Now Classrooms, Grades 3-5: Lessons for Enhancing Teaching and Learning Through Technology (Supporting Iste Standards for Students and Digital Citizen

Part of the NOW Classrooms series.

Developed specifically for grades 3-5, this resource presents classroom-ready lessons that support the ISTE Standards for Students (NET standards). 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 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 or NETS):

• Understand that real transformational change results from teaching and learning, not ever-changing digital devices.
• Give 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 3-5 classroom lessons.

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

Books in the NOW Classrooms series:

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

Meg Ormiston is on a mission to change the world of education. She shares her passion for teaching and learning with technology through her keynote speaking, through her writing, and on social media. Meg was a classroom teacher for twelve years and now travels nationally and internationally, speaking about the power of teaching and learning with digital tools. As a thought leader in education technology, Meg has published seven books and is collaborating with a team to write five additional books. When Meg is home in the Chicago suburbs, you will often find her in classrooms serving as an instructional coach.

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

To learn more about Meg's work, follow @megormi on Twitter.

Sheri DeCarlo, a National Board-certified teacher, is a learning and instructional technology coach at a 1:1 Chromebook intermediate-level school in suburban Chicago. Sheri spent ten years as a classroom teacher before transitioning to technology leadership in various roles as a technology teacher, coordinator, and coach over the past twenty years. As a member of her district's technology leadership team, she has provided professional development for district staff and teachers and instructed numerous master's-level technology classes for the district's on-site university program. Sheri has had the honor of presenting at local, state, and national conferences.

Sonya Raymond has presented to school staff, parents, the Illinois Board of Education, and Illinois state lawmakers, and at an Illinois Computing Educators mini-conference in the area of technology. Sonya has had a wide variety of teaching experiences in third grade through eighth grade in multiple US states. Sonya's love of learning has kept her current, and her love for students has kept her passion for teaching alive. Sonya embraces change; she modeled a growth mindset before educators were talking about it.

Grace Kowalski is a master at teaching and learning in the classroom, engaging her young students by using digital tools. She is an elementary teacher in a 1:1 Apple Distinguished School district in suburban Chicago, with experience instructing with both tablets and laptops. Grace was named an Apple Teacher in 2016, and she is a Google-certified educator. She has presented at local, state, and national conferences and enjoys leading professional development for all teachers.

Justin Gonzalez is a young, passionate, and innovative educator who believes in the power of education technology. He has experience teaching both first grade and third grade and works in a third-grade inclusion classroom where he co-teaches with a special education teacher to meet the varied needs of students with mild to moderate disabilities. Justin embraces the use of iPads in a 1:1 Apple Distinguished Program and has found many ways to use technology to differentiate for students, enhance learning, and better assess student knowledge and understanding.