Miller - Ditch that textbook: free your teaching and revolutionize your classroom

MATT MILLER has been infusing technology and innovative teaching methods into his classroom for more than ten years. After trying to follow traditional practices and teaching by the textbook for a few years, he chose to take the less-traveled, textbook-free path. His journey led to technology-inspired, custom learning activities. He and his students like the results a lot.

Matts commitment to excellence in teaching and technology integration was recognized by WTHI-TV in Terre Haute, Indiana, with the Golden Apple Award. He was nominated for a Bammy Award for Secondary School Teacher of the Year in 2014. And he has the distinction of being a Google Certified Teacher.

As an author, blogger and education speaker, Matt encourages teachers to free their teaching and revolutionize their classrooms with mindsets, techniques, and curriculum to serve todays learners. With thousands of subscribers and visitors from more than 200 countries, Matts blog, DitchThatTextbook.com, is a well-respected source of ideas and insights about educational technology and creative teaching.

Before becoming a teacher, Matt was a newspaper reporter and wrote for several Indiana daily newspapers, including the Indianapolis Star. He made the switch to education when he realized his true passion wasnt reporting but helping other writers with their writing. He returned to school and started his first teaching job within eight months. The rest is history.

He is a proud graduate of Indiana State University (go Sycamores!) and is living the dream with a wife, three kids, a mortgage, and two dogs.

Connect with him he lives for it!

TWITTER: @jmattmiller

GOOGLE PLUS: plus.google.com/+MattMiller16

YOUTUBE: youtube.com/DitchThatTextbook

PINTEREST: pinterest.com/DitchThatTxt

E-MAIL: matt@DitchThatTextbook.com

Want to engage and inspire the new or veteran 21st century teacher? This is the book to get them. Want to renew your own commitment to thriving in teaching, not just surviving? This is the book to get yourself. Ditch That Textbook is a well-executed, high beam dismount from inert teaching. With Miller as coach, we not only stick the landing, we grow wings.

RICK WORMELI, Assessment and Middle-Level Instruction Expert and Author, Fair Isnt Always Equal @rickwormeli2)

Ditch That Textbook is filled with real-world advice for teachers looking to make their courses relevant for todays student. The book is more about infusing your teaching with the same skills that we want from our students. Creativity, problem solving, and use of technology as a tool to improve learning are all at the heart of this text.

JEFF CHARBONNEAU, 2013 National Teacher of the Year (@JeffCharbonneau)

We are living and learning in incredible times. The pace at which information is changing is rapidly increasing each day. Teachers can no longer rely on the static information printed in books as the sole source in the classroom. In Ditch That Textbook, Matt offers some very practical ideas for making the most of digital resources that can truly expose students to a wide world of learning.

STEVEN W. ANDERSON, Learning Evangelist and #EdChat Co-founder (@web20classroom)

Classroom teachers are in constant competition with the digital world to capture and maintain their students attention. In Ditch That Textbook, Matt Miller provides you with a roadmap to ensure your teaching is engaging, motivating and relevant for todays 21st century learners. His easy-to-implement and fresh approach to re-designing curriculum will help you create a classroom where students run to get IN rather than out.

DAVE AND SHELLEY BURGESS, Dave Burgess Consulting and Author, Teach Like a PIRATE (@burgessdave @burgess_shelley)

Matt Millers Ditch That Textbook is a book that delivers sound advice, relatable anecdotes, and an actionable roadmap for educators to embrace progressive thinking about education and infuse technology to upgrade their classroom practice in the name of learning. This book is perfect for any teacher who is looking for inspiration and ideas to move beyond the traditional model of educator in order to make teaching more engaging and learning more impactful.

Adam Bellow, eduTecher Founder and 2011 ISTE Outstanding Young Educator of the Year (@adambellow)

With Ditch That Textbook, Matt Miller does an exceptional job at sharing his story and how each of us has the ability and responsibility to stop doing things the way weve always done them. Matt shares practical advice and great tools. This book should be on every educator and education leaders must-read list.

TODD NESLONEY, 2014 Bammy Awards National Elementary Teacher of the Year (@TechNinjaTodd)

The title of this book might sound alarming, but ditching the textbook is exactly what needs to be done. In an age where many schools are still training students to work in a factory, Matt Miller moves past sweeping rhetoric and shows teachers how to move their classes into the future. This is a quick, energetic read that will leave you inspired to take the next step in your classroom!

DON WETTRICK, Innovation Specialist and Author, Pure Genius (@DonWettrick)

Like it or not, the heyday of textbook-style learning is essentially over. In the absence of the traditional path, educators at all levels need a new path, a new workflow, a new mindset. Ditch That Textbook provides the most developed process for moving from a textbook dominated pedagogy that Ive seen thus far. Bravo!

JON CORIPPO, CUE Rock Star Teacher Camps Founder (@jcorippo)

Integrating technology is tough, but Ditch That Textbook aims to make this journey more meaningful for teachers and students! This book is filled with fun ideas and inspiring examples from a teacher who once lectured students quite a bit. Youll enjoy Matt Millers authentic voice as he shares some of his favorite tips and resources for getting your students to enjoy learning again.

SHELLY SANCHEZ TERRELL, #EdChat Co-Founder and Author, The 30 Goals Challenge for Teachers (@ShellTerrell)

Preparing students for the future can be a daunting task for educators. As teachers, we must help our students to become lifelong learners in a world that is constantly being reinvented by new technology and innovations. In Ditch That Textbook, Matt Miller addresses these issues and gives teachers practical steps to transform their classrooms. Matt brings a refreshing approach to digital learning that any teacher can follow. For teachers looking to find new ways to empower their students and prepare them for the future, this book is a must!

KASEY BELL, Award-Winning Digital Learning Consultant and Blogger (@ShakeUpLearning)

Ditch That Textbook is a collection of ideas, considerations, and suggestions that will help teachers re-examine their purpose in todays educational climate. With honest stories and a familiar voice, Matt Miller skillfully describes changes teachers can make in their classroom that will help them adapt to todays educational landscape, and presents compelling arguments to get teachers to DITCH their old ways of thinking!

PAUL SOLARZ, Author, Learn Like a PIRATE (@PaulSolarz)