Using Technology With Classroom Instruction That Works

Book Preface

Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works is a book that is long overdue.

What’s special about this book is that its authors are fluent in both the research behind the nine categories of instructional strategies presented in the book Classroom Instruction That Works and the ways in which technology can support and integrate these strategies. They know how to teach the strategies and why teachers need to have practical and immediately applicable solutions for their classrooms. They understand adult learning theory and the finesse necessary to teach to learners who have varying comfort levels with technology.

In addition, the authors are true educational technology leaders. Dr. Howard Pitler, an Apple Distinguished Educator and National Distinguished Principal, brings years of experience as an educator and principal of a technology magnet school. His team consists of former classroom teachers, administrators, and educational technology experts who have a very clear understanding of the changes that must take place in classrooms if we hope to meet the needs of our 21st century learners. Elizabeth R. Hubbell, a former Montessori educator, brings her expertise in discovery and experiential learning and her enthusiasm for integrating technology into the elementary classroom. Matt Kuhn, a former secondary science teacher, administrator, and national laboratory technology-outreach coordinator, conveys his understanding of and passion for using technology to teach teenagers. Kim Malenoski’s experience with education at the school, district, state, and national levels have instilled in her a great commitment to giving practical guidance that makes a busy teacher’s life easier. Finally, all the authors understand that a focus on technology is not “about” the technology itself, but about changing teacher practice, motivating our students, and creating learning experiences that will be applicable to their world and future workplaces.

Through practical guidance and anecdotes that put the reader right in the classroom, the authors show technology’s power to reach and motivate various learners. They consistently make the points of why and how teachers should use modern technological tools to transform and energize their practice. They also make expert use of “nonlinguistic representation” in the variety of graphics, screenshots, and illustrations included throughout the book.

Perhaps this book’s most powerful contribution to the field is the fact that it provides such a wide variety of resources and then shows to which strategies those resources best apply. For example, if your class is studying constellations, it’s wonderful that you and your students can access a free, online planetarium, but what exactly is it that you want your students to do with this extraordinary resource? And how will the use of this resource engage your students in learning activities that have been shown to improve achievement? This book—through its structure of planning questions, categories of instructional strategies, and categories of technology—shows teachers how to think about using technology to help their students practice concepts, engage in higher-order thinking, and problem solve. In other words, it helps teachers help their students hone skills and knowledge that will serve them for the rest of their lives. That is the ultimate goal of education.