Chapter 9: Preparing for Tomorrow’s Challenges
INSTRUCTOR NOTES
Chapter Goal
Understand factors influencing the advancement of tomorrow’s teaching and learning.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the chapter, your students should be able to do the following:
1. Describe how the ASSURE model supports tomorrow’s learning as described in the
National Education Technology Plan.
3. Explain how tomorrow’s teachers exemplify digital age thinking and learning practices.
4. Give examples of funding technology for tomorrow and list the basic components of a
grant proposal.
Chapter Overview
This chapter brings the text full circle and invites your learners to consider ways the ASSURE
model and technology-focused professional development can guide teacher implementation of
tomorrow’s learning environments. Future technology and media is explored in terms of how
the learning environments and contexts will change. The authors encourage lifelong learning
and they discuss professional organizations and journals to encourage your students to pursue
professional growth. Types of technology grants and grant applications are also discussed as a
means for teachers and schools to keep pace with technology advancements.
Using This Chapter
When using Chapter 9, you should try to help your learners expand their vision of technology
and media in education. Encourage them to think about preparing for the challenges ahead by
exploring educational issues of technology and media beyond the textbook through the Internet
and reading in the literature. The NMC’s Horizon Report which is published yearly is a concise
but worthwhile document for your learners to explore alongside the “Tomorrow’s Thinking &
Learning” section of the chapter. Encourage your students to explore professional organizations
in the field of educational technology and to review various professional journals and funding
sources, such as grants, that may be available for keeping their classrooms up-to-date. Most
importantly, encourage them to think about staying current with the educational uses of
technology and media.
Professional Vocabulary
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING NETWORK (PLNS)- An online community of teachers who are
professionally engaged regularly in continued professional growth.
INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES
Introduction
Help your learners identify the technological trends they have experienced in their lifetimes. For
those who have been in the workforce, ask them to think about their experiences as well as the
experiences of their parents as workers. Identifying trends will help your learners understand the
changing role of technology and media in learning. Most importantly, your learners are working
toward technological competence or knowing how and when to use technology to enhance
student learning. Rapid advancements in technology and media require teachers to continually
learn new ways to improve their practice.
The ASSURE Model for Tomorrow’s Learning
Suggested Activity. Review the steps in ASSURE model and discuss how the steps align with the
National Education Technology Plan.
Tomorrow’s Thinking and Learning
Suggested Activities.
1. Invite a local PK-12 technology integrationist or director of technology to be a guest
speaker. Have the speaker share his/her experiences of how the classroom and school has
changed since they were a classroom teacher into today. It would also be nice if they
could share the school’s technology and media plans for the future – where is the school
going? Additionally, have your learners prepare questions for the guest speaker based on
2. Have your learners read the most recent NMC’s K-12 Horizon Report. This could lead to
a discussion or small group research.
a. Discussion. Learners can discuss the trends read in the report to the models and
environments described in the chapter. What similarities and differences do they
see? How does the report and chapter relate to current classrooms you have seen?
How can the trends be used in the learners’ content areas?
b. Small group research. Assign a trend, model, or environment to each small
group. Have the small groups find lesson examples for their assigned topic. The
group should evaluate them twice, based on a selection rubric in the textbook that
Tomorrow’s Teachers
Suggested Activities.
1. Ask your learners to review the Video Example 9.2: Capturing Learning with ePortfolios.
2. In small groups, have your learners complete a timeline of technological change in
American education. Ask learners to do limited research. The idea is to have the learners
3. Encourage your students to find examples of global classrooms in action. There are
numerous classrooms sharing resources and collaborating online. Have your students
report quality examples to the class.
Future Ready Professional Learning
This section of the text outlines the importance of professional development for all teachers. It is
especially helpful for learners to view the list of professional organizations and journals (most of
which are free!). Learners appreciate learning about professional development because they find
it is an additional resources when they are new teachers that they wouldn’t have previously
known about.
Suggested Activities.
1. Encourage your learners to participate in professional development. There are a number
of professional organizations that will give membership and conference discounts to
226. Learners should read and summarize the article and then analyze how it could play
a role in the learners’ future classroom.
3. Twitter is a large PLN for educators, however, many of your learners may have only
ventured onto twitter for personal use. Provide learners with popular twitter hashtags for
educational technology or for specific content areas. Ask them to follow the hashtag for
a week (or any other given amount of time) and to record their findings. The class could
create a Google Sheets document to share the hashtags and resources that are found.
Funding Technology for Tomorrow
Although technology in the schools is increasing at an exponential rate, some classrooms are still
without multiple devices. By being aware of funding opportunities, learners can improve their
future classrooms at little to no cost to them.
Suggested Activities.
1. Further your learners’ understanding of grants and grant writing by having them locate
and report on available technology grants for education. The types of grants and funding
2. In small groups, have learners create a draft grant proposal based on one of the models
and/or environments described in the “Tomorrow’s Thinking and Learning” section of
the chapter. The proposal should include all of the basic grant proposal components
outlined within this section but should not be required to be a full grant proposal. It is
Questions for Thought
Professional development activities for students are included at the end of each chapter. Included
in those activities are opportunities for students to reflect on their learning. You might wish to
expand their reflections by asking questions such as these:
1. Why is professional development important for a teacher at every stage in his/her
career?
2. How might mobile digital devices influence your teaching in the future?
3. How do you think schools (PK-12) will change in the next 10 to 15 years?
4. How do you think professional development will change in the next 10 to 15 years?
5. How will changes in technology affect the careers of your future learners? How do
you prepare yourself and your students for the changes in technology?