The need to train and retrain teachers has taken on increased importance as digital computers have arrived in schools. As an undergraduate student enrolled in a course on teaching methods, I made an appointment with the staff at a small media office and had them sign a sheet confirming that I successfully threaded a film Read More
143: Some Observations of Learning
Yes, teachers are doing things differently now than they did previously. We are understanding better how humans learn and that is leading us to make better decisions about what w do with students. Some adults are uncomfortable with what we do today, but they need to realize we are preparing students for their future, not Read More
Information technology is an essential aspect of every school. Students and teachers use computers to consume and create digital information. Administrators and staff use cloud-based student information and business systems to manage data and facilitate operations. Librarians manage digital collections and subscriptions to full-text databases, and technology specialists support learning management systems and other infrastructure Read More
Here is a version of my “learning to walk at 42” story that seems to capture an important lesson for educators. In my therapy, there were two kinds of activities: exercises and authentic activities. Exercises were just what one expects from the name, actions the therapists directed me to perform to strengthen the neural connections Read More
The first school computers were mainframe computers. As with all mainframe installations, the computer was physically located away from the end users, so teachers and students never saw or touched the case containing the processor. These machines were used for instruction in the simplest terms: Students were presented with information, and then they were presented Read More
When listening to students and teachers, as well as administrators and staff who comprise the users of ICT systems in schools, I hear complaints about the technology (they tell me it is unreliable and insufficient). I also hear from them complaints about the people charged with managing ICT (they tell me technologists are unresponsive to Read More
About 15 years ago, there was a book and article entitled Change or Die that was widely popular and that was discussed at every conference and meeting we attended for a season or two. The thesis of the book and article was simple: When faced with the choice of changing one’s behavior or dying, many humans Read More
While educators who work in technology-rich places and spaces are likely to become more independent and capable to using it, there are aspects of maintaining technology that are beyond the expertise of educators. This is particularly true of those parts of the technology that can be disastrous to other users if they are misconfigured. Also, Read More
Cleaning out some files, I found one that contained a post for a blog for which I used to write. This was in my “to post” folder when I stopped blogging for the organization that sponsored the blog. I earned my Master of Arts in Education in 2000 at the local state college, and I Read More