So much data just tells us the stories we tell ourselves.

“Data” generally assumes you have a large dataset and seek to describe patterns and correlations… “data” (as applied in education) was never meant to characterize an individual.

If people are constantly challenging you because of what you think, get better ideas.

One thing I learned during 35 years in education: there are plenty of educators, and a vast majority of curriculum leaders, standards writers, etc. who vastly underestimate students’ interest in and capacity to learn about and potentially solve complex problems.

Don’t say, “it wasn’t me” to the person who knows how to get into the logs.

Adults have been bullying adults in schools for decades. Too often then, those who are bullied do nothing. Yes, I was bullied. I had the benefit of being able to push back on it when it happened. Late in my career, I contributed to 1 bully being terminated and 1 pressured to resign.

One thing I learned during 35 years in education: there are some folks who really do believe “passing the test” and “knowing the material” are the same thing.

Quotes are great, but often when we go to the original source and find the context and meaning, the author was making the opposite point.

Giving access to information is a silly role for teachers today. Students need help selecting it, interpreting it, evaluating it, applying it, integrating it….

I write to understand the topic and clarify my thinking. That others consume the words, sentences, and paragraphs and find meaning in them too is a delightful side effect.

Oh, if only this was a thing! Too many opinions forced on us as fact by people with little or no clue.

Also add to that the line, ‘I’m sorry, I was wrong about that’. Too much doubling down.

“Im not giving advice because I don’t know enough.” Let’s normalize this.

Sometimes I laugh out loud at folks’ hot takes on education and teaching… then I realize they are serious.

One thing I learned during 35 years in education: when things get chaotic (in the school or outside it), focusing on interesting problems and strengthening relationships with students and colleagues is the best strategy.

Just because you have a graph, it may not be valid data.

“The course is free, but the certificate is not.” This ploy seems to validate the suggestion that the “piece of paper” really does matter… of course today it’s snippet of code.

I was at a meeting yesterday where the presenter said half way through their colleague was taking notes so that we “can collect data from our discussions. Maybe your quotes will show up In later presentations.” Am I over sensitive or should they have informed us first?

Some people say, “I need an example” then get stuck trying to reconcile or integrate the differences and end up doing nothing.

You can't be "a data-person" and be spreading unsupported myths.

Diversity is a good thing for making decisions within organizations… well if you want your organization to be productive and successful (by traditional measures) over a long time.

Once you can differentiate red herrings from meaningful practices, you will be very successful… but you will anger leaders.

If you are collecting data... get informed consent!

Retrieval practice is great, but let’s not stop when our students remember stuff.

Once you can differentiate red herrings from meaningful practices, you will be very successful… but you will anger leaders.

If your course does not include some activities in which ethics of your field and its applications are the focus, it’s time to rewrite your syllabus.

Sometimes the problem is that you get what you wanted.

Those of us who have worked in education are looking at the dumpster fires in the news and thinking, “I’ve seen worse.”

Critical ignoring is probably more important than critical thinking.

Templates are great, unless you have your own understanding of what you are doing.

It’s not the data, it’s their interpretation.

I’m always in awe of the foolishness of those “experts” who think they know other fields better than those experts.

One thing I learned during 35+ years in education: outsiders do really think desks belong in rows.

Don’t cancel due to “unanticipated technology issues” if it is not really related to the IT! You make your IT friends look bad… and we will remember.

A blog post, now with audio, on two different models of teaching and the effects on IT of each: hackscience.education/2024/02/25/i...

Why do school leaders so often "spin" information about technology? It's frequently the area they feel least comfortable with and are least prepared to manage themselves. #EdTech #Leadership #ITManagement

A blog post, now with audio, on #edtech and leadership: hackscience.education/2024/05/30/s...

A blog post on two related, but different activities we undertake as leaders: hackscience.education/2025/09/27/p...

Accessible and assistive technology. A brief blog post: hackscience.education/2025/09/27/a...

When using technology for authentic learning, teachers often question their practices, explore new options, and experiment with new tools. #TeacherLife #InnovationInEd

There are two distinct categories for the tasks teachers accomplish using IT systems: highly predictable tasks and unpredictable ones associated with authentic learning. How we design tech for each differs. #EdTech #ITforTeaching

Any one else notice predictions of weather are way better than predictions of the rapture?

Our town has been targeted for a mass mailing of religious propaganda. I opened the book randomly and read three sentences. I’m a pretty good reader, but I could not make sense of any of the sentences.

What motivated you to ask the question?

If your data are bar graphs “showing” the difference, but you haven’t analyzed it statistically, then I’m not going to reject the null hypothesis.

If you can’t identify data that would prove you wrong, you are not really data-driven.

Being skeptical and denying reality are different approaches to the world.

Your goals and your students’ goals are likely not the same.

If we didn’t believe the pattern existed in the data, we wouldn’t see it.

I attended class in which teachers wrote text on boards. Now I see video of it and I really don’t see that as an effective or efficient strategy.