Journal #10

Thinking Outside the Textbook

Carney, Kevin . "Thinking Outside the Textbook." Learning and Leading 39.1 (2011): 11,12. ISTE. Web. 27 Nov. 2011.

The article Thinking Outside the Textbook by Kevin Carney is about a school in Vail Colorado that adopted a curriculum based on standards instead of a textbook. Many teachers were able to share their strengths in certain subjects with their peers so that they could develop an effective curriculum that could be shared with others. Teachers from different school sites worked together to identify essential state standards that they believe are important. Instead of going by a textbook with chapters, the curriculum is based on sequence or relevance. Through this collaboration, the Vail school district became noticed for their innovative use of technology. In 2005 they received press coverage for opening the first ever textbook free, all laptop school. The name of this curriculum is called Beyond Textbooks (BT). As Carney states, “The name Beyond Textbooks does not refer to an abandonment of traditional textbooks but rather a philosophy of learning and teaching that transcends textbooks and state standards to strengthen support for communities of teachers, facilitate learning and teaching, and improve students growth and achievement.”(p. 12)

I think this use of technology seems very effective for both the teacher and students. For one, teachers are able to create their own curriculum instead of following that of a textbook company mandated by the state. Teachers know what works and what does not. Second, teachers can collaborate with others in different districts. The article mentions one high school math teacher from a rural district that had limited resources and no one to collaborate with before BT. After discovering BT, he has gained new insight on how to teach his subject because of other math teachers in the same district. Overall, I think that collaborating with other teachers is a great way to maximize the learning potential of students. Creativity and change is the key to growing as a teacher. One should never stay static and just follow a textbook to teach.

Question: How could I collaborate with other teachers outside my own school?

Utilizing technology to establish a Personal Learning Network (PLN) is something I have learned in my teaching technology class. I can use Twitter, Classroom 2.0, Diigo, Symbaloo and even Tumblr to find other educators to collaborate with. We can share ideas and experiences teaching so that maybe I can implement creative methods of teaching in my own classroom.