Rewiring Education: How Technology Can Unlock Every Student's Potential - Hardcover

Couch, John D.; Towne, Jason

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1944648437 ISBN 13: 9781944648435

Publisher: BenBella Books, 2018

Synopsis

What if we could unlock the potential in every child? As it turns out, we can.

Apple’s iconic cofounder Steve Jobs had a powerful vision for education: employing technology to make an enormous impact on the lives of millions of students. To realize this vision, Jobs tapped John D. Couch, a trusted engineer and executive with a passion for education. Couch believed the real purpose of education was to help children discover their unique potential and empower them to reach beyond their perceived limitations.

Today, technology is increasingly integrated into every aspect of our lives, rewiring our homes, our jobs, and even our brains. Most important, it presents an opportunity to rewire education to enrich and strengthen our schools, children, and society

In Rewiring Education, Couch shares the professional lessons he's learned during his 50-plus years in education and technology. He takes us behind Apple's major research study, Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT), and its follow-up (ACOT 2), highlighting the powerful effects of the Challenge-Based Learning framework. Going beyond Apple's walls, he also introduces us to some of the most extraordinary parents, educators, and entrepreneurs from around the world who have ignored the failed promises of memorization and, instead, utilize new science-backed methods and technologies that benefit all children, from those who struggle to honor students.

Rewiring Education presents a bold vision for the future of education, looking at promising emerging technologies and how we—as parents, teachers, and voters—can ensure children are provided with opportunities and access to the relevant, creative, collaborative, and challenging learning environments they need to succeed.

About this title

About the Author:

John D. Couch, Apple’s first Vice President of Education, has always been a proponent of personalized learning. Couch was recruited by Steve Jobs in 1978, becoming Apple’s 54th employee. He left in 1984 to help a struggling K–12 school in San Diego that is now a National Blue Ribbon School. At Jobs’s request, Couch returned to Apple in 2002, tasked with bringing education into the digital age. He was Apple’s representative to President Obama’s National Education Technology Plan and ConnectEd initiative and has been awarded a “Distinguished Alumni” from the University of California, Berkeley and an honorary doctorate from the University of Philadelphia for “Innovation in Education.”

Jason Towne is research fellow at Harvard University where he focuses on motivation, learning, and technology. He is the author of the critically acclaimed book, Conversations with America’s Best Teachers, in which he interviewed 18 National of the Year Award winners and nominees about what they do differently. Towne received his BS degree in Public Policy and graduated Magna cum Laude from the University of Southern California in 2009. He earned his Master’s degree in Education from Harvard in 2015 where he studied motivational psychology and education technology, co-directed the prestigious Harvard Innovative Ventures in Education (HIVE) program, and won the coveted Harvard Leadership in Education Award. Prior to Harvard, he was an executive for the YMCA overseeing youth development.

Review:

“While others debate about if technology helps or hurts education, John Couch takes a more practical perspective. It is not about being for or against tech in the classroom, but rather about balance. Rewiring Education is an essential guide for every parent, teacher, and school administrator to better understand how to navigate (and indeed reinvent) education in the 21st century for the 21st century.”

—Simon Sinek, optimist and The New York Times bestselling author of Start with Why and Leaders Eat Last 

“Rewiring Education bridges the gap between academic research and practice and proposes a pedagogy that integrates education, learning, and technology. Through personal anecdotes from a key industry insider, this book plants the seeds for a ‘rewiring’ movement that can unlock not just students’ potential, but the potential of parents, teachers, and leaders at every level!”

—Dr. Todd Rose, author of The End of Average and head of the Laboratory for the Science of the Individual at Harvard University 

“John D. Couch has been a pioneer in online learning. He is one of the first people to truly understand the power of technology in classrooms.”

—Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy 

“At a time of accelerating technological change, our education system must learn to adapt to the needs of the future. In Rewiring Education, John D. Couch explores important questions about education—not only how we teach but also what we teach—to open the debate about modernizing the school system.”

—Hadi Partovi, cofounder of Code.org 

“John D. Couch is a true pioneer in using computers for education. His story and experience are important and should be known by all who care about kids and technology. Bravo!”

—Marc Prensky, author of Education to Better Their World and Unleashing the Power of 21st-Century Kids 

“This is a call to arms, a tome to take seriously the brain’s penchant for exploration, its negative reaction to current learning structures, its willingness to think different. Couch lucidly describes how the digital tools of the future can be exploited to take advantage of the brain’s natural processing power. As he aptly declares, it’s time to stop ‘trying to repair and replace education and start rewiring it.’ This tome belongs on your bookshelf or on your iPad.”

—Dr. John Medina, New York Times bestselling author of Brain Rules and molecular biologist 

“Through Rewiring Education, John D. Couch has certainly earned his spot as the ‘father of modern education.’ His life and experiences portray true reflections on the need for change and how the world can achieve it. A deep and serious thought fantastically woven into a beautiful piece of literature that undoubtedly will be the ‘scripture’ for all educators in the days to come!”

—Radhika Lee, founder and director of the Nairobi International School and author of Rainbows in My Clouds 

“Our mission as educational leaders, compelled to advance our nation, must be to prepare our children for a complex world driven by exponential technological acceleration and fierce global competition. The extraordinary impact that results from inspiring every child’s full potential can only be realized by thoughtfully and systematically incorporating instructional technology in every classroom across the United States. This incredible book by John Couch is a must-read for every educator committed to transforming learning and every leader dedicated to creating a remarkable public education system.”

—Don Haddad, Ed.D, superintendent of schools, St. Vrain Valley School District 

“Steve Jobs talked about making a dent in the universe, and John Couch definitely has been one of the best at making those dents. Since the day I met him, I could see why Steve Jobs was so inspired by him. This book, in my opinion, is only the beginning of the conversation John plans to extend to all of us to help reassess and rethink.”

—Marco Torres, educator

About this edition

• Publisher: BenBella Books
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1944648437
• ISBN 13: 9781944648435
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272