Cool Tech Tools for Lower Tech Teachers

William N. Bender, PhD, has had a long and distinguished career in education, teaching in public school for several years and in higher education for some 26 years at Blue?eld State College in West Virginia, Rutgers University in New Jersey, and the University of Georgia. He has written 36 books in special and general education. With his retirement, he has stepped back from his rigorous workshop schedule, which as recently as 2016 included some 40 workshop days per year. While the COVID-19 pandemic impacted his work, he has written four historical ?ction novels and several educational books in recent years. He has delivered several professional development projects, including most recently a keynote for a virtual conference on project-based learning in Brazil in conjunction with his Corwin book Project-Based Learning (2012). Learn more about William Bender's PD offerings Consulting Description: Differentiated Instruction Consulting Description: Math Consulting Description: Project-Based Learning Consulting Description: RTI Consulting Description: Technology Laura Waller, MS/MA, is a former elementary school teacher, an author, a National Certified Counselor, and a Licensed Professional Counselor. She holds a master's degree in elementary education from Johns Hopkins University and a second master's degree in clinical mental health counseling from Capella University. Waller is also an ADHD-Certified Clinical Services Provider. She entered the counseling field after a number of years as a teacher in elementary classrooms in North Carolina and Washington, DC. This classroom background yields a unique developmental perspective when Waller is working therapeutically with children, teens, and their families. She currently provides individual and family therapy for clients in the Northern Virginia (NOVA) area ranging in age from 8 to 601. She also hosts monthly seminars and groups aimed at supporting parents with a particular focus on raising neurodivergent children. Waller has led numerous workshops for churches and schools in the NOVA area with a specific focus on communication between teens and parents as well as using emotional support animals in a therapeutic setting. Waller is active in several professional associations, including the American Counseling Association (ACA) and Northern Virginia Licensed Professional Counselors (NVLPC). She has coauthored three books in education, most recently RTI and Differentiated Reading in the K-8 Classroom by Solution Tree Press (2011).

Acknowledgments About the Authors Introduction Part I. Four Tools to Start With Tech Tool 1: Web Access, Laptops, Mobile Devices Tech Tool 2: Webquests Tech Tool 3: Blogs Tech Tool 4: Wikis Part II. Tools for Student Engagement and Empowerment Tech Tool 5: Cloud Computing Tech Tool 6: The Flipped Classroom and Khan Academy Tech Tool 7: Wiffiti Tech Tool 8: Jing Tech Tool 9: Gaming, ARGs, and Virtual World Instruction Tech Tool 10: Diigo Part III. Tech Tools for Student Creation and Collaboration Tech Tool 11: Glogs Tech Tool 12: Podcasts Tech Tool 13: Scribd Tech Tool 14: Comic Life Tech Tool 15: Google Apps Tech Tool 16: Vokis, Avatars, and Animation! Tech Tool 17: Vlogs Tech Tool 18: Animoto Part IV. Tools for Social Learning and Networking Tech Tool 19: Facebook Tech Tool 20: Twitter Part V. The Teaching Revolution and a Brave New World for the 21st Century Index

"This book is an excellent resource for both new and experienced educators looking to make the most of Web 2.0 resources for teaching and learning. It can be used individually, but I think it would be most beneficial (and fun!) to use in small groups of educators as they support and surprise one another with their explorations and discoveries." -- Chris Toy, Educational Consultant/Graduate School Instructor "This is one of the most important tools that today's teachers could have in their toolbox. There are great descriptions of the tools, and excellent ideas about how to easily put them to work." -- David Callaway, 7th Grade Social Studies Teacher "This book provides a wealth of ideas for teachers who would like to use technology but do not know where to begin. Each chapter provides a lens into specific categories of use and websites associated with the use. An encyclopedia of practical tools for the low-tech classroom!" -- Bena Kallick, Educational Consultant "Cool Tech Tools for the Lower-Tech Teacher is a great manual for all educators. Each of us can benefit from adding new technology tools in our classrooms, which speak to the instructional variety that our digital learners come to our classrooms with each day. Our digital revolution is now, this book should be one of your tools as you set about designing a creative, collaborative, social and self-directed classroom! " -- Cheryl Oakes, Resource Room Teacher "Every educator interested in bringing their classroom into the 21st century should get this book. It not only tells what the new technology is and how to use it, but it creates an invaluable vision for the future of education in which students are not only consumers of information but creators. This resource could help revolutionize education as we know it, if every teacher implemented the tech tools in this book!" -- Jolene Dockstader, 7th Grade Language Arts Teacher "This is a much needed, delightful, inviting, tech plain speak compendium of cool tech, Common Core tools, any teacher can infuse using the steps and differentiating strategies suggested by the authors. This demystifies cool tech tools for the non techie teacher." -- Rose Cherie Reissman, Literacy Specialist/ Technology Integration Specialist