Transforming Schools With Technology

Zucker, A. (2008). Transforming schools with technology. Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard Education Press.

This book describes the uses of technology in the classroom and how it's changed modern schools in the Digital Age. Zucker identifies the impacts of technology through case-studies and outlines guiding principles for schools to model in their decisions to use technology in the classroom. He explains how technology to be effective must follow the following six educational goals for success in transforming schools: Increasing student achievement; making schools more engaging and relevant; providing a high-quality education for all students; attracting, preparing and retaining high-quality teachers; increasing support fro children outside school; and requiring accountability for results.

Quotes/Concepts:

"Today after roughly two decades of significant computer use in schools, computers and other digital technologies are changing our assumptions about schooling, and the rate of change is accelerating...the positive impact of educational technology is not a foregone conclusion"(3).

"In a program focused on teaching writing using laptops...researchers documented gains in student achievement. And a "meta-analysis"...of more than two dozen studies of learning to write using computers concluded that 'computers are a valuable tool for helping students develop writing skills'"(54).