8 Essential Books Every Tech-Minded Teacher Should Read

I love reading, but there are so many books out there, it’s challenging to pick the right one for my education needs. Ask a Tech Teacher contributor, Karen Dikson, came to the rescue. She curated a great list of essential tech-minded books for today’s teachers. Here are her suggestions:

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We live in an extremely stimulating and dynamic era, and it’s hard to predict what is going to happen tomorrow, let alone in the next few years.

Modern teachers and educators need to adapt and keep up with the trends because that’s what their students are doing. In order to be able to reach them better, teachers not only have to be up to date with the latest strategies and teaching methodologies, but also with modern technology and new ways of connecting with their students and engaging them, both inside and outside the classroom.

Fortunately, there are plenty of resources they can turn to. I recommend the following eight books which were written with tech-minded teachers in mind.

1. 50 Things You Can Do With Google Classroom

by Alice Keeler and Libbi Miller

One of the most interesting reads for teachers ready to embrace modern technology is this particular book, which draws from the extensive experience of its authors regarding the use of digital apps, such as Google Apps, in the process of educating the young minds of tomorrow. The authors focus on Google Classroom in particular, not just as a piece of software, but as a means of enhancing the traditional teaching methods.

Theresa B. Walker, Teacher, writer at EduGeeksClub shares her impressions about the book:

“The content of the book is essentially adapted  for those who just start learning Google Classroom and for those who need to teach it to others.”

2. Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times

by Eric C. Sheninger

According to the author of this book, modern technology is here to stay, and we should do everything we can to embrace it and make the most of it when it comes to student education. But, unlike all the other books on this topic, this one actually provides plenty of examples and personal experiences of the author, which show that creating a feasible model of a digital classroom of the future is no longer a fantasy.

“Digital Leadership is essential reading for any education leader trying to figure out how technology can strengthen schools—and what pitfalls to avoid. Eric Sheninger masterfully makes the connections as to how technology can strengthen schools, providing an essential guide for today’s leaders in education.” — Cindy Johanson, Executive Director at Edutopia.

3. Who Owns the Learning?: Preparing Students for Success in the Digital Age

by Alan November

The author of this book discusses his own Digital Learning Farm model, which effectively enables students to change the way they learn, by creating new learning tools and finding meaningfulness in their work. This is an inspiring read for all teachers because it goes beyond listing examples and provides teachers with ideas they can implement in their class and help students change the way they adopt new knowledge, by relying more on modern technology inside their classrooms.

4. From Digital Natives to Digital Wisdom: Hopeful Essays for 21st Century Learning

by Marc R. Prensky

This book is a collection of essays which demonstrates how modern technology is challenging the traditional models of education in order to meet the needs of today’s students. The author invites teachers to abandon the existing model and rely on new ones which are more efficient at preparing students for what lies ahead of them in this digital age. It includes interviews and essays by young people and addresses their needs in terms of education and teaching.

5. Digital Teaching Platforms: Customizing Classroom Learning for Each Student

by Chris Dede, John Richards

Drawing from the extensive 20-year experience the authors have in the field of research and development regarding digital learning tools and environment, this work is divided into four parts and contains research-based articles by renowned experts that address new shifts and trends in today’s education. The authors focus specifically on Digital Teaching Platforms and how they are changing the traditional classrooms.

6. Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools

by Michael B. Horn, Heather Staker, Clayton M. Christensen

Blended learning is slowly emerging as one of the top trends in modern education, and this book addresses that topic. Not only that, but it serves as a guide for teachers and educators willing to try out those techniques in their schools and classrooms. What sets this work apart from most is that it doesn’t just focus on the theoretical, but provides the framework around which educators can blend online learning with traditional teaching methods. It can also serve as an essential read for those who think that current education models are perfect the way they are now. It will prove them wrong.

Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy said about the book:

“Blended clearly shows that it isn’t an either-or proposition, but rather that the most likely future is one in which online experiences enrich the physical ones and vice versa. Even more, the book gives concrete examples of how educators, parents, and learners can move us all to a world where technology makes the classroom more human, not less.”

7. Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in our Schools

by Milton Chen

The authors of this book has extensive experience and an impressive resume when it comes to clever and unorthodox ways of educating children, starting with his work at Sesame Workshop, which has given us Sesame Street, as well as work for The George Lucas Educational Foundation. The book features a foreword by George Lucas himself. It provides readers with examples and ideas on how to introduce new media inside the classroom and new teaching models which no longer require students to be behind their desks all day long.

8. Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works

by Howard Pitler, Elizabeth R. Hubbell, and Matt Kuhn

There are plenty of books which discuss and provide examples of using modern technology inside traditional classrooms and the constantly changing landscape of today’s education, but very few focus on the pedagogy behind the implementation of all this new technology, and its impact on students. This one focuses more on the logical basis for the use of modern technology than on tools, although it still offers plenty of examples. Highly recommended.

For every teacher aspiring to challenge the traditional models of education, or at least trying to incorporate modern technology in class so that it works for students instead of against them, these eight books are an essential read.

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I’d love to hear your thoughts on books that made a granular difference in your teaching. Please add a comment below.

Author’s bio: Karen Dikson is a college instructor from New Jersey with more than five years of teaching experience. She writes for several educational resources, including HuffingtonPost. Karen finds her inspiration in reading.

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.