NOW Classrooms, Grades 6-8: Lessons for Enhancing Teaching and Learning Through Technology (Supporting ISTE Standards for Students and Digital Citizenship)

Part of the NOW Classrooms series.

Developed specifically for grades 6-8, this book presents middle-school-classroom-ready lessons that support the ISTE Standards for Students (formerly NETS) and digital citizenship. Use the lessons, which focus on four essential skills (communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity), to take instruction and learning to the next level through the use of technology. Each chapter includes strategies for developing authentic digital learning experiences and ends with discussion questions for personal reflection.

Integrate digital learning and support the ISTE Standards (formerly National Educational Technology Standards for Students):

• Understand that real transformational change results from teaching and learning, not ever-changing digital devices.
• Give middle-school students opportunities to exercise their voice, choice, and creativity using multimedia and digital tools.
• Implement practical novice-, operational-, and wow-level lessons and tips for using digital tools in classroom lessons.
• Foster digital citizenship, helping students keep themselves and their data safe online and make ethical decisions on the Internet.
• Learn how to get students communicating, collaborating, innovating, and thinking critically in grade 6-8 classroom lessons.

Contents:
Chapter 1: Embracing Creativity
Chapter 2: Communicating and Collaborating
Chapter 3: Conducting Research and Curating Information
Chapter 4: Critically Thinking and Solving Problems
Chapter 5: Being Responsible Digital Citizens
Chapter 6: Expanding Technology and Coding Concepts

Books in the NOW Classrooms series:

• NOW Classrooms, Leader's Guide
• NOW Classrooms, Grades K-2
• NOW Classrooms, Grades 3-5
• NOW Classrooms, Grades 6-8
• NOW Classrooms, Grades 9-12

Meg Ormiston, in her role as a consultant, partners with school systems that are committed to 21st century learning experiences for everyone. Meg creates a partnership that is unique in each district, reflecting the mission, vision, and direction that local leaders identify. Her districtwide projects include guiding teams through the visioning process, designing and delivering professional development, facilitating classroom modeling, developing student leaders in technology, and educating parents.

Meg is a teacher, keynote speaker, and author of seven books, including an honorable mention for the ForeWord Reviews 2010 Book of the Year in education, Creating a Digital-Rich Classroom. After twelve years in the classroom teaching and coaching, Meg volunteered on her local school board, facilitated grant projects, and continued researching and writing about best practices.

Jenny Lehotsky is an instructional coach in an urban district outside of Chicago, Illinois. She works across eight K-8 buildings, incorporating innovative teaching practices using one-to-one technology. Most of her career was spent as a middle school teacher in science and reading, incorporating STEM and innovative practices, and she is passionate about empowering students and personalizing their learning experience to help them reach their full potential.

In 2016, Jenny was chosen to be a TED Ed Innovative Educator and became a Google Certified Educator. She speaks at local, state, and national conferences; blogs at Teaching and Learning Redefined; and is an adjunct professor at a local university.

Whitney Cavanagh is a sixth-grade teacher at a one-to-one iPad elementary school in a Chicago suburb. She presents at district in-services and trains her district's first-year teachers about small-group and individualized student goal setting. She is passionate about engaging students in her classroom by incorporating small groups, technology, and student choice opportunities.

Whitney piloted her district's one-to-one iPad initiative, attended The Apple Distinguished Educator conference, and received a student nomination for her school's Distinguished Service Award.

Janice Conboy is a sixth-grade teacher at an elementary school in a one-to-one school district in a Chicago suburb. She teaches professional development classes for teachers in the district and helps to train her district's first- and second-year teachers. She is passionate about making lessons meaningful using technology.

Janice has been part of several different technology initiatives for the district 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.

Lauren Slanker is an eighth-grade science teacher and team leader in a one-to-one middle school in Berwyn, Illinois. Lauren values the use of social media in the classroom and was one of the first teachers in the district to have students create Twitter accounts for school use in 2015.

Lauren received a nomination for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and is working toward effectively integrating the Next Generation Science Standards and technology into the classroom.

Megan Flaherty is a library media specialist at Westview Hills Middle School in Willowbrook, Illinois. In addition to managing the school's library, she coaches teachers and helps students use technology in a one-to-one Chromebook environment. Megan enjoys using technology to enhance lessons and loves seeing students engage their creativity using new technology platforms.