If you are an English teacher trying to get the most out of the one computer in your classroom; if you are an English teacher working with networked computers on a daily basis; or even--perhaps especially--if you are an English teacher wary but curious about the power that technology can have in mindfully engaging the readers and writers in your classroom, then The Tech-Savvy English Classroom is for you. This thoughtful guide does not value technology use as an end in itself, but focuses on pairing the right task with the right student and the right tool. Just as technologies are examined critically as a means of extending, enriching, and empowering student learning and understanding, Sara Kajder also explores those moments where technology isn't the right answer. The book supports teachers and helps them become critical, reflective practitioners who ask difficult questions of technological resources, regardless of how technology-rich or poor the environment.
Grounded in the author's experiences working with a broad cross-section of middle and high school students in schools with an equally broad variation in available technology, the book features examples of student projects throughout each chapter; setting the discussion in a real and practical context. It will help you:
- evaluate your students' and your own level of technical knowledge while determining appropriate starting points for projects;
- use a variety of tools in addition to traditional word processing and presentation software to organize, enhance, and present student writing;
- explore effective uses of hypertext in the English classroom;
- discover the value of WebQuests in the context of the English curriculum;
- extend the classroom community through telecommunication tools;
- create a class Website.
This book is not a "plug and play" solution. Instead, it is meant to provide ideas and models that can be adapted to meet a teachers' individual level of knowledge as a technology user, as well as the unique instructional goals found in each secondary English classroom. Ideas are anchored to national standards both for the teaching of English (NCTE/IRA) and digital literacy/technology integration (ISTE). A companion Web site (http://www.techsavvyenglish.com) provides additional resources, such as English-related Web sites and examples of WebQuests. It also provides a place for continued discussion and the active sharing of ideas.
Dr. Sara Kajder is a faculty member in Language and Literacy Education at The University of Georgia and a consultant to K-12 school systems across the country. Her most recent research examines secondary English teacher practices and adolescent literacy identities, especially in dialogue with the use of digital tools and social media. The author of many peer-reviewed articles and books, her most recent title, Adolescents and Digital Literacies (NCTE), received the NCTE Britton Award in 2012.
Dr. Kajder is the immediate past chair of the Middle Level Section of NCTE and, since the Fall of 2015, has collaborated with Dr. Shelbie Witte to co-edit the NCTE journal, Voices from the Middle. Kajder's work was recently recognized with the inaugural (2016) Divergent Award for Excellence in 21st Century Literacies, the 2016 Ocie Deckle Teaching Award, and the 2016 CEE/NTLI Fellowship.
