Learning First, Technology Second (ebook)

The Educator’s Guide to Designing Authentic Lessons

By Liz Kolb

ISBN: 9781564846327

Published: March 2017

Length: 220 pages

Table of Contents

Read excerpt

Interview with author on BAM Radio

Interview with author on OnEducation

“If you are a district implementing a 1:1 program ... do yourself a favor. Have your leaders read this book. Research-based, common sense, practical and instantly useful.” -- The Lighting of a Fire blog

Learning First, Technology Second offers teachers a classroom-tested, easy-to-use framework to help them move from arbitrary uses of technology to thoughtful ways of adding value to student learning.

Learning with technology doesn’t happen because a specific tool “revolutionizes” education. It happens when proven teaching strategies intersect with technology tools, and yet it’s not uncommon for teachers to use a tool because it’s “fun” or because the developer promises it will help students learn.

This book includes:  

• An introduction to the Triple E Framework that helps teachers engage students in time-on-task learning, enhance learning experiences beyond traditional means and extend learning opportunities to bridge classroom learning with students’ everyday lives.
• Effective strategies for using technology to create authentic learning experiences for their students.
• Case studies to guide appropriate tech integration.
• A lesson planning template to show teachers how to effectively frame technology choices and apply them in instruction.

The companion jump start guide based on this book is Engage, Enhance, Extend: Start Creating Authentic Lessons With the Triple E Framework.

Audience: K-12 classroom teachers

About the Author

Liz Kolb (@lkolb) is a clinical associate professor of education technologies at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She has written several books, including Learning First, Technology Second (ISTE 2017) and Learning First, Technology Second in Practice (ISTE 2020). In addition, Kolb has published numerous articles and book chapters on new technologies and education in prominent publications such as Education Leadership, School Administrator Magazine, Scholastic magazines, Edutopia and Learning & Leading with Technology. She has been a featured and keynote speaker at conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada, and is currently co-chairing an auxiliary committee for the U.S. Office of Education Technology on sustainable professional development in teacher education. She’s a Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) board member and a member of the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) advisory board for mobile learning and emerging technologies. Kolb is the creator of the Triple E Framework, an open-source framework for K-12 teachers and administrators to use to assess the effectiveness of technology in lesson plans. Kolb is also the creator of the 4T Virtual Conference, a free conference for over 3,000 K-12 educators held each May.

Media Reviews

“Kolb’s Triple E Framework is an excellent tool for helping teachers focus on using technology to support learning and not just using technology for its own sake. She provides a highly beneficial collection of case studies as well as practical suggestions for how her framework could look across all different grade levels and subject areas. For anyone interested in thinking more about how technology can be used to support learning, I absolutely recommend this book.” -- Michael Karlin, EdTech Roundup

“[Kolb] was putting into words so many things I witnessed and felt as I worked in dozens of classrooms over the past five years. What I love about her work is that it's clear, practical and backed by research.” -- Mike Petty

“…the Triple E Framework is the first concrete ‘tool’ to help a specific teacher think through the role of specific technology in their specific classroom.” -- Cathie Norris, Elliot Soloway