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Listen to an extended version of this post as a podcast (transcript):
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I first became aware that there might be a problem a few years ago, when one of my kids was studying weather systems: high- and low-pressure systems, cold fronts and warm fronts. We were trying to help her prepare for a test and also do some sort of homework, and she didn't get it at all.

We were really frustrated, my husband and I, because all we really had as a reference was the top half of this worksheet that explained the concept. So we were having trouble explaining it to her, and at one point I finally said to her, "You know, in your class, didn't your teacher ever draw a diagram on the board?"

She said, "No."

I said, "Did you guys ever do anything like where the teacher would grab a small group of kids and say, 'OK, you three, you're going to be a cold front, and then you three, you're going to be a warm front. Come up to the front of the room, OK. And I want this group here, I want you to wiggle around really fast because you are, I don't know, high pressure. And this group, I want you to move really, really slowly.'"

I was trying to figure out if there had ever been some kind of physical demonstration of these concepts. It seemed like even a three-minute re-enactment of how these systems work would help the kids get it right away.

"Did your teacher ever do anything like that?" I asked.

She looked at me like I was crazy and said no.

I said, "Well how did you learn this? How did you actually learn this for the first time?"

"Well," she said, "we just read the book."

"What do you mean 'we read the book'?" I asked. "Did everybody sit down quietly and read it and then the teacher talked to you?"

"No. We just opened it up to page 36, and then she would read a little bit to us, and then explain something, and then we would read a little bit more, and then she would say something else, and that was it."

"Is it like that all the time?" I asked, hoping for a no.

She shrugged and said, "Basically."

This was a couple of years ago, when my kids were all still in elementary school, but since that time, I've seen this pattern more and more as they've gotten older: Every day, for the most part, information is delivered to them in some really basic way-usually PowerPoint-and the kids copy down what the teacher tells them to from the slides. Then they have some sort of worksheet where they're basically regurgitating what was on those slides. After this cycle repeats four or five times, they have some kind of test. And that's it.

This is not good. If we want our students to actually learn the facts and concepts and ideas we're trying to teach them, they have to experience those things in some way that rises above abstract words on paper. They have to process them. Manipulate them.

To really learn in a way that will stick, they have to DO something.

I realize I'm probably preaching to the choir here-that people who read these posts are probably doing a lot more in class than this information-in, information-out model-and if that's true for you, then great. But I listen to teachers talk all the time: in schools, on social media, in private messages, and I know that things are not going well for you all of the time. I hear teachers talk about "covering" concepts in class and even reviewing them with games, only to end up with half the class failing an exam. This is incredibly frustrating; I know. But the truth is, just because you covered it, it doesn't mean they learned it.

And I know that this is going to upset some people, but if you have a lot of students failing your tests, and those students are in class and they're showing up, then the problem is not them. The problem is you. It's something you're doing, or maybe something you're not doing.

The Problem: A Gap in the Lesson Plan

First, let me say that authentic, project-based learning is probably the best way to have students experience meaningful learning. But many schools and classrooms aren't quite there yet: They deliver instruction in a more traditional way. That model can still result in solid learning, if it's implemented correctly. And that's where I'm seeing a problem. I think we're skipping over one of the most important steps in our lesson plans.

Let's consider the classic lesson plan format:

1. Anticipatory set: This is where we get students interested in the lesson and set objectives for the day.

2. Direct instruction: Facts, concepts, and skills are delivered via lecture, video, reading-some way of getting the information into students' heads.

3. Guided practice and application: With the support of the teacher, students apply what they have just been taught.

4. Independent practice and application: Students apply the learning on their own.

5. Assessment: The teacher measures how well students have met the objectives.

I think what's happening is that we're skipping over the third step. We're going right to independent practice (often at the lowest levels-basic regurgitation), but students aren't being given any kind of task to actually process or apply the material in a meaningful way. We go straight from direct instruction to independent practice to assessment.

In some cases, we may even be skipping both steps 3 and 4. Not too long ago I had to help another of my kids study for a social studies test. All we had to work with were notes copied from a PowerPoint. I didn't understand the meaning of half of them, because they were just bulleted phrases, so it was nearly impossible to review the material. When I pointed at individual items and asked my kid to tell me what they meant, that turned out to be too difficult. The teacher had just told them to write down that bullet point, but my kid left class that day not really knowing what it meant.

Because I was a teacher myself, I know there's got to be more to the story. I remember how students could misrepresent or oversimplify the things we did in class. I would bet that this teacher took time to explain these concepts before having students copy down bullet points. But it wasn't enough. My kid was in class, paying attention, writing down the notes, but still didn't learn a whole lot.

Apart from the poor quality learning, this gap in our teaching is a problem for two more reasons.

For one, it doesn't align with the standards. Look at any social studies standards for middle school, in pretty much any state. Do any of them say that kids need to be able to identify names of significant people in historical periods, or be able to regurgitate facts about certain cultures or regions?

No. They want students to be able to understand the relationships between social movements and changes and other influences. They want students to be able to explain and analyze things. I just randomly pulled up Wisconsin's standards for grade 7 social studies. Here's an example of what these students should be doing when they learn history (from page 10):

1. Use historical evidence for determining cause and effect.

2. Analyze, recognize, and evaluate patterns of continuity and change over time and contextualization of historical events.

3. Connect past events, people, and ideas to the present, use different perspectives to draw conclusions, and suggest current implications.

4. Evaluate a variety of primary and secondary sources to interpret the historical context, intended audience, purpose, and/or author's point of view.

These standards are GORGEOUS. If students are actually doing these things in Wisconsin middle schools, that would be amazing. But if Wisconsin is like a lot of other places, my guess is that students are sitting through PowerPoint lectures, copying notes from the PowerPoints, and transferring that information to worksheets and tests.

I know it seems like I'm picking on social studies here, but that's just because social studies is such an information-driven subject area. The same could be said for science, health, and other content-heavy classes. Even in English language arts, which really should be driven more by practicing reading and writing, there are some teachers who manage to run mostly lecture-worksheet-test-based classes.

The other problem with this kind of teaching is that it makes kids hate school. I already dealt with this extensively in this post about excessive use of worksheets, but it's worth repeating: When we do little more than have students copy down information or fill out worksheets, we are making school an awful place to be.

In a 2014 article, instructional coach Alexis Wiggins reported on her findings after shadowing two high school students through a typical school day. She was horrified by the amount of sitting and passive learning these students were subjected to. Friends of mine who work as instructional consultants and coaches, who visit hundreds of classrooms every year, say they see more low-level seatwork than anything else.

My own kids hate school more and more the older they get. And they rarely bring home anything lower than an A. The other parents I talk to-who live all around the country-report a similar pattern more often than not. This is not an isolated issue.

Why Is This Happening?

I think this epidemic of passive learning has come about for a couple of reasons:

High-Stakes Testing Mania

We're in an environment right now that is so driven by high-stakes testing and data that teachers have no choice but to only do things that produce data. Teachers say that they would like to be doing more engaging activities, but they end up in this cycle of information in, information out, assess, get a score, move to the next step again, repeat.

Death by Documentation

I'm hearing more and more from teachers who are required to document the crap out of their day -super detailed lesson plans, all the way down to having to indicate what font size they're using on something. When you have to do that much documentation, it squeezes teachers' time so much that they go to this default setting of get the content out there, cover it, test it, and move to the next thing.

Holes in Teacher Preparation

A friend who consults with schools tells me she believes teachers do not have sufficient tools in their toolbox for teaching. They literally don't know enough strategies for actively engaging students in the content, and that teacher prep programs may not be equipping teachers with enough strategies. Many teachers don't necessarily know how to go beyond direct instruction, worksheets, and tests, so they just go with the default. With teacher turnover at such a high rate and the number of emergency certifications growing in some states, it may be that teacher prep programs may not even be involved: There may not be much preparation at all.

The first two reasons need to be addressed at an administrative, policy level. But the last one we can deal with right now.

How Do We Fix It?

Now comes the good news. This problem can be solved in so many ways, and the solutions don't have to be complicated, time-consuming, or fancy. Simply add activities into your instruction that will help students build more pathways in their brains, see patterns, connect to previous knowledge, and experience some novelty so they remember the material better.

In between the direct instruction step and the assessment step of your planning, start adding in some of these activities:

1. Sorting

Organize the material by similarities and differences, categorize it, label it, do something that requires students to activate schema and create connections. An inductive learning lesson would be great for this.

2. Kinesthetic Work

Doing short role-plays and simulations can really help students visualize relationships and processes. This can also be done by creating models with Play-Doh or cardboard, or doing some kind of a maker project that connects to your standard.

3. Discussion

Even giving students a few minutes to discuss a topic-especially if they are taking some kind of a stance on the content and backing it up with evidence-can do so much to help them process and learn the content. But make sure all students are participating! Check out this big list of discussion strategies for tons of ideas.

4. Graphic Representations

Having students put the material into any kind of visual form will help them remember it better and understand how concepts are related. Graphic organizers and sketchnotes are two ways to accomplish this. Students can do these on their own or they can be constructed as a class with your support-for especially challenging concepts, this may be most effective.

5. Write to Learn

When students process ideas in writing, they are forced to synthesize the information that has only entered their brains passively, so stopping instruction every now and then to have students write short summaries or give their opinions on the things they're learning is a really effective, efficient way to cement their learning. This video from the Teaching Channel shows just how simple this can be to implement.

6. Mini-Projects

For learning to be active, it doesn't have to be a super complicated, long-term project. Students can do mini-projects that take just a day or two. This poster project, where students have to rank leaders of early America, then back up their choices with evidence, is a perfect example of a project that could be done in a short period of time.

7. Anticipation Guides

Anticipation guides are simple forms where students state their opinions on key statements before a learning activity. This primes them for the learning that is about to come. Once the direct instruction is done, they revisit the guides to see if their opinions have changed. This would be a really simple way to boost engagement and give students a bigger stake in a lesson.

8. Quality Note-taking

Although students seem to be taking a lot of "notes" in class, it's not clear that this is being done in a way that results in high-quality learning. If your classroom practices are aligned with the research on note-taking, this activity can be a powerful processing tool.

9. Retrieval Practice

Asking students to recall information is a great way to help them learn it better, but I'm not exactly talking about the kind of recall they do on worksheets. Whether it's stuff that just needs to be memorized or concepts that require more complex processing, building periods of retrieval practice into your instruction will boost learning.

Bonus: Collaboration

Most of these activities would be enhanced by some kind of collaboration: Have students share their write-to-learn responses with a partner. Do sorting tasks with small groups. Any time they work together, they're engaging with the content in a different way, which introduces more novelty and more opportunities to process it differently.

This is not an exact science, and no teacher designs instruction perfectly all the time. But if you're not getting the results you want, try to do more of this: When planning your lessons, ask yourself if students are doing anything with the material, or if you're just setting things up so it's information in, information out. If it's the latter, start adding in ways to have students engage with the stuff they're learning. There are a lot of different ways to do it. Even though it adds a little bit more time, you're going to see such big benefits. Not only are your students going to learn better, you will all-both your students and you-like coming to school a whole lot more. ♦

Come back for more.
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Too often, we're expecting students to learn material without asking them to do much of anything with it. Why is this a problem? Where did it come from? And how can we fix it?

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Meaningful Learning Begins and Ends with the Opportunities We Create

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Meaningful Learning Begins and Ends with the Opportunities We Create

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Learning hasn't really changed, but the conditions that impact and influence it has. In Learning Transformed my co-author Tom Murray and I detailed eight keys backed by research and evidence that can facilitate a transformation of practice that will result in improved outcomes and better experiences for kids. For change to occur, it is essential to continually evaluate where we are at in the process to eventually get to where we want to be, and our learners need us to be. Ownership and empowerment result when meaningful opportunities are created for kids to explore, interact, design, and create in real-world contexts. How well are we developing critical competencies in our learners as depicted below?

Our beliefs, values, and experiences all work to shape our respective practice. When it comes to learning the emphasis has to be on what the kids do, not the adult. Therein lies the significant distinction between teaching and learning. It's not that the former is bad per se, but ultimately kids should be actively engaged in the thinking and the work. As we work to create powerful learning opportunities, it is important to reflect upon and update our belief system as needed. I recently shared what
I believed in. Don Bartolo, in his book Closing the Teacher Gap, shares a list of beliefs that should be considered when creating learning opportunities for kids. I have merged his list (italicized), which I slightly tweaked, with some of mine, as there was overlap. Bartolo suggests engaging in the following exercise where you pick 3 of the items below that most resonate with you.

Knowledge must be organized around key concepts and not learned in isolation as this promotes understanding. Relevant application to construct new knowledge matters.

Learners must receive feedback from more knowledgeable others as well as peers. It must be timely and specific.

Learners must be given the opportunity to connect current knowledge with new learning to build on what they know and can do.

Learners need to be working for a purpose and not ritual compliance. Real engagement means students are involved and invested in their work.

To become self-directed learners, students must learn to monitor and adjust their approaches to learning.

Young learners need to be immersed in all kinds of texts, fiction, and nonfiction.

Learners need time and opportunity to practice, use, and apply what they have learned. Mistakes and approximations are a part of learning.

Learner perceptions must be addressed directly. Understand what students are thinking, especially when beginning a new topic or unit.

Spaces and environments should be more reflective of the real world.

Just because it worked in the past doesn't mean it still does.

Technology can be a game-changer with a solid pedagogical foundation.

All kids can learn.

Chase growth, no perfection.

So which of the above did you choose in your quest to transform learning? The key going forward is to reflect upon what you feel can help to create meaningful learning opportunities for students and decide what actions need to be taken on your part. It is important to note that we must also work to create powerful learning opportunities for ourselves.
For more questions that can help guide you in the process of improving student and professional learning check out the free Learning Transformed Study Guide from ASCD.

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Meaningful Learning Begins and Ends with the Opportunities We Create

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Learning hasn't really changed, but the conditions that impact and influence it has. In Learning Transformed my co-author Tom Murray and I detailed eight keys backed by research and evidence that can facilitate a transformation of practice that will result in improved outcomes and better experiences for kids.

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10 Strategies to Strengthen Instruction and Learning

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10 Strategies to Strengthen Instruction and Learning

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When I think back to my training to become a teacher, there were some reasonably consistent norms. These consisted of sound classroom management, listing the learning objectives, and developing a lesson plan. I still can't believe how much time and focus there was on how to manage a classroom effectively. When it came to the lesson plan piece, many of my colleagues and I in the Northeastern United States were educated in the Instructional Theory Into Practice Model (ITIP) developed by Madeline Hunter. For many years this framework was the lay of the land in schools when it came to direct instruction.
Many of the original tenets still have merit today. As a realist, there is still value in direct instruction. In his meta-analysis of over 300 research studies, John Hattie found that direct instruction has above average gains when it comes to student results, specifically an effect size of 0.59. Another meta-analysis on over 400 studies indicated strong positive results (Stockard et al., 2018). The effectiveness of this pedagogical technique relies on it being only a small component of a lesson. The rule of thumb during my days as a principal was for my teachers to limit any lecture component. Direct Instruction should be designed so that learners can construct (induce) concepts and generalizations. For example, lessons can be divided into short exercises (two to four minutes) on slightly different but related topics. This sustains children's interest level and facilitates children's synthesizing knowledge from different activities into a larger whole.

We now live and work in different times. Technology, the pursuit of innovation, and advancements in research have fundamentally changed the learning culture in many schools for the better. As I have conducted thousands of walk-throughs in schools, I am always looking at the convergence of instruction and learning. To me, instruction is what the adult does whereas learning is what the student does. There is some gray area here, but the overall goal is to continually grow by taking a critical lens to practice with the goal of improving learning outcomes for kids. With this being said, I have gone back to the ITIP Model and adapted it a bit. Some items remain, while a few others have been added. These frame the lesson from the students' point of view and are presented as "I can" or "I will" statements. They help kids grasp the lesson's
Standards-aligned learning target
purpose -why it is crucial to learn this concept, on this day, and in this way. Targets help to create an environment where kids exhibit more ownership over their learning. Critical questions framed from the lens of the learner include:

1. Why is this idea, topic, or subject vital for me to learn and understand so that I can do this?

2. How will I show that I can do this, and how well will I have to do it?

3. What will I be able to do when I've finished this lesson?

Anticipatory set
Anticipatory set is used to prepare learners for the lesson or task by setting their minds for instruction or learning. This is achieved by asking a question, adding a relevant context, or making statements to pique interest, create mental images, review information, and initiate the learning process. A good do-now activity can accomplish this.
Review prior learning
Research in cognitive science has shown that eliciting prior understandings is a necessary component of the learning process. Research also has shown that expert learners are much more adept at the transfer of learning than novices and that practice in the transfer of learning is required in good instruction (Bransford, Brown, and Cocking 2000).

Modeling A pedagogical strategy where the teacher or student(s), demonstrates how to complete tasks and activities related to the learning target.

Specific points during the lesson or task when the teacher checks to see if the students understand the concept or steps and how to enact them to achieve the target. It clarifies the purpose of the learning, can be leveraged as a mechanism for feedback and can provide valuable information that can be used to modify the lesson. Check for understanding

Guided practice is when the students engage in learning target activities under the guidance of a support system that can assure success. Independent practice is when the kids practice and reinforce what they learn after they are capable of performing the target without support.
Practice
Authentic application of learning REAL learning in the classroom empowers students to manipulate the material to solve problems, answer questions, formulate questions of their own, discuss, explain, debate, or brainstorm. These activities deemphasize direct instruction and can include discussion questions and group exercises, as well as problem-posing and -solving sessions, to get the concepts across in a meaningful and memorable way. Pedagogical techniques such as personalized, blended and project-based learning as well as differentiated instruction and student agency can lead to greater ownership amongst learners.
Closure
Learning increases when lessons are concluded in a manner that helps students organize and remember the point of the lesson. Closure draws attention to the end of the lesson, helps students organize their learning, reinforces the significant points of the lesson, allows students to practice what is learned, and provides an opportunity for feedback and review.
Feedback

Verbal and non-verbal means to justify a grade, establish criteria for improvement, provide motivation for the next assessment, reinforce good work, and act as a catalyst for reflection. Feedback is valuable when it is received, understood and acted on (Nicol, 2010). How students analyze, discuss and act on feedback is as important as the quality of the feedback itself. Make sure it is Timely, specific to standard(s) and concept(s), constructive and meaningful. For more strategies on how to improve feedback click HERE.
Assessment
Well-designed assessment sets clear expectations, establishes a reasonable workload (one that does not push students into rote reproductive approaches to study), and provides opportunities for students to self-monitor, rehearse, practice and receive feedback. Assessment is an integral component of a coherent educational experience.
Not all of these strategies will be implemented in every lesson nor should they. However, each provides a lens to look at practice and make needed changes that can lead to better outcomes. It should also be noted that technology represents a natural pedagogical fit that can be used to implement these strategies with enhanced fidelity. Make the time to reflect daily as to where you are to get to where your learners want and need you to be.

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington DC: National Academy Press.

Nicol, D. (2010). From monologue to dialogue: improving written feedback processes in mass higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(5), 501-517.

Stockard, Jean & W. Wood, Timothy & Coughlin, Cristy & Rasplica Khoury, Caitlin. (2018). The Effectiveness of Direct Instruction Curricula: A Meta-Analysis of a Half Century of Research. Review of Educational Research: 88(4).

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10 Strategies to Strengthen Instruction and Learning

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When I think back to my training to become a teacher, there were some reasonably consistent norms. These consisted of sound classroom management, listing the learning objectives, and developing a lesson plan. I still can't believe how much time and focus there was on how to manage a classroom effectively.

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Monica Burns

How can you place learning goals front and center in a tech-rich classroom? Let the phrase "tasks before apps" be your reminder to focus on technology's purpose for learning, even when bright and shiny digital tools grab your attention.

As a teacher in a one-to-one iPad classroom, I strove to make the most of the tablets in my students' hands. From screencasting and moviemaking to reading activities and skill practice, these devices elevated and energized my students' learning experiences.

Digital platforms can give children access to learning experiences that meet their individual needs, such as when a student uses the free Microsoft Learning Tool Immersive Reader to hear a passage read aloud. Digital tools can open up the world to students, such as virtual-reality videos from the New York Times that showcase a place they may never have the chance to visit.

In my current role as a professional development facilitator, I spend time in other teachers' classrooms in schools across the country. The phrase "tasks before apps" was born out of my coaching conversations and presentations to educators. It is a reminder that, even as we consider how technology helps students do new and amazing things with their learning, we must always place learning goals at the forefront.

Here are four strategies to make the most of technology and embrace a "tasks before apps" mindset this school year.

#1. Review Curriculum Goals

To ensure that technology integration is meaningful this school year, step back and review your curriculum goals for the first quarter. With your curriculum goals in mind, how can you use technology to provide relevance to students, meet their individual needs, and do something that wouldn't have been possible five or 10 years ago? The use of a Chromebook, interactive whiteboard, or tablet isn't always the answer. But when you locate a moment in your unit when students can participate in a video conference with an expert, collaborate with a partner classroom on another continent, or build empathy as they watch a video of life in another corner of the world, powerful, integrated learning experiences can happen.

Nearpod has been a go-to tool since I first tried it with students as a 5th grade teacher. Through the use of this interactive presentation tool, my students were able to take a deep dive into the causes of the American Revolution while closely examining primary-source documents on their screens. Nearpod is free to use (with premium upgrades available) and lets instructors check for understanding, provide moments for collaborative discussions, and even embed virtual-reality experiences.

Earlier this year I used this tool with a group of 1st graders to discuss the life cycle of a frog. Although a read-aloud book might have helped students make connections and understand the topic, an interactive presentation took this experience to the next level. Students were able to draw pictures of frogs on their tablets, interact with a life cycle slideshow, and talk to their tablemates about their observations after viewing a 360-degree image of a pond. In this moment, Nearpod was the tool of choice to give students an opportunity to closely view media, apply their learning, and extend their thinking about the topic.

#2. Reflect on Creation Opportunities

Content consumption is powerful, and with technology, it can be transformative. Applying critical thinking skills to viewing, reading, and listening are essential habits for students in the digital age. However, content consumption is often a default activity when technology is introduced into the classroom. As you shift your thinking toward "tasks before apps," identify moments for students to create products that showcase and celebrate their learning.

Your students might create a movie, website, e-book, podcast, or other shareable product to demonstrate understanding. An open-ended creation tool gives students the space to show what they know in a creative way and connect with an audience through the use of multimedia.

There are many powerful open-ended creation tools for the classroom that empower students to share their stories and demonstrate their mastery of content. Soundtrap is a collaborative tool that students can use to create podcasts and record music. Your students might interview veterans in your community as part of a narrative writing project and share their interviews as a podcast. Adobe Spark Video is a moviemaking tool that can capture student voice and help students combine a variety of media, including icons and images. Your students might chronicle the steps of a science experiment in a tutorial for a partner class. Book Creator is an e-book tool perfect for poetry anthologies, how-to guides, or anything you or your students can imagine. Both Soundtrap and Book Creator are free to use (with premium upgrades available), and Adobe Spark has made their premium features free for K-12 students.

#3. Take Stock of Student Interest

Honoring student interest can help establish buy-in and communicate the relevance of the content goals you have identified for this school year. Digital tools, like surveys, make it easier to gauge student interest so that you can figure out what your students are excited about learning. Technology can also help you locate and curate classroom resources related to their interests.

A simple interest survey can help you decide in what direction to take a unit or how to group students together. Two of my favorite tools for conducting surveys are Google Forms, which lets teachers choose the type of questions they would like to post (e.g., a rating scale, check boxes, or open-ended questions), and Kahoot, which lets teachers project questions to which students must quickly respond while a clock counts down and music plays. Google Forms and Kahoot are both free to use.

A few weeks before kicking off a new unit, dedicate time within your lesson for a wondering activity to get your students' wheels spinning. For example, if you are planning to start a unit on nutrition with your 8th grade students, pose a series of questions to students such as "What is your favorite healthy snack?" and "Where do you go to figure out if a food is good for you?" Gathering this information will help you honor students' natural curiosity about a topic as you prepare tasks aligned to learning goals. A popular option for video responses is Flipgrid. With this tool, students can respond to a prompt in a video as opposed to answering a series of questions or writing a response. Flipgrid is free to use (with premium upgrades available).

#4. Find Your Partner in Tech

Working in a school with supportive, enthusiastic colleagues can make a hard day in the classroom so much easier. This is especially true when you are trying out new ideas and want to brainstorm with a fellow teacher. You may already have a go-to person in your grade level or department to whom you turn for advice-someone you always ask to join in when you try out something new. This same person could become your partner in tech-someone you work with to set goals for purposeful technology integration.

If finding someone in your building or district is a struggle, there are a few virtual options you may want to consider. You can locate a Twitter chat on Participate by searching by topic or time. This is a great way to find like-minded educators who are passionate about the same subject and who can help you problem-solve while trying something new. In addition to Twitter, Instagram is a great place to find inspiration. I started using Instagram this year and love how easy it is to follow a hashtag to find educators with similar interests.

As you review your curriculum goals this year, reflect on creation opportunities, take stock of student interest, and find your partner in tech in order to ensure intentional tech integration that uses meaningful tasks to guide your curation of apps.

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Monica Burns How can you place learning goals front and center in a tech-rich classroom? Let the phrase "tasks before apps" be your reminder to focus on technology's purpose for learning, even when bright and shiny digital tools grab your attention.

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As a teacher, kids are the toughest audience you'll ever have. Holding their attention is difficult enough, but getting it in the first place can be trickiest of all. In Music performance classes, we are reminded that we grab our audience at the very first note, and that they will also remember the last thing we play. Great stories do this as do well-written plays, and s o it should be with our lesson planning.

By envisioning what it is we want to see our students doing in the end, we can chart a course toward classroom engagement that's guaranteed to be memorable.

Classroom Engagement: The End

What do you want to observe your learners performing as you end the class? What's your trademark ace that you'll pull out of your sleeve to get them to remember your class?

Have your students search online for images that encapsulate the main points of the lesson, then display them as an animated collage in Keynote.

End a music class with a piece that students are familiar with and love to play, but with improvements that came as a result of being better informed.

Videotape the class and then spend time toward the end critiquing yourselves and charting a course for improvement for the next rehearsal. This is an old actor's trick that works very well.

Host an impromptu competitive quiz "game show" with teams at the end of the class. This can make for a fun formative assessment activity kids will love.

Do a recap of the class via student panel a la "sports commentators," not to exceed 4 minutes.

Whatever you decide to end your class with, remember that this is the forward moving piece. It's encapsulated by the all-important question "What are you going to do with this new knowledge?"

Classroom Engagement: The Beginning

If you've got your finale planned, it should be easier to figure out how we'll start. Here are some ideas.

Some teachers have utilized the power of the Internet to find striking videos that grab student attention from the start that also inform the final 4 minutes of the class.

Share engaging stories at the beginning that can lead students to drawing connections as the lesson unfolds, culminating in questions to spark further thinking at the end.

Juxtapose contrasting disciplines unexpectedly and draw connections later. For example, try dribbling a basketball at different heights at the start of the lesson to illustrate different tempos in music.

Pose a cliffhanger or mystery that will be gradually solved as the lesson reveals itself. You could end the lesson like Sherlock Holmes, recalling bit by bit how the mystery was solved.

Like a good meal, your appetizers and desserts have to be great. Certainly, your higher-order thinking in the middle is the main course, but how would you have learners leave your class, inspired for further self-guided exploration? This is the stuff that makes learning, and teaching fun, in these minutes that matter.

Additional Reading

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How to Achieve Classroom Engagement in 4 Minutes

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As a teacher, kids are the toughest audience you'll ever have. Holding their attention is difficult enough, but getting it in the first place can be trickiest of all. In Music performance classes, we are reminded that we grab our audience at the very first note, and that they will also remember the last thing we play.

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Students need to believe that they can do whatever they want. We tell them this with dreams of being doctors, lawyer, and astronauts. Today the Internet allows anyone who is passionate and willing to put in the work to find a profession around what they love. This doesn't mean everyone needs to, should, or even can become a "famous" Youtuber. When you look at the success stories each one of them produced anywhere between 100 and 300 videos per year for at least two years before they reached the level of success that you see when first discovering them and watching their content. Think about that. How many students or anyone for that matter is ready to produce 2 videos a week for nearly 2 years that take hours to produce and get minimal views and engagement the first 18-24 months? That is their recipe. Hard work, persistence, patience, and a never give up attitude. How's that for another descriptor of what makes a great educator.

I want to emphasize though that it's not about views or stardome. It's about value. Those creators provide value because they are talented at researching, planning, actualizing, and refining their communication and literacy skills around what they're passionate about. You must have exemplary communication skills both verbal, visual, and written to succeed on the world of content creation. I once spoke with a friend who works on the world of advertising. I was telling him about this incredibly entertaining product ad that I can't remember the name of the company or even what service they were selling but it was still an awesome video. He said to me that is the difference between a creative ad and a creative video. You can have a great script and storyline, and a humorous and ironic tone, yet still create something that doesn't effectively communicate the information you are trying to convey and make that the memorable part for your audience. I sat for a moment thinking his words over in my head. I then realized that so many times our students are encouraged to create media content in class and "be creative", but the core message of the topic is lost in a sea of entertaining fluff. His words reminded me how critical it is to help our students understand how to create a powerful story that is memorable for an audience. Another great antidote of the power of being a strong educator, facilitator, and teacher. These creators thrive because the internet has provided them with a platform where a global audience comes to find value. You don't have to wait for a college degree, support from a network insider, or a solid resume. You just have to want to create something that provides value for others.

The reason I become an educator was to dispel the myth of perfection. This myth of 4.0+ GPAs, and that school must revolve around a specific set of skills and scope of knowledge that is the universal recipe for success. That approach to education contributes to an "I can't/You can't" mindset where the idea of becoming a successful entrepreneur who creates videos that others love to watch is borderline preposterous, yet the idea of becoming a person trained by a spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft is not just legitimate, but admirable.

*Note that aspiring space walkers have around a .1% chance of becoming an actual astronaut.

The fallacy of perfection is dangerous. It can prevent us from giving our students opportunities and instead prepare them for that "one day". That one day when they will finally be ready to seize the day and solve a problem or improve society. By dispelling the myth of perfection we give our students and ourselves an opportunity to strengthen our creative thought process, our ability to be proactive and resilient, and to become empathetic and responsible members of our communities and beyond.

My experience at ISTE was a life changing experience, mostly because I did my best to make it a life changing experience for every educator I connected with. There are so many incredible mentors, colleagues, and even critics that I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude. If it wasn't for them I might have waited for perfection keeping my work as an educator locked up tight in the four walls of my classroom.

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Don't let perfection stop you from making your mark on the world

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There are so many incredible people in both the world of education and other industries that I interface with. I see incredibly talented people succeeding, many times in the very same niche that my work falls into.

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Article from Empowered Learner 2018

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The Art of Asking_Empowered Learning_July 2018

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Start, Stop, continue: How Digital ELA Classrooms Evolve

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Start, Stop, continue: How Digital ELA Classrooms Evolve

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2018 ISTE Session

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Robert Furman

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Are you future ready? | Rob Furman | TEDxYouth@Shadyside

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Robert Furman

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It's Time for an Education Revolution | Robert Furman | TEDxUMD

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Michael Cohen

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Michael Cohen, The Tech Rabbi is an Education Technology (EdTech) consultant and trainer. He focuses on the iPad, Google Apps, and Multimedia to enhance student learning in the classroom.

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Eric Curts

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Although we won't be able to be face-to-face in person this year, it will still be great to connect virtually with people across the world, and to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

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Tom serves as the Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and has appeared on various television and radio shows. Murray serves as a regular conference keynote, was named one of "20 to Watch" by NSBA, the "National/Global EdTech Leader of the Year" in 2018, the "Education Thought Leader of the Year" in 2017, and the "Education Policy Person of the Year" by the Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2015. His Last two books, learning transformed and personal & Authentic, have both reached best-seller status.

AS AN EDUCATOR, YOU HAVE THE POWER TO LEAVE A LEGACY BY . . .

Making students' learning experiences personal and authentic

Ensuring that the culture around you is personal and authentic

Developing and nurturing personal and authentic relationships

Being personal and authentic

In Personal & Authentic, Thomas C. Murray reveals the power of designing awe-inspiring experiences that are grounded in relationships and learner-centered by design. Inherently relevant and contextualized, it is this kind of learning that lasts a lifetime.

Be BOLD. Be FEARLESS. Be PROUD. Be YOU. Your story is not finished yet.

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Thomas C. Murray serves as the Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools, a project of the Alliance for Excellent Education, located in Washington. D.C. An ASCD best-selling author and regular conference keynote, Murray works with school and district leaders across the country to implement lea

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Flexible Seating Elevates Student Engagement

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Breaking up rows of desks fosters collaboration and empowers kids to think about how they work best.

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Robert Furman

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With a windstorm of constant changes in education, are we forgetting some of the basics? I'm not talking about readin', writin' and 'rithmetic.

Have we, through the fog of technology and the pressures of highstakes testing, simply forgotten some of the basic concepts that veteran educators once took for granted?

B: Behavior expectations

There was a time when the goal was to maintain a quiet classroom with students sitting quietly in their seats and listening to every word the teacher spoke. Good classroom management would reap a well-behaved classroom.

Although I agree that classroom management continues to be of prime importance (defined as a set of established classroom routines and procedures), we are now looking at behavior expectations from a different perspective.

We want our students up and moving. We want them engaged in learning. We want them talking and debating. Students should be working collaboratively. Yes, we need classroom management now more than ever but we need to redefine what a well-behaved classroom may look like.

A: Active learning

Active learning is not only "hands-on" experiences, but also "minds-on experiences." Our students need to be thinking, problem-solving, creating and debating. Technology can create an awesome active learning experience, if used correctly.

Get the students involved in making wildflower and leaf portfolios, presenting live how-to seminars and coding robots-those are the kind of active learning experiences that we need in our "new" basics.

S: Student voice

Students need to feel they matter, that they have a say in their future and are being heard. It is not difficult to give students a voice in their own learning experiences. It can be as easy as letting them choose which project to display during an open house.

Students should be able to choose ways of sharing their knowledge by choosing projects and assignments that best suit them. Students should have the opportunity to voice their strengths and weaknesses. Can you hear "student voice" in your classroom?

I: Instructional variety

Research shows that students need variety in their instruction to maintain motivation, relevance and interest. Unfortunately many teachers have traded variety in instruction for a "drill-to-kill" approach geared to high-stakes testing.

When thinking about creative instruction, technology offers us the opportunity to break down the walls of our classrooms and enter the global world of learning. It is our responsibility to support every student in meeting rigorous learning goals. That alone requires instructional variety.

C: Curriculum connections

In our internet world, today's students see connections in concepts that we had never dreamed about. They see that a video game about the French Revolution can also be a simulation where they control the outcome and imagine how the world would change based on their alteration of history.

We need to help all our students see a connection between what they are learning and the real world. Our brain naturally attempts to make sense out of new learning by making connections.

We can aid our students in meeting their potential by providing challenging learning experiences that are active, motivational and cross-disciplinary.

S: Safety

Psychologist Abraham Maslow understood the need for safety when he published his now famous "Hierarchy of Human Needs." Maslow said students' basic needs must be met before they can reach their learning potential.

We have drills for everything from fire to intruders. While we hope that practicing these drills gives our students a sense of safety, sometimes the opposite is true. We must be cognizant of students' awareness of social issues and consistently provide the appropriate amount of compassion.

We must also talk about the consequences of bullying and cyberbullying. Students must have a sense of school safety free from concerns and pressures. Our schools should always provide a safe harbor for our children.
L. Rob Furman is principal at South Park Elementary Center in Pennsylvania.

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Getting back to B.A.S.I.C.S. in teaching

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With a windstorm of constant changes in education, are we forgetting some of the basics? I'm not talking about readin', writin' and 'rithmetic. Have we, through the fog of technology and the pressures of highstakes testing, simply forgotten some of the basic concepts that veteran educators once took for granted?

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ISTE | Q & A

Principal Robert Furman Urges Teachers to Break Old Habits and Go Digital

The author, educator and lecturer will appear in three sessions at ISTE this month.

L. Robert Furman urges educators to break the cycle of wash, dry, rinse, repeat. In other words, get out of the rut of the habitual ways of doing things and try something different.

Robert Furman

Furman is principal at South Park Elementary Center in South Park, PA, 12 miles outside of downtown Pittsburgh. He's also an ISTE author, a regular public speaker and presenter, and a champion of tech-infused education for the 21st century.

During the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference later this month, Furman will participate in three sessions: " Leading for the Future: Harness Innovation, Embrace Change and Transform Learning" from 10:15-11:15 a.m. Tuesday, June 27; " Technology Tips, Tricks and Hacks from ISTE Authors," 2:45-3:45 p.m. June 27; and " Relevance in the Revolutionized School," 4:45-5:45 p.m. June 27.

THE Journal spoke with Furman about his visions for 21st century students and educators.

THE Journal: What do you mean when you say we need a revolution in education? And why do you call your YouTube series "The Seditionists"?

Robert Furman: We need to make the changes necessary for the 21st century. [In American history] the seditionists talked of revolution; they talked of the need for change in a grand way.

We talk like we're revolutionaries. We definitely want to be heard, in terms of the importance, of the need for change in education. We need to make the changes necessary so we fit with our mainstream society, and we give kids the skills they need - digital age skills: the need for collaboration and leadership and all those things we talk about in terms of digital age skills.

There are a lot of things educators do by accident. We need to be aware of what we're doing, and the fact that these kids need these skills. You could be teaching facts and memorization and things [by rote]. We may have AI machines doing half that stuff for you. Having those digital age skills are going to be eternal.

Only 10 years ago, there was no iPad, iPhone or Netflix. Just in 10 short years, look at how much has changed. We're probably not going to have to learn how to drive.

To have these digital age skills - no matter what - [students are] going to be armed with these skills that are going to help them regardless.
THE Journal: What should we be doing differently on a policy level?
Furman: It's so unfortunate. From the federal government, down to the state government, the policymakers aren't educators. We're still doing high stakes accountability testing.

There are schools [and administrators] that are mocking us on the international stage. They're laughing at us. We went back to accountability. [Schools from other countries] just proved that it doesn't' work.

Policymakers need to be educators - true educators, true believers in what we're trying to do here.
THE Journal: Why go through so much change? Is it really necessary?

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principal robert furman iste souths park elementary center the seditionists revolution policy future ready challenge technology authors skype education keith reeves

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Principal Robert Furman Urges Teachers to Break Old Habits and Go Digital -- THE Journal

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ISTE | Q & A The author, educator and lecturer will appear in three sessions at ISTE this month. L. Robert Furman urges educators to break the cycle of wash, dry, rinse, repeat. In other words, get out of the rut of the habitual ways of doing things and try something different.

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Students need to believe that they can do whatever they want. We tell them this with dreams of being doctors, lawyer, and astronauts. Today the Internet allows anyone who is passionate and willing to put in the work to find a profession around what they love. This doesn't mean everyone needs to, should, or even can become a "famous" Youtuber. When you look at the success stories each one of them produced anywhere between 100 and 300 videos per year for at least two years before they reached the level of success that you see when first discovering them and watching their content. Think about that. How many students or anyone for that matter is ready to produce 2 videos a week for nearly 2 years that take hours to produce and get minimal views and engagement the first 18-24 months? That is their recipe. Hard work, persistence, patience, and a never give up attitude. How's that for another descriptor of what makes a great educator.

I want to emphasize though that it's not about views or stardome. It's about value. Those creators provide value because they are talented at researching, planning, actualizing, and refining their communication and literacy skills around what they're passionate about. You must have exemplary communication skills both verbal, visual, and written to succeed on the world of content creation. I once spoke with a friend who works on the world of advertising. I was telling him about this incredibly entertaining product ad that I can't remember the name of the company or even what service they were selling but it was still an awesome video. He said to me that is the difference between a creative ad and a creative video. You can have a great script and storyline, and a humorous and ironic tone, yet still create something that doesn't effectively communicate the information you are trying to convey and make that the memorable part for your audience. I sat for a moment thinking his words over in my head. I then realized that so many times our students are encouraged to create media content in class and "be creative", but the core message of the topic is lost in a sea of entertaining fluff. His words reminded me how critical it is to help our students understand how to create a powerful story that is memorable for an audience. Another great antidote of the power of being a strong educator, facilitator, and teacher. These creators thrive because the internet has provided them with a platform where a global audience comes to find value. You don't have to wait for a college degree, support from a network insider, or a solid resume. You just have to want to create something that provides value for others.

The reason I become an educator was to dispel the myth of perfection. This myth of 4.0+ GPAs, and that school must revolve around a specific set of skills and scope of knowledge that is the universal recipe for success. That approach to education contributes to an "I can't/You can't" mindset where the idea of becoming a successful entrepreneur who creates videos that others love to watch is borderline preposterous, yet the idea of becoming a person trained by a spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft is not just legitimate, but admirable.

*Note that aspiring space walkers have around a .1% chance of becoming an actual astronaut.

The fallacy of perfection is dangerous. It can prevent us from giving our students opportunities and instead prepare them for that "one day". That one day when they will finally be ready to seize the day and solve a problem or improve society. By dispelling the myth of perfection we give our students and ourselves an opportunity to strengthen our creative thought process, our ability to be proactive and resilient, and to become empathetic and responsible members of our communities and beyond.

My experience at ISTE was a life changing experience, mostly because I did my best to make it a life changing experience for every educator I connected with. There are so many incredible mentors, colleagues, and even critics that I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude. If it wasn't for them I might have waited for perfection keeping my work as an educator locked up tight in the four walls of my classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Don't let perfection stop you from making your mark on the world

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There are so many incredible people in both the world of education and other industries that I interface with. I see incredibly talented people succeeding, many times in the very same niche that my work falls into.

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from George Couros

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Innovative teaching and learning will involve risks. If we are to create new opportunities for the learners we serve, things will not always work. Yet why would we take risks in the classroom, especially when it deals with the future of our students? The answer is in the question. Many of our known "best practices" don't serve a large number of our students. If we used "grades" as the measure, then we would have figured it out a long time ago. Part of the risk is necessary to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our students. Some will respond to one way of learning, while others won't. Not taking the risk might be less daunting to you now, but the result later may have dire consequences for our students.

Yet when we think of risk, we shouldn't just challenge what doesn't work, but sometimes we will also have to challenge what does work for some of our learners. We can give a student a worksheet and that specific student may still knock it out of the park in all of their assessments, yet this is not necessarily because of the teaching, but often because of the capabilities of that specific student. A rubrics may be helpful to a student so that they can understand and meet expectations, but does it ever actually hold a student back from going beyond what they are actually truly capable of doing? If grades are the way things are measured, and an "A" is the highest mark you can get, why would I go beyond that?

The risk that we face here is actually of conditioning kids to "schooling".

Many students have become so accustomed to what school has looked like, that they do not want their education to look any other way. But just think of our kindergarten students, and how curious they are before they come to school. Before school, they ask a ton of questions and are naturally curious, but the one questions I would guarantee that they never ask is, "Am I able to get a worksheet?" Many students would have never seen one before their time in school, yet I have heard many educators say they have tried new ways of learning with students that really push for deeper learning and creation, that their students sometimes respond with, "Can you just give us a worksheet??!?!" Education has sometimes conditioned them to that.

There has to be a balance of going with what you know, yet still have the willingness to try something new. Apple still makes a great computer and that is a major part of their business and they could have stopped there, but they went out on a limb creating the iPhone, which has become their most successful product. Yet taking the "risk" and trying to create something better, led to other successful endeavours for the company (app store, iPad, and perhaps the Apple Watch). They could have rested on what they knew, but the mantra of "innovate or die", that exists for so many companies, includes taking the risk of challenging not only what doesn't work, but what does.

What is important is that we continue ask the question, "What is best for kids?", and not try to answer that for our learners, but work from an empathetic viewpoint of our students. If we are really wanting to serve our students and help them to develop to become the leaders and learners of today and the future, taking risks in our practice is not only encouraged, but necessary.

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Innovative teaching and learning will involve risks. If we are to create new opportunities for the learners we serve, things will not always work. Yet why would we take risks in the classroom, especially when it deals with the future of our students? The answer is in the question.

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For educational technology to be fully embraced as a powerful teaching and learning tool there must be a focus on substance over assumptions and generalizations. There is a great deal of evidence to make educators reflect upon their use of technology. The most glaring was the "When integrating technology there needs to be a Return on Instruction (ROI) that results in evidence of improved student learning outcomes." - Eric Sheninger
OECD Report that came out last fall. Here is an excerpt:

"Schools have yet to take advantage of the potential of technology in the classroom to tackle the digital divide and give every student the skills they need in today's connected world, according to the first OECD PISA assessment of digital skills. Even countries which have invested heavily in information and communication technologies (ICT) for education have seen no noticeable improvement in their performances in PISA results for reading, mathematics, or science."

This week I came across a post by Larry Ferlazzo that asked educators to provide their response to why EdTech has over-promised and under-delivered. Before even reading this post, I already began to develop some of my own answers based on my work and observations of schools all over the world. This response stood out from the second part of Larry's piece:

"Good teaching is not about where or what to click. Good teaching is about building quality relationships with students, helping students make connections to the real world, building students individual cognitive networks, and having our students enjoy learning for the sake of learning. Technology will never solve all the ills of education! Nor should it! So what is the biggest problem in EdTech? The biggest problem is that we have been teaching teachers and students how to use technology without giving them the why of technology. We have mistakenly believed that giving teachers and students new software or a new box will help fix education."

Image credit: http://artisanauctions.com/

I agree that part of the problem has been a lack of focus on why technology should be integrated. As the OECD Report alluded to, the problem isn't the technology per say, but the lack of quality professional learning to support educators with effective implementation. There needs to be a greater focus on instructional design, digital pedagogical techniques, and the development of better assessments aligned to higher standards. I am proud to say that this is the foundation of our digital work at the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE). It is important to note that this dilemma is not only specific to technology, but innovation as well. There has to be a concerted focus on the why, how, and evidence of results.
In addition to professional learning, we also have to be more critical of what we see and hear when it comes to educational technology. For technology to be taken seriously as a tool to support and enhance teaching and learning then we must no longer accept assumptions and generalizations as to what it actually does. I for one want students empowered to own their learning, create artifacts, to demonstrate conceptual mastery, use their voice, be responsible in online spaces, and connect with the world in authentic ways. From an educator perspective I also want teachers and administrators to utilize technology and innovative practices to improve teaching, learning, and leadership. However, the principal in me also needs to balance this with clear results. This is a reality for every teacher and administrator that cannot be ignored. It is important to show how students apply what they have learned in relevant ways aligned to the highest levels of knowledge taxonomy. Telling just doesn't cut it anymore.
The next step is to begin to connect this to results that prove beyond assumptions and generalizations that technology is playing a role to positively impact teaching and learning. It is important to remember that if teaching, learning, and leadership don't change, technology and innovation will never have the type of impact that is expected. Consider these four areas of evidence:

Data: Now let me start off by saying that this is only one indicator of success. The key is to be able to align various data sources to technology use or initiatives. Standardized test scores have the greatest ability to illustrate to stakeholders how technology is positively impacting learning and achievement. Please take a look at this study by the University of Buffalo. It shows how Lockport City School students in a 1:1 iPad environment experienced significant achievement gains. Read the entire piece as it explains why achievement increased. Other data sources include graduation rates, acceptances to four-year colleges, attendance rates, discipline referrals, and levels of authentic student engagement. In terms of engagement make sure that it is actually leading to learning. Understand though that not all data is good data and that we should not be obsessed with this. However, saying it does not have any importance is unrealistic.

Observations/Evaluations: To really see if teaching, learning, and leadership are changing, administrators have to get in classrooms more. As principal my teachers had a combination of five of these each year (3 unannounced observations, mid-year evaluation, end of year evaluation). In addition to this, my entire leadership team and I conducted non-evaluative walk-throughs each day. We can't forget that building leaders can use just as much support as teachers. Administrators are in desperate need of more quality feedback in relation to their role in digital implementations.

Artifacts: Examples of digital lessons, projects, assessments (formative, summative, rubrics, etc.) curriculum, and student work that aligns with higher standards. Blog posts were a great way for me to showcase examples of these artifacts. Here is an example of a teacher using Instagram and the standards-aligned rubric. My teachers aligned artifacts to their observations to support not only what happened during the observed lesson, but also what happened before and after. All of these artifacts were aligned to standards found in the McREL tool we used. By the end of the year, all observation comments and artifacts populated into each teacher's end of year evaluation giving me a body of evidence that clearly showed whether teaching and learning were actually changing. Each teacher wound up with a portfolio.

Portfolios: Educators (teachers and administrators) and students can demonstrate evidence of growth and improvement over time in relation to learning goals. Everyone seems to talk about portfolios quite often, but I rarely see examples aligned to student and professional standards.

Technology can and will have an impact on learning if and only if there is a focus on substance. We must move past our infatuation with apps, tools, taglines, catchy sound bites, and broad claims that are not supported by either research or evidence of improvement. All educators should be able to answer the following question - How do you know that technology is impacting student learning and professional practice? Within this response should be examples of substance.

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For educational technology to be fully embraced as a powerful teaching and learning tool there must be a focus on substance over assumptions and generalizations. There is a great deal of evidence to make educators reflect upon their use of technology.

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Schools that work for kids | Eric Sheninger | TEDxBurnsvilleED