Monica Burns - Tasks Before Apps: Designing Rigorous Learning in a Tech-Rich Classroom

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To my parents, for your continued love, support, and enthusiasm for learning.

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Monica Burns is one of the leading authorities on the effective use of educational technology. Her latest book does not disappoint, as she compels educators to be more purposeful when it comes to digital tasks. She skillfully leads readers through a thoughtful process that emphasizes a doctrine of pedagogy first, technology second. If you want to get more out of technology, then this book is for you.

Eric Sheninger, Senior Fellow, International Center for Leadership in Education

Tasks Before Apps addresses a common technology problem in education: the tendency to chase the newest apps without focusing on the learning tasks they'll be used for. This book provides a powerful tool to support teachers in meaningfully integrating technology and 21st century skills in their everyday teaching. Each chapter includes practical, developmentally appropriate examples for multiple grade levels and discusses ways to address standards while engaging students in meaningful content creation.

Dr. Theresa Cullen, Associate Professor, Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, University of Oklahoma

Tasks Before Apps is filled with practical tools and strategies for educators. Burns guides teachers through a process of lesson design that is firmly focused on learning, as she presents opportunities to foster curiosity and classroom collaboration. This is a resource that educators can use to extend their thinking around technology integration as we strive to support students as content creators.

Cathy Hunt, Arts Educator, Advocate, and Advisor Founder of www.iPadartroom.com (@art_cathyhunt)

Tasks Before Apps provides a solid foundation for novice and veteran educators who are looking to integrate technology the right way. Dr. Burns takes readers through pedagogically sound methods that promote student success and pairs them up with appropriate digital tools. This book is a must-read for educators from all walks of life who are serious about changing the way technology enhances learning experiences.

Brad Currie, 2017 NASSP National Assistant Principal of the Year

Technology evolves rapidly, and apps come and go. What doesn't change is the core of learning: wondering about the world, understanding it, and creating projects that help others understand. Burns shows, with concrete examples backed by research, how both novice and experienced teachers can energize their classrooms by integrating technology for the purpose of learningnot just for the purpose of learning tech. I wish I'd had this book when I started teaching!

Michael Hernandez, Apple Distinguished Educator, Google for Education Certified Innovator, and Lead PBS Digital Innovator

An important book with an important message, Tasks Before Apps articulates the importance of creation over consumption and places the student at the center of the narrative whilst emphasizing the importance of pedagogy in the "learning with technology" journey. Monica's passion for this subject comes through in her writing. A must-read for teachers.

Paul Hamilton, Head of Learning Technologies at MFAC, Founder of iPad Monthly, and author of If I Were a Wizard picture book and augmented-reality app

Tasks Before Apps is a must-read for both preservice and inservice teachers working to integrate technology in their classrooms. Teachers will learn how to design meaningful tasks for students and then choose the right digital tool to support the learning, while differentiating instruction and engaging students in their learning journey.

Dr. Julie A. Kozisek, Professor of Education, Doane University

Dr. Monica Burns frames her thinking in Tasks Before Apps in a way that offers guidance for real, meaningful technology integration in any classroom. If you're ready to take teaching and learning to the next level with technology, read this book with a team and make a plan of action now!

Kyle Pace, Director of Technology, Grain Valley School District

Tasks Before Apps is a comprehensive guide to integrating technology in the classroom. Dr. Burns presents practical tools and resources while keeping student learning at the heart of technology use. As an early adopter of technology in the classroom, I have seen many teachers be lured by the use of apps and online resources without regard to the quality of the product and connection to content. This book will be a valuable resource to help our staff make connections between learning goals and the use of meaningful technology for promoting curiosity and collaboration.

Dr. Michele Ogden, ASCD Emerging Leader and Principal, Irvine Unified School District

Whether you are eager to integrate even more digital tools or are feeling overwhelmed by all the apps and options, Monica Burns is here with practical, classroom-tested advice. In Tasks Before Apps, she wisely keeps the focus on learning goals while showing us how tech tools can scaffold and strengthen students' curiosity, collaboration, and creative potential.

Suzie Boss, author of Reinventing Project-Based Learning, Real-World Projects, and Bringing Innovation to School

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This book would not have been possible without the thousands of educators whom I have met during my travels. Their passion and enthusiasm for thinking outside the box, diving into something new, and placing the needs of their students first are common threads that bring us all together regardless of where we call home.

Thank you to the educators who share their stories within Tasks Before Apps and to the colleagues in my own professional learning network who have offered guidance throughout the process. Your thought-provoking conversations, quick messages, and support have had an immeasurable impact.

A final thank-you goes to ASCD and my editors Allison Scott and Miriam Calderone. Your guidance, enthusiasm, and patience shine throughout the pages of this book.

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From the day I put pencil to paper to outline each of the chapters in this book to the moment this book sits in your hands, the landscape of digital tools has changed. Technology's rapid evolution over the course of months, not years, is a reminder of how important it is to keep our goals for student learning front and center. This book was designed to put the learning first, to help you leverage the power of technology to place tasks before apps.

As a classroom teacher, I was continually amazed by the possibilities a new website or app offered my students. Digital tools opened up a world of content for students to access and ways for them to explore and apply the information and ideas that were once confined to their textbooks. As educators, we have the opportunity to leverage digital tools to address more than a list of objectivesto teach the transferable skills we strive to ensure that each child masters.

Tasks Before Apps was designed to help educators take traditional lesson design to the next level by providing inspiration and actionable ideas for technology integration in K12 classrooms. This book places emphasis on three overlapping, intertwined categories: creation, curiosity, and collaboration. As students