Many books have been written about the use of technology in learning. Most of these books provide advice to teachers in their use of technology in the classroom. But a bit of a missing piece is a perspective on how technology can change the learning experience in a basic way.

Educators must continue to provide students with the traditional “3Rs” skills. But our job is now tougher. We now also need to provide our students with technology skills. And we need to take advantage of technology to help our students learn more effectively. Of course, making this all happen creates new challenges for teachers.

In her new ASCD book EdTech Essentials, Monica Burns works to make sense of this complex picture. She spotlights these ten “essential” strategies for how students can use technology to learn and how teachers can enable their learning.

• Help students navigate online spaces effectively
• Curate resources to support all students
• Introduce opportunities for students to explore the world
• Develop structures to give students the ability to collaborate
• Give students time and space to create products of learning
• Assess students to check for understanding and pivot instruction
• Provide opportunities for students to share what they have learned
• Connect student work to a relevant and authentic audience
• Help students develop skills they can transfer across digital spaces
• Plan for tech-rich learning experiences

Monica then gives examples of how these strategies can be used across K-12 grade levels. And she provides a list of over 100 related tools for the ten strategies.

Monica has also posted this “Sneak Peek” inside the book, including an audio podcast – https://classtechtips.com/2021/10/14/edtech-essentials.

This book provides a great starting point in making sense of the basics of technology in learning.