“We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” #Beyondthetextbook

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“We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” #Beyondthetextbook

March 20, 2012 by Tom Whitby @tomwhitby

In order for educators to teach kids, they need something to teach. Exactly what it is that educators should teach has often been discussed and continues to be the focus of ongoing discussions for over many generations. The delivery of that content, in regard to what to teach, has never been of great concern, because the bulk of it came in the form of text, delivered in a book called the textbook. In the 50’s the education pioneers introduced film strips, 16mm films, and recordings to supplement the textbooks. The 60’s brought the video tape and the overhead projector. With the turn of the century came the disc technology, as well as a wider use of the internet. Today of course we use interactive white boards and document cameras. All of the new methods of content delivery however are, for the most part, just add-ons to the backbone of any curriculum, the textbook. Of course the publishing of textbooks became a multi-million, or billion dollar industry. The importance of Textbooks was reflected in school districts with their strictly adhered to textbook adoption policies. Textbooks are a big deal. It is a common experience of all educators and all parents. The textbook, along with the apple on the teacher’s desk, is an iconic symbol of education in America.

A decade into the new century we have a new way to deliver content. The internet not only delivers text, but allows it to be manipulated, transformed, evaluated, analyzed, merged with video and audio, created, and published. This goes way beyond that which could be accomplished by the printed textbook. It offers educators the potential for not only presenting content to a student, but allowing the student to actually interact with that content to demonstrate more than understanding, with the potential of actual creation of the student’s own content, as well as publishing it out to others for authentic feedback. Teaching the content is the process, getting students to use the content and independently obtaining, and continuing to evaluate and use more content should be the goal.

There are now a number of ways educators have to deal with content. On opposite ends of this list of learning tools are two extremes. The textbook, as we know it over the decades at one end, and Open Source Resources of the internet on the other end. As an educator I have never liked being shackled to a single, stagnant textbook. I am personally comfortable guiding students through Open Source learning. This however, is not the comfort zone of most educators. Comfort zones are the biggest impediment to education reform. I do realize that any effective use of the internet as an open source resource for educators to use for students would require a massive undertaking of professional development for millions of educators nationwide. I would imagine that the billion-dollar textbook publishing industry would have some say in this discussion as well, so the move in that direction would be slow in coming. I believe the challenge is to create the best solution in a mechanism that is recognizable as a textbook, but enables the functions of the internet to incorporate many more tools for learning.

Educators are now beginning to establish a voice through social media. Opinions expressed by educators through blogs and social media are now beginning to gain recognition in the national discussion of what is education to be. I think that is one of the main reasons that Discovery Education used some of the leading connected educators from social media as a focus group, or think tank, to discuss what is “Beyond the Textbook”? Discovery Education was looking to gain insights to their own attempt to devise or improve such a much-needed product. Of course another reason is to have the very same people create a buzz about whatever comes from this forum. Cynics would say that we were being used and manipulated by a corporation. I would like to think that we actually have gotten what we have been asking for, for decades; an educator’s voice in what education needs.

After a long day of discussion between about 16 invited educators and the same number of Discovery Education staff, we came up with several concepts. Most of what we suggested already exists in some form today. They are tools of the internet that could be incorporated into a mechanism for learning, assessing, and creating content. Here is a list of some of the suggestions of the components that the group valued and thought should exist in what should exist as we go beyond the textbook:

The mechanism will exist on the internet allowing 24/7 access with computer or mobile access.
Many forms of content may be included: text, videos, audio, animation, graphs, and diagrams
The ability for flexible content will be provided.
The teacher will be able to add or subtract material to meet the needs of the students allowing for differentiation.
Content will have highlighting and note-taking capability
Content will be linked to dictionary and encyclopedia for easy reference.
Content will have language translation capability.
Content will be linked to other supplemental material for further exploration.
Formative assessment will be built into lessons to assess understanding before moving on.
There will be a social media component for collaboration and feedback.
Students will be able to create content within the mechanism.
Student created material will be archived and shared
Student created material will be placed in an ePortfolio within the mechanism.

These were some of the highlights of what came from the assembled group. The group had elementary, secondary, and higher Ed representation. Most members were very active participants in social media and education Blogs. I cannot adequately express the admiration that I have for each of the people in this group, most of whom I have met before and all of whom I follow on Twitter. These are people I often recommend following on Twitter. I have also now added to my Twitter list many Discovery Education employees who are working toward implementing our suggestions in some form into their existing and ever-evolving product, techbook. I should note that this entire project was led by Steve Dembo of Discovery Education. It is my hope that other industry leaders will begin to go to the educator’s voice on social media for input and transparency in their development of new products.

Members of The Beyond The Textbook Forum included: @rmbyrne, @courosa, @NMHS_principal, @bethstill, @teach42, @dwarlick, @dlaufenberg, @mbteach, @audreywatters, @shareski, @sciencegoddess, @wfryer, @imcguy, @djakes, @jonbecker, @principalspage, @joycevalenza, @lrougeux, @halldavidson, and of course @tomwhitby

My apologies to anyone that I may have left out.

Posted in Assessment, Blog, Elementary, Leadership, Literacy, Mentoring, Parents, PLN, Professional development, Professionalism, Reform, Skills, Social Media, Teacher, Teched, Technology, Thought leadership, Thought Provoking, Truth, Twitter, Video taping | 38 Comments

38 Responses

on March 20, 2012 at 10:36 AM | Reply Leslie

Ahhhh… that would be the classroom i have been searching for!! I teach in that style and so need a tool that would allow me to have it all in one place.
on March 20, 2012 at 10:47 AM | Reply ddeubel

Thanks for the post Tom. Appreciate the list of requirements at the end also.

I’ve been pushing this for the last few years, not just in blog posts but by building an LMS for language teachers on EnglishCentral. Any teacher can make a course using our library of thousands of videos. Fully set goals, track Ss etc…

The biggest roadblock to be demantled is what I term, “institutional inertia”. Students grow up using textbooks and then grow up to be teachers using textbooks. We need large scale, institutional culture change through larger governing bodies. Until that happens, we’ll just be denting the system (but well worth doing).

David
on March 20, 2012 at 12:34 PM | Reply “We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” #Beyondthetextbook @tomwhitby via @shellterrell « juandon. Innovación y conocimiento

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on March 20, 2012 at 1:58 PM | Reply Edwardfberger.com

Tom, I have waited over 50 years to read your words and report. I hope I am helping to end the inculcation systems and the factory fodder, cookie-cutter education approaches we subject kids to. We tried hard in the last century to bring about these changes. The Information Age and the Interactive Age make change possible, IF educators lead, as you are reporting.
on March 21, 2012 at 1:44 AM | Reply “We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” #Beyondthetextbook | connected educator | Scoop.it

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on March 21, 2012 at 2:38 AM | Reply Philosophy on Education | Pearltrees

[…] The delivery of that content, in regard to what to teach, has never been of great concern, because the bulk of it came in the form of text, delivered in a book called the textbook. In the 50’s the education pioneers introduced film strips, 16mm films, and recordings to supplement the textbooks. The 60’s brought the video tape and the overhead projector. “We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” #Beyondthetextbook « My Island View […]
on March 21, 2012 at 3:09 AM | Reply Anne Beck

Reblogged this on #WhyIteach.
on March 21, 2012 at 8:55 AM | Reply “We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” #Beyondthetextbook | Curriculum Articles | Scoop.it

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on March 21, 2012 at 4:32 PM | Reply “We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” Tom Whitby | Innovations in e-Learning | Scoop.it

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on March 22, 2012 at 12:12 PM | Reply “We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” Tom Whitby | E-Learning and Online Teaching | Scoop.it

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on March 22, 2012 at 12:12 PM | Reply “We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” Tom Whitby | E-Learning and Online Teaching Today

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on March 22, 2012 at 12:35 PM | Reply plerudulier

Reblogged this on Things I grab, motley collection .
on March 22, 2012 at 12:48 PM | Reply “We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” Tom Whitby | Differentiation Strategies | Scoop.it

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on March 23, 2012 at 3:29 AM | Reply Janet Abercrombie

I like how you used the phrase “shackled” to describe your relationship with textbooks. My first couple years of teaching, I was in a school where I was chastised for NOT using textbooks enough. I wasn’t in that school very long. I always felt like textbook teaching = teaching content a mile wide and an inch deep. I wanted students to go deeper with concepts, thinking more critically.

I haven’t used textbooks in any of my years of international school teaching. The process of unit planning without textbooks forces us (the teachers) to ask the question, “What is the MOST important content students need to have in order to build the larger ideas we want them to construct?”

It’s time-consuming to find the right trade books. As we have moved to a 1:1 environment, we have been able to more intentionally teach research in a way that students find the content that they use to construct answers to larger world questions.

It’s a fun time to be a teacher!

Janet | expateducator.com
@jabbacrombie
on March 23, 2012 at 12:09 PM | Reply The 5th Podcast – DEN Blog Network

[…] Tom Whitby’s recap: https://tomwhitby.wordpress.com/2012/03/20/we-dont-need-no-stinkn-textbooks-beyondthetextbook/ […]
on March 23, 2012 at 3:14 PM | Reply Beyond the Textbook | Ideas and Thoughts

[…] Tom Whitby's recap: https://tomwhitby.wordpress.com/2012/03/20/we-dont-need-no-stinkn-textbooks-beyondthetextbook/ […]
on March 24, 2012 at 7:46 AM | Reply joe_sisco (@joe_sisco)

Tom, when I read one of the comments stating, “I have waited 50 years to hear your words”, it is very compelling. WOW. Thank you.
on March 24, 2012 at 5:26 PM | Reply “We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” Tom Whitby | Dr. Richard NeSmith's Storage

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on March 25, 2012 at 8:42 AM | Reply 97 EdTech Resources You May Have Missed–Treasure Chest March 25, 2012 | Tech the Plunge

[…] “We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” #Beyondthetextbook « My Island View–A decade into the new century we have a new way to deliver content. The internet not only delivers text, but allows it to be manipulated, transformed, evaluated, analyzed, merged with video and audio, created, and published. […]
on March 25, 2012 at 5:28 PM | Reply Tom Daccord

Tom, I appreciate your thoughtful and balanced post. I agree that we must avoid “two extremes” and consider blending the structural and cohesive elements of the textbook with the variety and innovation of Internet resources.
Since a transition from the print textbook to the digital textbook is more likely than the outright abandonment of the textbook, I think we need to evaluate digital textbooks closely. Inkling, Kno and other companies are producing digital textbooks with impressive features. Let’s cast a critical eye. Do they encourage inquiry-learning, provide differentiation, and build communities of shared learners? Do they provide an interactive and social platform? Are they constantly updated and searchable? If so, then they can contribute to the goal of nurturing authentic 21st-century skills and meeting the needs of diverse learners.
Fyi, I recently posted some thoughts on the realities of moving beyond the textbook: http://edtechteacher.org/blog/2012/03/thoughts-on-the-realities-of-moving-beyondthetextbook-from-tom-daccord/
on March 25, 2012 at 5:55 PM | Reply Leanna K johnson

Experienced teachers have understood for a long time that textbooks are resources and not guides. I haven’t used a textbook for English language in over 5 years and when I did it was only intermittently. A passionate teacher finds the best resources and activities available and they are often not in the textbook, but in the way concepts are learned and applied effectively. My opinion is that textbook companies must provide in-depth digital interactivity for me to consider a return to them. So far, they do not do this at a reasonable cost.
on March 26, 2012 at 5:24 PM | Reply Should educators get rid of textbooks? « Kelsey's Professional Portfolio

[…] tweet linked to a blog post he has written about textbooks in the classroom, which can be found here. Tom briefly describes the transition of the delivery of content from only textbooks to an […]
on March 31, 2012 at 9:32 AM | Reply “We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” Tom Whitby | The World of Online Learning | Scoop.it

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on April 2, 2012 at 8:40 AM | Reply The Nextbook Must Be… : 2¢ Worth

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on April 4, 2012 at 6:45 PM | Reply Beyond the Textbook? | Mr. Gonzalez's Classroom

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on April 6, 2012 at 12:42 PM | Reply timholt2007

Tom, Here are my thoughts: We are our own enemies.

http://holtthink.tumblr.com/post/20598269100

Thanks for the post. The ones that I respond to in a blog are the ones that make me think. Thanks for making me think.
on May 1, 2012 at 7:01 AM | Reply Teaching Carnival 5.09 - ProfHacker - The Chronicle of Higher Education

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on May 13, 2012 at 10:25 PM | Reply Best Math Blog Posts: May, 2012 | Classroom Professor

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on September 3, 2012 at 10:23 AM | Reply Learning Aloud - What goes where?

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on October 24, 2012 at 8:14 PM | Reply “We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” #Beyondthetextbook | college and career ready | Scoop.it

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on October 27, 2012 at 1:15 PM | Reply Are Textbooks an Obstacle to Learning? | Edu Musings

[…] In “We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks,” Tom Whitby convincingly argues that textbooks are as obstructive to learning as they are ubiquitous in American classrooms. He suggests that most teachers’ inability to emerge from their comfort zones — of which textbooks are an essential component — hinders them from utilizing the incomparably better resources available throughout the Internet. […]
on November 14, 2012 at 7:28 AM | Reply Libros digitales: seminario del CEP de Laredo en el IES Marismas de Santoña | e-Formación

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on February 15, 2013 at 7:50 AM | Reply “We Don’t Need No Stink’n Textbooks” #Beyondthetextbook | Languages, ICT, education | Scoop.it

[…] In order for educators to teach kids, they need something to teach. Exactly what it is that educators should teach has often been discussed and continues to be the focus of ongoing discussions for over many generations. The delivery of that content, in regard to what to teach, has never been of great concern, because the bulk of it came in the form of text, delivered in a book called the textbook…. […]
on April 13, 2013 at 9:43 PM | Reply Getting math foundations right from the start – Best Math Blog Posts: May, 2012

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on July 29, 2013 at 8:45 PM | Reply Classroom Professor – Best Math Blog Posts: May, 2012

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