The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.

Textbooks are symbols of centuries-old education. They're often outdated as soon as they hit students' desks. Acting "by the textbook" implies compliance and a lack of creativity. It's time to ditch those textbooks--and those textbook assumptions about learning In Ditch That Textbook, teacher and blogger Matt Miller encourages educators to throw out meaningless, pedestrian teaching and learning practices. He empowers them to evolve and improve on old, standard, teaching methods. Ditch That Textbook is a support system, toolbox, and manifesto to help educators free their teaching and revolutionize their classrooms.

Technology is integral to teaching in the English language arts, whether in-person, hybrid, or remote. In this indispensable guide, Troy Hicks shows how to teach and model "digital diligence"--an alert, intentional stance that helps both teachers and students use technology productively, ethically, and responsibly. Resources and lesson ideas are presented to build adolescents' skills for protecting online privacy, minimizing digital distraction, breaking through “filter bubbles,” fostering civil conversations, evaluating information on the internet, creating meaningful digital writing, and deeply engaging with multimedia texts. Dozens of websites, apps, and other tools are reviewed, with links provided at the companion website; end-of-chapter teaching points and guiding questions facilitate learning and application.

When the Covid-19 pandemic took hold in the U.S. in early 2020, it profoundly disrupted nearly every facet of daily life, including the education sector. As educators made the hasty transition to online teaching, they made do with the tools and tactics they were given. As many K-12 teachers prepare their online courses, they must lay the groundwork for the long haul. Luckily, Technology Tools for Online Education: A Guide for Modern Educators by Paul Richards is available to fill the void.Richards draws on his thorough understanding of online communication platforms such as Google Meet and Zoom to offer a comprehensive playbook for educators that literally walks them through specific strategies and tactics that bring these and other technologies, into the online classroom. The goal is to use these platforms and other tools to make online learning interactive, immersive, and fun for both students and teachers. You will learn how to get the most out of your school's learning management system, popular platforms like Google Meet and Zoom, and how to incorporate document cameras, annotation tools, speech to text functionality, and Open Broadcaster Software and adapt them to your online classroom. In addition, Richards illustrates how smartphones can be put to positive and productive educational uses both in the classroom and outside of it - imagine that.Richards will also show you how to customize and tailor your virtual classroom to reflect a dynamic learning environment and world that demonstrates the time and effort put in on behalf of your students. Technology Tools for Online Education is more than just a book, it's part of a blended learning approach, a concept Richards advances at the outset. Blended learning environments use a hybrid approach that delivers 30% to 80% of course content online. You will also get to know the flipped classroom concept.Teachers involved in K-12 education and beyond will find Technology Tools for Online Education: A Guide for Modern Educators a fundamental playbook filled with examples, best practices, and insights for planning fun online lessons, assignments, and group activities. Educators can take their learning to the next level by pairing the book with the Udemy course, which features video tutorials that cover the most important topics discussed in the book. Richards, whose previously wrote The Online Meeting Survival Guide, is an expert in streaming video and online communication. His clear, down-to-earth style will bring you up to speed on the tools that are available to help you make your classes lively, engaging, and memorable. Increase your knowledge and familiarity with the best online educational tools with Technology Tools for Online Education: A Guide for Modern Educators.

This booklet includes the full text of the ISTE Standards for Students, along with the Essential Conditions, profiles and scenarios.

The development of technologies, education, and economy play an important role in modern society. Digital literacy is important for personal development and for the economic growth of society. Technological learning provides students with specific knowledge and capabilities for using new technologies in their everyday lives and in their careers. Examining the Roles of Teachers and Students in Mastering New Technologies is a critical scholarly resource that examines computer literacy knowledge levels in students and the perception of computer use in the classroom from various teacher perspectives. Featuring a wide range of topics such as higher education, special education, and blended learning, this book is ideal for teachers, instructional designers, curriculum developers, academicians, policymakers, administrators, researchers, and students.

In this second version of the Trainers’ Edition of Digital Tools for Teachers, I have built on the original volume of Digital Tools for Teachers by updating and extending many of the original chapters and also by adding seven additional new chapters. In this book, the first four chapters are provided as a guide for teachers who want to use the book for teacher training and development. Contents 1. - Introduction ........................................................ 1 2. - Conceptual Models ...........................................11 3. - Training Tips ..................................................... 25 4. - Training Activities ............................................ 31 5. - Training Tools .................................................. 52 6. - Reading Tools .................................................. 60 7. - Writing Tools ................................................... 73 8. - Listening Tools ................................................ 94 9. - Speaking Tools .............................................. 102 10. - Grammar Tools ............................................ 114 11. - Presentation Tools ...................................... 122 12. - Poll & Survey Tools ..................................... 130 13. - Infographic Tools ........................................ 137 14. - Course Creation Tools ................................ 148 15. - Games & Gamification ................................ 163 16. - Virtual Reality Tools ................................... 172 17. - e-Safety ........................................................ 179 Using the tools, tips and activities provided in these first chapters a teacher with some basic experience of using technology in the classroom should be able to create motivating hands-on edtech training for their peers or for pre-service trainee teachers. The fifth additional chapter is dedicated to providing a range of links to ready-made computer games that can be used for language acquisition and development. The sixth additional chapter focuses on virtual reality and provides links to a range of tools and resources that can enable teachers to exploit this area of technology within their classroom practice. The seventh additional chapter looks at the area of e-safety and the things that we can do to protect our students, ourselves and our computers from some of the potential threats that we can encounter online. The remainder of the book, like the first edition, is a collection of more than 100 links to tools and resources that have been chosen and organised to enable teachers to easily find ways of applying technology to the activities they do with their students. I sincerely hope you find this book useful and that it helps you to enhance your teaching and training and helps to make your students’ learning experience richer and more engaging.