Good Teaching Trumps Good Tools

Educational Leadership / February 2011
William M. Ferriter

I'd recommend this very short (two pages) article to anyone thinking about incorporating technology in the classroom.

[The] all-too-common perception that success in the 21st century is dependent on specific digital tools is flawed.  Instead, those who will succeed in tomorrow's knowledge-driven workplace will be those who can solve problems creatively and think across domains.

Ferriter's main point is that educators should focus first on their instructional strategy and then the supporting technology.  The title line stands: "Good teaching trumps good tools every time."  He talks about what makes good tools including attributes such as information sharing, content sharing and collaboration, and teachable audiences.  He then points the readers to two good tools which can help within educational contexts.

VoiceThread



There are few good reasons the author suggests VoiceThread makes a good educational tool:

• students can polish their thinking before sharing ideas publicly
• students who missed class can be engaged in conversations about class materials

VoiceThread also has an iPhone app.

Diigo

Diigo is a "social bookmarking and shared annotation service."   The author uses it to motivate his students as a way of interacting with nonfiction text.