Gary’s Blog

I found this piece I wrote several years ago and it continues to be relevant for middle school treachers. One obvious feature of fully implemented middle level schools is engaging and relevant curriculum. Students in fully implemented middle schools are likely to score well on standardized tests. However, many educators also recognize that to view Read More

When listening to students and teachers, as well as administrators and staff who comprise the users of information technology systems in schools, I hear complaints about the technology (they tell me it is unreliably and insufficient) and I hear complaints about the people charged with managing IT (they tell me technologists are unresponsive to and Read More

When we gather data and create evidence, we are making several assumptions about the activity. We assume we are measuring what we claim (that our instruments are accurate). We assume that our tools are sufficiently precise to give us the level of detail that we claim or that we need (that our tools are precise). Read More

“In cultures that lack writing, all individuals participate in the communication life of the group without need for special training or skill. Once writing is introduced, a hierarchy of political power becomes possible with the more skilled readers and writers holding a greater share of the power. Abstract concepts such as property, law based on Read More

School and technology leaders generally concur that the IT systems in schools should be of high quality (for now, we can define “high quality” as being functioning and used for relevant purposes). Quality is also understood to be a measure that has no ceiling; one can always makes changes that will improve the degree to Read More

I was recently asked to suggest tips for reducing the potential for folks to fall for phishing attempts. Here is what I proposed: