Learner Choice, Learner Voice offers fresh, forward-thinking supports for teachers creating an empowered, student-centered classroom. Learner agency is a major topic in today's schools, but what does it mean in practice, and how do these practices give students skills and opportunities they will need to thrive as citizens, parents, and workers in our ever-shifting climate? Showcasing authentic activities and classrooms, this book is full of diverse instructional experiences that will motivate your students to take an agile, adaptable role in their own learning. This wealth of pedagogical ideas - from specific to open-ended, low-tech to digital, self-expressive to collaborative, creative to critical - will help you discover the transformative effects of providing students with ownership, agency, and choice in their learning journeys.

Learner Choice, Learner Voice offers fresh, forward-thinking supports for teachers creating an empowered, student-centered classroom. Learner agency is a major topic in today's schools, but what does it mean in practice, and how do these practices give students skills and opportunities they will need to thrive as citizens, parents, and workers in our ever-shifting climate? Showcasing authentic activities and classrooms, this book is full of diverse instructional experiences that will motivate your students to take an agile, adaptable role in their own learning. This wealth of pedagogical ideas - from specific to open-ended, low-tech to digital, self-expressive to collaborative, creative to critical - will help you discover the transformative effects of providing students with ownership, agency, and choice in their learning journeys.

Have you ever asked yourself, 'Why do we do this?' when faced with the day-to-day realities of school, such as report cards, standardized tests, or textbooks? Chances are, if you are like most Americans, you haven't. William Spady has, however, and in Beyond Counterfeit Reforms he questions the dead-end assumptions of American education. He asserts a set of five 'research realities' that should be the foundation of any truly learner-centered system: Human Potential, Human Learning, Domains of Living, Future Conditions, and Life Performance. Not only does Spady thoroughly articulate the bad news about the deep organizational flaws in our schools, but he develops the model of a Total Learning Community-a profoundly compelling description of a possible education and society which makes current reform methods look superficial and misguided in comparison.

A fresh look at technology planning for schoolsThis book is designed to help educational leaders, decision makers, and teachers wade through the complexities of aligning technology planning with learning goals. Organized around a problem-solving model based on solution fluency, the authors outline how to* Address state, regional, or provincial standards + Improve test scores + Meet curricular requirements + Foster relevant staff development + Provide measurable accountability for technology expenditures Included are sidebars with advice and comments from educators who have successfully integrated technology initiatives with learning goals. Their experiences help light the path through the journey toward ogetting it rightoe for 21st-century learners.

Foreword by David D. Thornburg

This easy-to-follow guide can help students and teachers ? even the most technology-resistant ? learn to solve problems from sources like Internet sites, news groups, chat rooms, e-mail, and other Internet resources. Topics include:

• Creating your own lesson plans using sample lesson planners
• Applying frameworks for grade-level objectives and skills
• Dealing with information-technology overload
• Solving any information challenge with six critical steps
• Helping students harness the web with simple tips

An important resource for today?s classroom, Net Savvy can help educators become leaders rather than followers in the new high-tech, high-speed, digital era.

How to upgrade literacy instruction for digital learnersEducating students to traditional literacy standards is no longer enough. If students are to thrive in their academic and 21st-century careers, then independent and creative thinking hold the highest currency. The authors explain in detail how to add these new components of literacy:* Solution Fluency + Information Fluency + Creativity Fluency + Collaboration FluencyStudents must master a completely different set of skills to succeed in a culture of technology-driven automation, abundance, and access to global labor markets. The authors present an effective framework for integrating comprehensive literacy or fluency into the traditional curriculum.

"This might well be THE contemporary manual for effective education reform. In a world where the future is now, schools are falling behind. It is a lag we can no longer afford." -Sean M. Nosek, Principal Westview Secondary School, Maple Ridge, BC, Canada "This is the most important book about high schools since Breaking Ranks for school facilities planners." -David E. Anstrand, Principal, Education Environment Planning Consultants Board Member, Council of Educational Facility Planners International Discover options for instruction and school design that reflect the needs of 21st-century students! Preparing students to meet the demands of a constantly changing, technology-driven environment presents today's educators with unique challenges. This innovative resource demonstrates how traditional, industrial-type high schools have become outdated and helps school leaders plan facilities and curriculum in ways that benefit students' academic development and performance. Teaching the Digital Generation examines how educators can address the learning needs of secondary students immersed in a digital world by designing and implementing new instructional models and technology infrastructure. The authors explore ten alternative high school models that address 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and digital literacy, and pose five critical considerations: What should instruction and learning look like in a 21st-century school? How can technology foster this kind of learning? What noninstructional components are required? How can time be used differently to support our vision? How can new facility design turn this vision into reality? Incorporating issues of facility design with curriculum and instructional planning, the authors offer educational leaders a new vision for schools.

The Future Tense of Teaching in the Digital Age The digital environment has radically changed how and what students need and want to learn, but have we radically changed how we deliver education? Are educators shifting and adapting or stuck in the traditional That's the Way We've Always Done It world? In this book, educators will be challenged to take action and adapt to a split-screen classroom--thinking and acting to accommodate today's learners versus allowing traditional practices by default. Written with a touch of humor and a choose-your-own-adventure approach, the authors built chapters to be skimmed, scoured or searched for interesting, relevant or required material. Readers will be able to jump in where it serves them best. Consider predictions about what learning will look like in the future. Understand and learn to leverage nine core learning attributes of digital generations. Discover ten critical roles educators can embrace to remain relevant in the digital age. Keep things simple, concentrate on how learners learn, and change your approach from present to future tense.

Enjoy exploring today's new digital tools with this no-fuss guide! Presented in a user-friendly format, this concise diet of digital tools allows beginning and experienced users to investigate a variety of tools in any order and at an individual pace. The book covers the principles of digital citizenship, provides email basics, and presents step-by-step guidance for: Completing searches and using Del.iciou.us to bookmark favorite sites Preparing documents anytime and anywhere Communicating with friends and colleagues around the world through Skype Developing networks and providing updates through Facebook, Twitter, and blogs Sharing and discussing pictures, presentations, or videos through VoiceThread and Flickr

This is a book for primary and secondary educators (leaders and teachers) about change-change that is a result of using new technology; change in how we get information, entertain ourselves, communicate with others, do our work, teach, and learn. This book is also about the power of paradigm to shape our thinking, the pressure that technological development is putting on our paradigm for teaching and learning, six exponential trends in technological development that we cannot ignore, what these trends mean for education, new skills for students, new roles for teachers, and scenarios of education in the future. The first half of the book explores this world of technology and the 6 exponential trends in technological development that govern it while the second half of the book examines its impact on education, learning, and teaching, and forecasts a vision for the future. At the end of each chapter are discussion questions useful for jumpstarting conversations and thinking about change both personally and professionally. 6 Exponential Trends: 1. Moore's Law - technological processing power and speed doubling exponentially at least every 12 months. 2. Photonics-exponentially increasing bandwidth speeds 3. The Internet revolution 4. The age of Infowhelm 5. Disruptive technology that eventually diminishes or replaces the previous generation of technology.

Foreword by David D. Thornburg

This easy-to-follow guide can help students and teachers ? even the most technology-resistant ? learn to solve problems from sources like Internet sites, news groups, chat rooms, e-mail, and other Internet resources. Topics include:

• Creating your own lesson plans using sample lesson planners
• Applying frameworks for grade-level objectives and skills
• Dealing with information-technology overload
• Solving any information challenge with six critical steps
• Helping students harness the web with simple tips

An important resource for today?s classroom, Net Savvy can help educators become leaders rather than followers in the new high-tech, high-speed, digital era.