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In giving students opportunities to create, teachers provide a platform through which students can think creatively, work creatively with others, and implement their innovations through a variety of digital tools. Exposing students to various digital creation tools provides them with many options for how they wish to publish their understanding of the content; students then have a sense of ownership for their work. In choosing which digital tool is best for them, they are reflecting and self-assessing their technological strengths which will also come in handy when collaborating in group projects.

I believe allowing students to work on projects to creatively demonstrate learning is a more tangible assessment of understanding than the traditional exams and paper-made projects.

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Project based learning is a great approach because it encourages teachers to develop tasks that provide opportunities for students to create.. PBL teaches students to think creatively, to work with others, and to be innovative.

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This chapter focuses on the many ways both students and teachers can communicate by using technology both in and out of the classroom. Some of these include email, instant messaging, teacher or classroom websites, blogs, online discussions and wikis. Given this large variety the teacher must experiment to see which is the best fit for her classroom needs. This allows the teacher, students and classmates to be in constant contact with eachother  which fosters learning. In the world we live in today, children are glued to their phones. When the teacher utilizes technology with their students they extend the learning outside of the class, offers students to never miss an assignment and allow them to use the device that is relevant to them. Overall this chapter provides many helpful hints for us as educators to incorporate to make learning easy and available.

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Teachers can check for understanding through observed in-class behaviors and acquired test scores (outer attention). What I believe to be the most important role of the teacher is to foster deeper thinking abilities (inner attention). For, inner attention is where learning truly happens and continues to happen beyond the school day. Inner attention is a fundamental skill necessary for mental growth.

As educators, we must instill in our students an intrinsic desire for learning.

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By providing students with time each day for creation helps them in making connections, thinking about a certain topic, and provides significance to their work. Through creating digitally students are able to gain transferrable skills that they can apply inside and out of the classroom on a daily basis. There are so many different types of digital creation tools that students can play around with and discover which one is best for their specific assignment. Having so many different online programs and apps to choose from is great for students to have because they are not limited to just one certain digital tool.  I really enjoyed learning more about the programs Book Creator, Keynote, Spark Video, Soundtrap, and Spark Post to name a few. This chapter provides so many great digital tool examples that would be great to use for all school subjects. Learning about these tools in school will provide students with great tools that they can continue to use in their future.

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In this chapter, it discusses the use of technology to help students in ways that were never possible before. Current technology can allow students to recreate the past, view the present, and envision the future through moving images. This becomes extremely important when thinking about the students we teach in the classroom. These students are the future. By learning about the past and recreating it through technology, students can make sure history never repeats itself. Meanwhile, students can also create and invent using technology to make for a better future. It is important to include technology in the classroom in order to help students feel more engaged and connected by reminding them that they can make the world a better place.

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In Tasks Before App, I found the idea of scaffolding to be extremely interesting. I feel that sometimes technology can overwhelm the classroom. Students need support before using technology. Sometimes students feel the need to use technology to do research or to complete an activity before they have a complete idea about what they are doing. This can often hurt students instead of helping them with the learning process. Starting students off with things such as a graphic organizer will help the sort out their thoughts before using technology to enhance their thoughts and brining their project to life.

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The use of digital tools both in and out of the classroom has greatly enhanced the definition of "creativity" and has given students new outlets through which they may express their understanding of core concepts. Whereas in the past a student might have created a diorama, book report, or poster presentation, students of today may channel their creativity to develop things such as movies, podcasts, and websites to publicly display that which they have learned.

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The chapter talks a lot about supporting the creative process and offering students choices when assigning these technologically based projects. Just like students have varying levels of skill across different subjects, they will have varying degrees of skills when it comes to technology, so offering different options not only supports their creativity but can allow for multiple entry points for students who struggle with technology, as well as students who are advanced at it. Another note I wanted to mention was the comparison of traditional student creations (reports, posters, dioramas) and the digital creations that this chapter is centered on. The text seems to imply that these digital productions would completely replace the traditional methods and I wonder if that is the case. Obviously technology is important to begin implementing in the classroom, but will it become the entire thing? And if we are supporting the students creative process, could we offer the option to choose between a traditional and a digital creation as well?

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What I think is amazing about technology is how it’s not necessarily grade-specific; technology can apply to every subject area at every grade level and can allow every student to develop new literacies and can create a new learning experience for them. I always thought that technology should be used with older students, but I've learned through our class, this chapter, and the chapters in our other books how the use of appropriate technology can even help younger students.
This chapter of TNLT discusses how technology can assist teachers and students in five areas: critical thinking and problem solving, new literacies, online communication and collaboration, creativity, and digital citizenship. Something that stood out to me was the author's discussion of creativity and technology. “To be creative, children do not need to design, compose, or develop something no one has done before; they may need only to say or do things they have not thought or done before in quite the same way or style. The creative act can be what is new to the individual, not new to the world” (Maloy, et al., 2017, p. 65). This quote is powerful, and I feel I may even say this to my students when they are required to be “creative” in my classroom. There is this pressure placed on an individual when they are asked to be creative. Too often, people associate creativity with originality – that if someone already has done it, and you think of it, you are not creative. BUT, creativity is tailored to the individual – not to the world.

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Creating is the highest level of thinking in Bloom's Taxonomy. Creating is essential to showcase a student's synthesis of a lesson or segment. This can be done with PBL and technology. I like the idea of creating a poster where students an combine images and text. Book creator is also a great tool so all students' work can be showcased. They are taking steps towards the creating process by taking pictures relevant to the subject at hand

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The chapter focuses on the value of technological approaches, and how implementing it into the educational setting can lead to new alternative methods of teaching and learning. By constructing creative learning environments with the use of digital tools, students are introduced to new educational resources. Online learning environments provide educational tools; the programs enable students to think critically, creatively and solve problems. Many of the online games offer interactive activities for students to acquire certain skills. Due to the emergence of new innovations, the authors stress the importance of developing new literacies. For example, media literacy engages students to learn by the use of visual presentations. Visual learning promotes media literacy by utilizing apps, videos, games, and online sites.

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This chapter talks a lot about students creativity and their creation process. As an educator, it is most important to give students options when it comes to projects. Not one student learns the same way as the next so why should educators only offer one option to students to present their learning? Creativity with learning provides students opportunities to express their learning in different ways all while reaching the same goal as their peers. I think that projects expressed in the students own way will then show the students thinking and learning in a more personal way, whether that be collaboratively or independently.

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I really enjoyed how this chapter outlined how technological applications can really support collaboration and creative thinking. Through discussion boards and design tools, students can create beyond what they could have previously. They can also continuously keep in contact about the context of the topics a teacher may want to cover. It is incredibly important that we continue to foster bigger ideas and collaboration on those big ideas to create solutions students would not have seen in past classrooms.

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I think it's really important for students to get the perspectives of and learn about other people. Being able to use technology to connect globally with others is a great way for students to broaden their perspectives and learn about others outside their own society. Having an ISTE standard that involves using technological tools to learn and connect with others is truly amazing. Rather than just learning about other cultures through a textbook, they can meet others and develop social skills and become more sensitive to others around the world. It would even be a great experience for students to see how other children learn around the world and get new ideas from them.

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This subsection in the chapter describes how generating a sense of autonomy and choice within creation is a huge motivator for students.  By allowing students to have this freedom, students are more likely to be motivated and engaged in their tasks. "Every teacher can design lessons that honor students' autonomy while making sure the learning objective stays front and center," (Burns, p. 32). In doing so, the teacher creates a learning environment that is interesting and exciting for the students. It honors the students interests and gives students opportunities to explore their passions, while still adhering to the learning standards.

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This chapter explains how important it is for students to use different types of digital tools to help them become critical thinkers. Having students create projects to demonstrate their understanding allows them to become smarter consumers, able to assess any website, video or image. Giving this freedom of choice  keep students engaged and on task.

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With the advancements in technology, students have the ability to use things such as social media, online polls/surveys to guide their learning. As a teaching, using this will help engage students to work together

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I truly wasn't aware of the importance of digital citizenship or that an emphasis on the skill starts (or is recommended to start) for students at a younger age. Ironically enough, I have been exposed to technology all my life, but never really left my own digital footprint as I got older. It was more for fun, games, or CD-rom based education. This was before digital media sources and social media exploded into the trend it is now. Taking a closer look, the most important factor this chapter brings to light is that information regarding digital citizenship. It is so important to know your rights as a citizen generally speaking - but I doubt unless shown directly, that most people would know that they have so many rights as a digital citizen, as well. This is so important! It carries over into the digital world with copyright laws and the unspoken laws of kindness and compassion. This is especially important because we often see misuse or violation of such rights, which are equal in their quality to those violations of rights in real life. This is important to consider when leaving or considering leaving a digital footprint over the course of time. It is also important to teach students to use and respect technology as if it is a tool of integrity, primarily because it is.

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Brendan Clancy: Tasks before Apps Chapter Two:I just finished reading this chapter and it was very exciting to learn about students becoming a published author by creating an e-book. I especially enjoyed the section on creating an e-book or a graphic organizer that documents the life cycle of the butterfly. I have worked with students in the lower grades and butterflies always are a point of interest to the students. The students tell me stories about how they walk home from school in the Spring and notice these beautiful creatures on a flower. Technology such as e-books, graphic organizers, screencast and websites are just a few creative technology tools in which students can express their autonomy and become better learners."With digital tools, both small everyday activities and culminating projects can provide opportunitiesfor students to create shareable products that demonstrate an understanding of core concepts" (Burns,2017).Burns, Monica. Tasks Before Apps: Designing Rigorous Learning in a Tech-Rich Classroom . ASCD. Kindle Edition.

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Brendan Clancy: Tasks before Apps Chapter Two:I just finished reading this chapter and it was very exciting to learn about students becoming a published author by creating an e-book. I especially enjoyed the section on creating an e-book or a graphic organizer that documents the life cycle of the butterfly. I have worked with students in the lower grades and butterflies always are a point of interest to the students. The students tell me stories about how they walk home from school in the Spring and notice these beautiful creatures on a flower. Technology such as e-books, graphic organizers, screencast and websites are just a few creative technology tools in which students can express their autonomy and become better learners."With digital tools, both small everyday activities and culminating projects can provide opportunitiesfor students to create shareable products that demonstrate an understanding of core concepts" (Burns,2017).Burns, Monica. Tasks Before Apps: Designing Rigorous Learning in a Tech-Rich Classroom . ASCD. Kindle Edition.