Technology-Rich Teaching: Classrooms in the 21st Century

Information and computer technology arrived in classrooms more than three decades ago. Despite the efforts of educators and technologists, much teaching and learning has remained unchanged since it arrived. This is in contrast to the widespread adoption of computer technology in many other endeavors. Changing education to reflect the dominant role of technology in society requires understanding how technology has influenced (and continues to influence) several aspects of schools. Each of these is detailed in this book. The effects of technology on the digital generations who are now enrolled in schools are described, as is the nature of the technology-mediated interaction that will prepare these generations for an unpredictable future. Strategies and approaches for curriculum design, professional development, and other aspects of school organization are presented as well. Teachers, school leaders, technology leaders will find valuable guidance for refreshing teaching and learning that makes use of technology.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction How We Got Here Education is a Wicked Technology Learners Learner Tasks Understanding the Technology Infrastructure in Schools Developing Educator Capacity Developing System Capacity References Index

About the Author :
Beginning his career as a science teacher, Dr. Gary Ackerman became an education technologist more than twenty years ago. Since then, he has been responsible for every aspect of technology in schools. Currently, he serves as the digital project leader in a secondary school and works with community college populations.

Review :
The purpose of the book is to present a new vision of technology-rich teaching and learning. This vision is intended to support educators by providing a rationale for revising all aspects of technology-rich education, to provide general guidelines for classroom redesign, and to present evidence in support of a new paradigm in education that will help educators create classrooms in which teaching and learning more accurately reflect the future that students will experience. The author is knowledgeable about educational technology but arguably falls short of this ambitious aim. Many topics are necessary to the construction of the paradigm, so the book includes positivism, instructionism, naturalism, educative experiences, wicked and tame problems, brains of learners, learner tasks, effects of technology on the brains of learners, computer versus human capabilities, models for technology-rich classrooms (project-based learning, flipped classrooms, and assessment), school technology planning, and the development of educator and system capacities. The book also includes two interesting examples of technology used in classrooms to illustrate problem-based learning. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students preparing for educational technology roles and education faculty.