Instructional Technology Reading List

Why technology?

It’s often not what we’re doing, but why we’re doing it that matters. Technology is an ever-present reality in our lives and, most importantly, in the lives of our students. We know that computer science and technology are the fastest growing job markets, and digital literacy is an almost universal requirement for students’ post-secondary success in any industry. On one hand, educators need to quickly learn and adapt to new technologies to stay ahead of the curve and prepare their students for their futures. On the other hand, technology won’t actually benefit students if we don’t carefully keep our focus on our true “why.”

Corwin’s authors and technology resources are committed to learning first and foremost. As technology continues to be integrated into schools and classrooms, we see that using technology for learning is a lot more complex than it may at first seem. Our authors are some of the most knowledgeable experts on using technology to improve learning for all students. Our books show how teachers and leaders can use instructional technology to increase students’ access to the highest-quality resources, to help teachers work more efficiently and effectively, to engage students in powerful learning experiences, to build critical skills for students’ future success, and to help students craft positive online identities.

We can neither ignore the influx of technologies nor allow them to overwhelm and distract us. Instead, as Sherry Turkle writes, “The goal is to use them with greater intention.” Whether you are just beginning to integrate instructional technology or are a seasoned tech veteran, we are here to help you. We look forward to joining you and your students on your journey to integrate technology meaningfully for learning!

Below is a list of some of our favorite books to jump start your journey with technology. You can also check out our Fall Catalog for a complete look!

Technology for Teachers:

Going Google, 2nd Edition – Jared Covili

Google Drive has officially become the most prevalent Learning Management System for schools. There’s no denying it, 21st Century skills are essential to prepare students for college and careers. How do you manage the avalanche of information and activities required to help students become skilled communicators and collaborators? Prepare your students for the modern workplace with this newly updated guide to Google’s latest tech tools.

 

Courageous Edventures – Jennie Magiera

Let’s go on an edventure! Do you want to innovate and take risks in your teaching? Looking for ways to troubleshoot common classroom challenges? Whatever obstacles you and your students face can turn into edventures, and this book will show you how to navigate them with grace, humor, and grit. Jennie Magiera charts a course for you to discover your own version of innovation, using the limitless possibilities of educational technology.

 

Deeper Learning With QR Codes and Augmented Reality – Monica Burns

What if your students’ mobile devices became an instructional asset rather than a distraction? Discover how free, scannable technology can enrich learning while captivating students. Best of all, these technologies are easy to implement within your classroom. Monica Burnsoffers user-friendly strategies and tips in this quick-read guide to QR Codes and Augmented Reality.

 

 

 

How to Personalize Learning – Barbara Bray and Kathleen McClaskey

This practical follow-up to Bray and McClaskey’s first book, Make Learning Personal: The What, Who, Wow, Where, and Why brings theory to practice. Teachers will find the tools, skills, and strategies needed to personalize learning and develop self-directed, independent learners with agency. Discover how to get started and go deeper by building a shared vision that supports personalized learning using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework.

 

 

Technology for Leaders:

Blended Learning in Action – Catlin Tucker, Tiffany Wycoff, and Jason Green

Blended learning has the power to reinvent education, but transitioning to a blended model is challenging. Blended learning requires a fundamentally new approach to learning as well as a new skillset for both teachers and school leaders. Loaded with research, examples, and resources, Blended Learning in Action demonstrates the advantages a blended model has over traditional instruction when technology is used to engage students both inside the classroom and online.

 

Renegade Leadership – Brad Gustafson

We’re all looking for the next best app and what’s just beyond the tech horizon. But why don’t we have the same progressive appetite for pedagogy that we have for technology? Renegade leadership may just be the answer we’ve been searching for.

Merging best practice with innovation, renegade leadership demands a call to action in the digital age by creating student-centered instructional leadership that connects equity, culture, and technology.

 

What’s In Your Space? – Dwight Carter, Mark White, and Gary Sebach

For two decades, educators have been told to incorporate skills for the global economy, adapt to diverse learning styles, and employ technology. This requires changing our thinking spaces and our physical spaces. How can or should they change to keep pace with and reflect 21st Century teaching models?

In What’s in Your Space?, the group behind one of America’s most recognized school redesign projects walks you through the process of designing both “thinking” and “learning” spaces to accommodate today’s rigorous learning models.

 

Digital Leadership – Eric Sheninger

Digital leadership is a strategic mindset and set of behaviors that leverages resources to create a meaningful, transparent, and engaging school culture. It takes into account recent changes such as ubiquitous connectivity, open-source technology, mobile devices, and personalization to dramatically shift how schools have been run and structured for over a century. Leading in education becomes exponentially powerful when using technology to your advantage. In this classic on Instructional Technology Leadership, former principal Eric Sheninger shares the Pillars of Digital Leadership.