Digital Schools: How Technology Can Transform Education
Darrell M. West

Among the cacophony of thought on education and technology, Digital Schools: How Technology Can Transform Education, by Darrell M. West, provides a clear, concise, balanced and thoughtful analysis of the digital technologies and organizational innovations that are emerging in the landscape of 21^st century education. West argues that educational institutions must apply new methods to better engage students and prepare them for the challenges and opportunities of a global and technological era of human history.

The author examines emerging issues such as personalized learning, real-time assessment, augmented reality, distance learning and teacher evaluation.  While passionate about the possibilities of education infused with technology, West balances his opinion with research and is consistently transparent when research simply does not exist. For example, while sharing the excitement around personalized learning, he notes that “empirical evidence on effectiveness remains preliminary and impressionistic.”

Educators will find his chapter on Video Games and Augmented Reality insightful and practical. It is a comprehensive introduction to interest-driven learning and provides an evaluation of dozens of applications that can be incorporated into classroom instruction.

A highlight of this pithy volume is the Real-Time Student Assessment chapter. In 12 short pages, the author organizes the opportunities and potential pitfalls that populate this emerging landscape. Educators will find overviews of audience response systems, adaptive testing and predictive assessments, as well as implications in data mining and the warehousing of student information.

For the educator looking to find a short but comprehensive overview on a subject that is too often plagued by propaganda and special interests, Digital Schools: How Technology Can Transform Education serves as a balanced and authoritative resource.

Reviewed by Andrew H. Potter, Vice President for Education & Academic Affairs, Envision.