degree in environmental studies from the University of Vermont and her master’s degree in library science from Dominican University, where she is currently working on her technology specialist endorsement. In her free time, Megan enjoys hanging out with her partner, Steve; her dog; and her family and friends. She lives in Chicago and loves trying new restaurants and going to cultural events.
To learn more about Megan’s work, follow @D60Westview IMC on Twitter.
Janice Conboy is a kindergarten teacher at an elementary school in a 1:1 school district in a Chicago suburb. In this district, she was also a sixth-grade teacher for sixteen years. She teaches professional development classes for teachers in her district and helps train her district’s first- and second-year teachers. She feels passionate about teaching and learning and making lessons meaningful using technology.
Janice has presented at district-level institutes and state and national conferences, has taken part in several different district technology initiatives, and has attended the Apple Distinguished Educator conference. Janice’s peers have twice nominated her for teacher of the year, and her students have nominated her for her school’s distinguished service award. In 2017, Janice was named Teacher of the Year for Downers Grove School District 58.
Janice has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Illinois State University and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from National Louis University. Janice loves spending time with her husband, Eric, and her son, Tyler. They love to travel and spend time with family and friends.
To learn more about Janice’s work, follow @Mrs_Conboy on Twitter.
Whitney Cavanagh is a sixth-grade teacher at a 1:1 iPad elementary school in a Chicago suburb. She presents at district in-service days and trains her district’s first-year teachers on small-group and individualized student goal setting. She feels passionate about engaging students in her classroom by incorporating small groups, technology, and student-choice opportunities.
Whitney piloted her district’s 1:1 iPad initiative, has attended the Apple Distinguished Educator conference, and has received a student nomination for her school’s distinguished service award. In 2017, Whitney was nominated for Teacher of the Year in Downers Grove School District 58.
Whitney has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Valparaiso University, a master’s degree in differentiated instruction, and a middle school endorsement from University of Saint Francis Joliet. In her personal life, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family; her husband, Connor; and her new daughter, Reagan. She loves traveling and has a passion for health and fitness.
To learn more about Whitney’s work, follow @MrsCavanagh8 on Twitter.
To book Meg Ormiston, Lauren Slanker, Jennifer Lehotsky, Megan K. Flaherty, Janice Conboy, or Whitney Cavanagh for professional development, contact [email protected].
Introduction
“I want to use the green screen!”
“I’ll grab the building blocks!”
“Does anyone know of an app where you can record raps?”
“Let’s use modeling clay with stop-motion animations!”
Palpable excitement fills a sixth-grade classroom at Westview Hills Middle School in Willowbrook, Illinois as students determine what type of platform they will use to showcase their understanding of a social science unit on ancient India. Their teacher has tasked them with choosing one of three questions and then choosing the medium through which they would like to answer it. Working in groups, some students make movies using a green screen; others make stop-motion animations using modeling clay and building blocks (see figure I.1, page 2); and others record raps using an iPad and a microphone. It’s magical.
We want to fill classroom work with magical teacher-student partnerships. In these magical 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.
Figure I.1: A student creates a stop-motion video using clay.
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 it.
Teaching and Learning First
Just a few miles away from Westview Hills Middle School, it amazes coauthor Janice Conboy to see the work her students at Indian Trail Elementary School produce when she loosens her reigns and lets them make more choices:
Wow it really worked! Every group is making their own choices and creating a plan about how they will demonstrate their learning using different types of technology. This is great! These sixth graders are independently owning their learning to become creative communicators using digital tools.
Look at all the different apps and programs the groups are using to demonstrate what they learned in this social studies unit. I know part of their motivation to create quality products is because they know what they create will be featured on the flat screens in the foyer of the school, and of course I will post the projects on Twitter using the district hashtag #dg58learns. I can’t wait to share with my team that student voice and choice really work, and now I will have digital artifacts to show what each group created. (J. Conboy, personal communication, November 16, 2016)
The seven International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE, 2016) 2016 Standards for Students reflect this theme of student voice and choice. The standards call for students to be:
1. Empowered learners
2. Digital citizens
3. Knowledge constructors
4. Innovative designers
5. Computational thinkers
6. Creative communicators
7. Global collaborators
In addition to these
