Customer Reviews

Teaching for Understanding with Technology (Jossey-Bass Education)

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With this being a brand new book, and having read part of the first chapter on Amazon, I was looking forward to reading it. I was let down.

First, I personally think that while the "Teaching for Understanding" model of teaching is not bad, it is similar to the constructivist concept that most technology education books use as their foundation, but I found the "Teaching for Understanding" model to not be as strong or consistant and integrated with itself as the Constructivist model.

Further, the examples that are given in the book felt more shallow than examples I have seen with constructivism. While none of the technology use was bad, per se, in Teaching for Understanding with Technology, none of the examples I saw, really worked towards using the technology to change the way students think.

I suppose one reason for this, is that the book seems to be written for the very beginning computer user. I applaud this effort, because I have found far too many teachers to be computer illiterate, and worse, are scared to learn. If we want to impress that learning is lifelong to our students, we must be the demonstration.

I personally recommend Teaching with Technology: Designing Opportunities to Learn. While this is a textbook, and costs a fair bit more than other books about using technology in education, I think it is the most well rounded and practical book out there on the subject, and I have read a lot of them.

This is a great book to cover all the foundations of teaching for understanding with technology. the examples they used in the book are all really life examples that inspired you how to use TfU in classrooms.

an excellent book in order to extent and enhance the use of technology in our classroom.

I can think of a thousand uses for this book... You could use it as toilet paper, you could use it to line the bottom of your bird cage, you could use it to sop up oil that's leaked onto your garage floor, you could use it to start a fire, and with a little creative tape-work, you could even use it to fashion a barf bag (which you'll need if you decide to read this ridiculous book for more than five minutes).

I've read scores of books on the topic of teaching. If you have too, you'll probably agree that the vast majority of authors write with an idealistic point of view. They all seem to believe that all students are educable, all parents are involved, and time has no relevance. This is not only more-of-the-same, it is also a re-packaging of widely accepted practices.

These authors take concepts and give them fancy names like "Performances of Understanding." They want to appear to be cutting edge and far more intellectual than their audience. They think we must be stupid if they believe we've never heard of "Performances of Understanding." You haven't heard of it? Sure you have! It's called an "activity!"

If you're a teacher, you've heard the new buzz-word "assessment." In the old days, teachers called them test or exams. These authors talk about assessment like they invented it! Of all the teaching books I've read on my own, as well as the ones I was required to read while getting my Master's Degree, this book (and it's companion book) were the worst.

How can I sum up this book? Easy... Keep doing what you're doing, but change all the identifiers so you appear more intelligent. Test? NO! ASSESSMENT! Subject or Area? NO! GENERATIVE TOPIC!

Don't waste your money on this book. All it does is describe standard teaching practices and uses different nomenclature.