To learn more about Meg’s work, follow @megormi on Twitter.
Sheri DeCarlo, a National Board–certified teacher, is a learning and instructional technology coach at a 1:1 Chromebook intermediate-level school in suburban Chicago. Sheri spent ten years as a classroom teacher before transitioning to technology leadership in various roles as a technology teacher, coordinator, and coach since the 1990s. As a member of her district’s technology leadership team, she has provided professional development for district staff and teachers and instructed numerous master’s-level technology classes for the district’s on-site university program. Sheri has had the honor of presenting at local, state, and national conferences.
Sheri earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Northern Illinois University and her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a concentration in instructional technology. She is pursuing her certification to become a certified education technology leader. She enjoys spending her free time cooking, traveling, and having family movie nights with her husband and two daughters, as well as attending car shows and cruise nights.
To learn more about Sheri’s work, follow @d60MaerckerTech on Twitter.
Sonya Raymond has presented to school staff, parents, the Illinois Board of Education, and Illinois state lawmakers, and at an Illinois Computing Educators mini-conference in the area of technology. Sonya has had a wide variety of teaching experiences in third grade through eighth grade in multiple U.S. states. Sonya’s love of learning has kept her current, and her love for students has kept her passion for teaching alive. Sonya embraces change; she modeled a growth mindset before educators were talking about it.
Sonya attended Southeastern Louisiana University, where she received her bachelor of arts degree, and University of St. Francis, where she received her master’s degree in teaching and learning in differentiation. She also received her Type 75 Illinois Administrative Certificate from Concordia University Chicago.
To learn more about Sonya’s work, follow @Sonray10 on Twitter.
Grace Kowalski is a master at teaching and learning in the classroom, engaging her young students by using digital tools. She was an elementary teacher in a 1:1 Apple Distinguished School district in suburban Chicago with experience instructing with both tablets and laptops. Grace is now an instructional coach in a K–8 district.
Grace was named an Apple Teacher in 2016, and she is a Google-certified educator. She has presented at local, state, and national conferences and enjoys leading professional development for all teachers.
Grace attended the University of Missouri, where she received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and her master’s degree in instruction and curriculum. She is pursuing a master’s degree in educational leadership from Concordia University Chicago. Grace is passionate about personalized learning and providing a hands-on, engaging experience for all students.
To learn more about Grace’s work, follow @TeamKowalski on Twitter.
Justin Gonzalez is a young, passionate, and innovative educator who believes in the power of education technology. He has experience teaching both first grade and third grade and works in a third-grade inclusion classroom where he co-teaches with a special education teacher to meet the varied needs of students with mild to moderate disabilities. Justin embraces the use of iPads in a 1:1 Apple Distinguished Program and has found many ways to use technology to differentiate for students, enhance learning, and better assess student knowledge and understanding. He has presented at local and state conferences. At his school, he leads the student-run tech club.
Justin received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is pursuing a master’s degree in educational leadership from Concordia University Chicago.
To learn more about Justin’s work, follow @Mr_JGonzalez on Twitter.
To book Meg Ormiston, Sheri DeCarlo, Sonya Raymond, Grace Kowalski, or Justin Gonzalez for professional development, contact [email protected].
Introduction
We want to work in schools filled with magical teacher-student partnership classrooms. In these classrooms, students own their data, and they set individual and group goals based on the projects they are working on. Looking around these classrooms, you see what we call messy learning or organized chaos. Think of the vibe of a busy coffeehouse, everyone chatting or working independently, depending on each person’s goals. Digital devices are everywhere, but so are collaboration and all types of communication as everyone gathers for different goals.
Like in a coffeehouse, when you walk into a magical classroom, you feel the energy as all students are laser focused on their personal learning targets and as they collaborate with each other. The teacher has set high expectations for each student, and he or she continuously monitors data using a variety of technology interfaces. Parents and other professionals are part of the communication loop with access to goal-focused data, using a variety of technologies. We call these magical classrooms NOW classrooms. We selected that term because our students deserve to thrive in rich learner-centered classrooms now, not in a few months or years. We believe schools are ready to create this type of NOW classroom, typified by technology-supported teaching and learning, and the evidence we’ve seen bears this belief out. Our goal with this book and this series is to help you create them.
While every student in NOW classrooms has individual goals, expectations, and deadlines, the students also engage in extensive collaborative problem solving around rich, real-world problems. Group members and the teacher monitor these projects by using digital tools and face-to-face meetings. For every group project, teachers expect students to connect to an authentic audience beyond the classroom walls to engage subject-area experts and present their findings to others. These presentations might take place in face-to-face settings, but often, the authentic audience comes into the classroom using different technology tools, and the teacher partners with each student to help him or her make connections to outside experts and an authentic audience.
In NOW classrooms, students own their learning. Every student can explain his or her individual learning progression and team progress to any administrator or classroom visitor. Students support what they say with the data they have at their fingertips, using digital devices and different technology interfaces. Students continue to work on their individual and group goals outside of school, where digital tools make collaboration and communication possible. The students know the teacher expects them to demonstrate what they know and can do as a result of what they have learned, and to deliver creative presentations. They might use digital tools to support and deliver their work, but the teacher encourages them to use voice and choice to creatively express themselves.
The teacher is the master conductor in these classrooms, constantly connecting the dots to support and stretch student learning. The role of the teacher in these classrooms has completely shifted from that of classroom content expert to master critical thinker. The students are the active learners and problem solvers, developing these critical skills they will need for their future careers outside of school in offices that potentially look and feel more like the coffeehouse than a building comprising isolated workspaces.
This book provides collections of lessons that support teachers as they encourage students to collaborate in these ways and develop super skills, focus on goals, and make