons taught Read More
Elevator Pitch on Multitasking
Multitasking is the mythic capability of people to perform more than one task at a time. A youngster who is messaging a friend on a computer computer, carrying on a text message conversation with another friend on a phone, and listening to music all while doing homework is multitasking. (So is that youngster’s parent who Read More
What Benkler Wrote About Networks
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
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
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
Teachers’ Web Presence
Schools have a responsibility to ensure each educator has a functioning account and sufficient access and storage space to maintain this web presence on web servers provided by the school. Thing to remember about your web presence: Vet web sites before you link. Pay attention to language, bias, and discrimination that may not have been Read More
Digital Learners
The world really has changed. The young people coming into your classroom are connected, they expect information and interaction quickly. They like video, it engages them (you may not like it, but it is true). They bully each other over digital networks (at least about 35% of the kids in middle school do). They support Read More
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