Powerful Task Design

"An easy-to-follow tool for educators wishing to reflect on the rigor of their classroom tasks with excellent tips to take learning to the next level!" -- Clint Heitz, Instructional Coach "It is painfully obvious that something needs to be done to do more than simply engage students; we need to cognitively engage them and this book gives you the tools with which to do just that. Everything is here for you to make those changes." -- Melody (Dani) Aldrich, High School English Teacher "Finally! A resource that focuses first on the TASK (what it is we are asking of our students) and then the RESOURCES (what technology is at our disposal to accomplish the task?). For decades now, the process has been backwards and the focus has become bells-and-whistle-technology that is mistaken for authentic engagement. This book will give tangible tools for the teacher toolbox while keeping the eye on the rigor prize for students." -- Matthew Constant, Chief Academic Officer "With this collaboration, John's expertise with designing engaging and rigorous student tasks is combined with Terri's vast knowledge of effective technology use in the classroom. Both John and Terri have worked with our district's teachers and administrators and have helped bring about increased teacher effectiveness. This book is the perfect next step resource for our district's continuous improvement journey as well as for any educator ready to effectively take their student task design practices to the next level and meaningfully engage today's 'techie" student.'" -- Kelli Bush, Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning "As educators we are on a continuous journey to stretch and grow to our fullest potential and we all have a 'ceiling' of effectiveness. The interactive approach of #Powerful Task Design will serve as a valuable tool for educators as the stretch and growth toward a higher ceiling." -- Kellianne Wilson, Secondary Instructional Supervisor "Are you grappling with how to create an instructional task that both challenges and engages? Do you continue to struggle with issues related to effective integration of technology into lesson designs? Are you seeking to understand how rigor and engagement can move beyond overused and empty cliches? Explore these and other essential questions in this highly practical, well-researched book that offers practitioner-friendly tools brought to life by a treasure-trove of examples across the content areas of k-12 classrooms. Inviting reflection and personal response at strategic points, the authors skillfully integrate video and other technology with written text to create a book that exhibits the design principles they propose. Powerful Task Design is a must-read for individual educators and a practical guide for PLCs." -- Jackie A. Walsh, Author and Consultant "Powerful Task Design will help you rethink how to get the full value from the technology tools you have available in your classroom. I found John and Terri's work to be both practical and transformative. Teachers will come back to this book time and time again as we are challenged to find ways to push thinking, rigor and engagement to a higher level for your students." -- Amy Berry, National Board Certified Teacher, Coordinator for Student Services "Antonetti and Stice push educators to create well-designed tasks that fully engage students and create powerful results. We want the students to learn first and then utilize technology tools to make learning more meaningful. Combining Antonetti's brilliant work with his engagement cube and Stice's technology genius is 'just mind-blowing.'" -- Allen Martin, Instructional Technology Resource Teacher "Antonetti and Stice once again provide outstanding leadership, research, and guidance through an ever expanding and vital conversation on learning design. This book further shifts the conversation from technology to learning, from simply rehashing techno-centric approaches, to ready-to-implement rich learning experiences for students further empowered through digital tools and resources. In this book, you'll discover creative solutions to interesting digital instructional design challenges from real classrooms and real students. These best practice models will help any teacher, new or experienced, formulate a blueprint for digital learning experience design - with a tremendous emphasis on learning and cognitive engagement. I especially love the connections made in Chapter 5 with technology and questions. Through this book, John and Terri demonstrate that they are two highly connected teachers who 'get it.'" -- Dr. Marty Park, Chief Digital Officer for the Office of Education Technology, Kentucky Department of Education "John and Terri turn the bubble-sheet culture on its head - offering readers a path for implementing rigorous and engaging tasks that promote meaning making and sustained learning. Through Powerful Task Design, they provide a way of thinking about our main goal in the classroom - creating rigorous and engaging tasks that power up learning. I love this book! The cognitive demand, thinking strategies, and engaging qualities of this book WILL change the way I interact with my own learners...and my two small children." -- John Almarode, Author, Visible Learning for Science and From Snorkelers to Scuba Divers