Learning First, Technology Second in Practice

New Strategies, Research and Tools for Student Success

By Liz Kolb

ISBN: 9781564848383

Published: July 2020

Length: 264 pages

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“With many new examples and specific suggestions, Kolb continues to serve the educational community as a leader who models the kinds of teaching and learning with technology she wants to see in classrooms, from kindergarten through college, and in face-to-face, hybrid and online contexts. It is a worthwhile read, and will help any educator deepen their thinking about teaching and learning with technology.”

-- Troy Hicks, Professor of English and Education, Central Michigan University

Building on the bestselling Learning First, Technology Second, this book helps teachers choose technology tools and instructional strategies based on an understanding of how students learn.

After observing teachers and students interact with technology over many years, Liz Kolb began to wonder: While students’ attention levels are high when they use digital devices, how can we move them to an equally high level of commitment to their learning tasks? Her extensive research into this question led to the development of the Triple E Framework, in which the learning goal—not the tool—is the most important element of a given lesson. 

With this understanding, this book extends the ideas from Learning First, Technology Second, offering:

• An overview of the popular and highly regarded Triple E Framework.
• A compelling myth vs. reality format through which to apply the research and strategies tied to the Triple E Framework.
• A step-by-step process for instructional designers and tech coaches to use the framework with classroom teachers for better lesson design.
• Twelve authentic lessons designed by K-12 teachers to meet all three elements of the Triple E Framework, with suggestions on how to improve lessons with technology.
• Examples of how two schools have systematically integrated the framework across their district.

For Learning First, Technology Second readers, this book builds on their knowledge, providing new research, scenarios, cases and ideas for using technology in education. For readers new to the framework, this book provides all of the essential research and tools mentioned above, along with an overview of the framework, so they can apply what they learn without missing a beat.

Audience: K-16 educators, instructional designers, technology coaches, district leaders

About the Author

Liz Kolb 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). 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.