Rewiring Education: How Technology Can Unlock Every Student's Potential

What if we could unlock the potential in every child? As it turns out, we can.

Apple's iconic cofounder Steve Jobs had a powerful vision for education: employing technology to make an enormous impact on the lives of millions of students. To realize this vision, Jobs tapped John D. Couch, a trusted engineer and executive with a passion for education. Couch believed the real purpose of education was to help children discover their unique potential and empower them to reach beyond their perceived limitations.

Today, technology is increasingly integrated into every aspect of our lives, rewiring our homes, our jobs, and even our brains. Most important, it presents an opportunity to rewire education to enrich and strengthen our schools, children, and society

In Rewiring Education, Couch shares the professional lessons he's learned during his 50-plus years in education and technology. He takes us behind Apple's major research study, Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT), and its follow-up (ACOT 2), highlighting the powerful effects of the Challenge-Based Learning framework. Going beyond Apple's walls, he also introduces us to some of the most extraordinary parents, educators, and entrepreneurs from around the world who have ignored the failed promises of memorization and, instead, utilize new science-backed methods and technologies that benefit all children, from those who struggle to honor students.

Rewiring Education presents a bold vision for the future of education, looking at promising emerging technologies and how we—as parents, teachers, and voters—can ensure children are provided with opportunities and access to the relevant, creative, collaborative, and challenging learning environments they need to succeed.

John D. Couch is Vice President of Education at Apple. A former UC Berkeley graduate student, HP engineer and manager, and Cal State University lecturer, John was recruited by Steve Jobs in 1978, becoming Apple's 54th employee. He left in 1984 and spent ten years using innovative technology to transform a struggling K-12 school in San Diego, which is now a National Blue-Ribbon school. At Jobs' request, John returned to Apple in 2002, tasked with bringing education into the digital age. He has been a vocal proponent of personalized learning and was Apple's representative to President Obama's National Education Technology Plan and ConnectEd initiative. In 2017, John funded the establishment of a new Student Learning Research Fellowship at Harvard University, designed to support cutting-edge research for improving student learning and motivation.

Jason Towne is research fellow at Harvard University where he focuses on motivation, learning, and technology. He is the author of the critically acclaimed book, Conversations with America's Best Teachers, in which he interviewed 18 National of the Year Award winners and nominees about what they do differently. Towne received his BS degree in Public Policy and graduated Magna cum Laude from the University of Southern California in 2009. He earned his Master's degree in Education from Harvard in 2015 where he studied motivational psychology and education technology, co-directed the prestigious Harvard Innovative Ventures in Education (HIVE) program, and won the coveted Harvard Leadership in Education Award. Prior to Harvard, he was an executive for the YMCA overseeing youth development.