More Now by Mark Wagner, PhD and EdTechTeam Founder, Challenges Educators to Become 'Architects of the Possible'

IRVINE, Calif., June 26, 2018 (Newswire.com) - ​As technology changes the way we live, work, and learn, it also reshapes economic life and disrupts business practices and everyday social norms. Technology’s pros can quickly turn con when vetted information from trusted sources is indistinguishable from “alternative facts” and “fake news.” Navigating this new era is daunting and poses new questions for educators who are called upon to help students access and use information.

More Now: A Message from the Future for the Educators of Today, a new book by Mark Wagner, Ph.D., gives voice to educators from around the world, brings into focus the possibilities within today’s classrooms due to the ubiquitous access to technology, and wrestles with associated questions.

You are an architect of the possible. The opportunities you create for your learners (teachers or students) will help them shape a better future for themselves—and for the world. And as we work together to bring the best technology and best pedagogy into classrooms, we are creating learning opportunities that prepare today's students for tomorrow's world.

Mark Wagner, Ph.D.

How must we educate the next generation to differentiate between fact and propaganda? What can educators do to ensure technology makes a positive contribution to the evolution of a more productive, inclusive, and equitable education system? Which skills and competencies will young people need to not only survive but also thrive in the future? How might we change our schools to meet these needs?

“You are an architect of the possible,” Wagner writes. “The opportunities you create for your learners (teachers or students) will help them shape a better future for themselves—and for the world. And as we work together to bring the best technology and best pedagogy into classrooms, we are creating learning opportunities that prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s world.”

More Now is designed to help educators to see the possibilities, develop their own vision for the future, and empower them to take the next steps. It takes a look at what’s working in today’s forward-thinking schools around the globe and how educators at all levels are effecting positive change within the “honeycomb” of school change.

The “honeycomb” includes six major areas that influence school environment: courageous leadership, empowered teachers, innovative students, inspiring spaces, robust infrastructure, and engaged community.

More Now sets a challenge for educators to drop preconceptions and maintain a relentless focus on people, especially relationships between teachers and students, education leaders and teachers, leaders and policymakers, students and other students, and their parents and communities. “For all its power and pervasiveness, technology is not a replacement for teachers— and it shouldn’t be,” Wagner writes.

MORE NOW: A Message from the Future for the Educators of Today 
By Mark Wagner, Ph.D.
EdTechTeam Press
Available for Order June 22, 2018

About the Author

Mark Wagner is a former high school English teacher that has since served as educational technology coordinator at the site, district, and county levels. He is now President and CEO of the EdTechTeam, a global network of educational technologists that provide professional development and consulting services to learning institutions, nonprofits, and for-profit education companies. The EdTechTeam is a California Benefit Corporation with a mission to improve the world’s education systems using the best technology and pedagogy available and aims to inspire and empower other educators to do the same. Wagner earned a Ph.D. in Educational Technology with doctoral research focused on video game use in education, specifically massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) as constructive learning environments. He also holds a master’s degree in cross-cultural education. Outside work, Wagner plays hockey, practices martial arts, and obsesses over his ’62 Beetle. He enjoys songwriting, nature, and exploring the world. He lives in Irvine, California with his wife, Eva, and boys, Clark and Finn. Naturally, he’s a U2 fan.

Source: EdTechTeam