How to Create the Schools We Need?

"Anything short of a vision of educational technology use that allows students and teachers to inquire more deeply, research more broadly, connect more intensely, share more widely and create more powerfully, sells short the power of these tools – and more important, sells short the promise of learning and of school for out students." – Lehmann/Chase: Building School 2.0

At our opening PD in August, I spoke a little bit about a book a friend of mine wrote with his colleague. Zac Chase and Chris Lehmann have produced an inspirational guide to building (and sustaining) schools we need in the 21st century.

Chris Lehmann, widely recognized as an ed-tech leader and educational reformer was named "Outstanding Leader of the Year" by ISTE in 2013 and was the recipient of the prestigious "Rising Star" McGraw prize in education, the very next year. His work as principal and founder of Science Leadership Academy (regarded as one of the 10 most amazing schools in the U.S.) has earned him many honours and awards, including being considered one of the 30 most influential people in ed-tech.

Zach Chase is a gifted educator with whom I had the joy of working a few year ago. Zac travels around the world consulting with teachers on the "thoughtful combination of pedagogy and technology for teaching and learning". He currently is a National Fellow at the Institute for Democratic Education in America.

I loved this book and wholeheartedly encourage you to read it. Each chapter ends with a section "From Theory to Practice" giving solid examples of classroom or personal applications of the chapter's topic. This is not a book about technology, but rather it is a broader discussion about education and how we can create learning spaces (...and yes, infused with technology) to teach our children to be problem solvers, life-long learners, and thoughtful citizens.

I'll leave you with another quote from the book:

"The purpose of school is not to train children but to teach them, and that requires the human element. If anything, we need more adults in school, not fewer."