Stephen Downes

Gary Ackerman writes that "theories are rules we should follow when designing educational technology systems." He then steps through the generation process in order to conclude, "After more studies have validated the theory, it may become established. This is when practitioners should begin using it. It is important for practitioners to wait until a theory is established before they begin to rely on it to guide decisions." In response, I note only that I have spent a lifetime arguing that rule-based systems are not appropriate for technology development or adoption (or most anything else really) and that a focus of developing theories as 'rules' would be very misplaced.