My Favorite Education and Instructional Technology Books (What Are Yours?)

These are some of the books that I've found inspiring. Have you read other books about teaching with technology that you really liked?

In my continual quest to learn about the best ways that technology is being leveraged to increase student engagement and enhance learning outcomes, some of the most inspiring material I've come across has been in these books, written by passionate teachers and education technology advocates. Here I share a few of my favorite books about education and technology, and I'm asking readers to please share theirs. I'd love to read more great material like this, and help make other educators aware of these wonderful resources!

Salman Khan’s One World Schoolhouse – Powerful Ideas Persuasively Expressed

Anyone paying any attention to the evolving state of education technology is probably aware of the Khan Academy. Additionally, tens of thousands of educators who are focused on doing the best job they can and interested in resources that can help their students have become aware of this ed tech juggernaut. The man behind the Khan Academy is Salman Khan and in 2012 he wrote an outstanding book titled, One World Schoolhouse – Education Reimagined. I truly believe that this publication should be required reading for all educators (I even bought a copy for the library at The College of Westchester, where I work). I shared insights into this book in a couple articles and in this video.

I hope you take a moment to learn a little more about this publication, which is rich with ideas that can truly help education get to the next level and overcome some of the obstacles that are holding us back from getting as many students as we can to embrace learning and earn the credentials that can help to propel them to successful careers.

Best Practices for Teaching with Emerging Technologies by Michelle Pacansky-Brock

Teacher Michelle Pacansky-Brock has written an excellent guide to bringing the teaching paradigm into the current century, in a way that embraces the perspective of students (of all ages) and has been proved effective time and time again. I could hardly envision a better introduction to using emerging technologies in the classroom in a single self-contained resource.

While this book recounts a personal journey, it also very well organized, and provides structured guidance. These experienced insights can help guide any educator through the maze of Internet tools, to discover many ways in which they can facilitate a fundamental shift in student engagement and learning. Read the full review here or watch this video review.

Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day by Aaron Sams and Jonathan Bergmann

I've often referred to Sams and Bergmann as “Flipped Class Rock Stars”, as they are leading advocates of the concept. Their book, published in 2011, is an excellent introduction to the topic and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in better understanding of this technique. I shared “8 Great Reasons to Flip Your Classroom (and 4 of the Wrong Reasons)” from this book in this article.

Naturally, I'm partial to my new Flipped Classroom Workshop in a Book, which is informed by several years of research and working with teachers from many grade levels and subject areas while conducting online workshops, but I never would have written it if I wasn't inspired by the work of teachers and authors like Sams and Bergmann.

Now, I hope you will consider letting us know about YOUR favorite ed tech books! Please drop a comment and share.