Once upon a time, there was an elementary school teacher named Dorothy.  She had a dog named Toto, and they lived on a farm with her family.  

    Dorothy tried to incorporate technology into her teaching, but she didn't feel very confident in that area.  To help her improve her skills, she decided to read Don't Ditch That Tech by Matt Miller, Nate Ridgway, and Angelia Ridgway.  She started to gather ideas  about how she could have her students use the cart of Chromebooks they had access to in her classroom.

    Dorothy read about digital tools such as Classtime, Iorad, Spiral, VideoNot.es, Insert Learning, and Dotstorming that she had never heard of before.  She was excited to try them all, but then remembered the advice that "less is best" and to just try a few apps at first so her students wouldn't be overwhelmed. 

    Toto settled in for a good nap as Dorothy continued to brainstorm how she could follow the "CUES" outlined in her upcoming lessons for the week.  She knew she could use Canvas, her school's LMS, to house her lessons for the day.  She narrowed down the web-based apps she would use, established procedures for completing digital work outside of class, and stuck to apps that are eay to use.

How am I going to keep my students' attention and make sure they are engaged?

    As Dorothy drifted off to sleep that night, she was feeling better about her plan for technology use with her students.  However, she woke up in the middle of the night (as often happens with teachers) with a thought..."I need to make sure I keep my students' attention and that they are engaged.  Otherwise, all of this planning is useless.  But how am I going to do that?"

    Even though Toto was not thrilled with being disturbed and Dorothy knew she should get some rest, she couldn't let the thought go.  She pulled back out Don't Ditch That Tech and started reading about using personalization and choice, pop culture, controversy and ambiguity, mystery, and disruption to grab students' attention.  

    With her head now full of these thoughts, Dorothy finally fell back asleep.

    Overnight there was a powerful storm.  The rain poured, lightning flashed, thunder clapped, and the power flickered on and off.

    When Dorothy and Toto woke up the next morning, they were in for a big surprise!

    "I don't think we're in North Carolina any more," Dorothy said as she opened the front door.  She and Toto saw a winding path in front of them and a scarecrow off in the distance.

    Dorothy decided to go talk to the scarecrow to figure out where she was and what was going on.  "Hi, Mr. Scarecrow.  My name is Dorothy, and this is my dog Toto.  Can you tell me where we are?"

    "Of course.  You are in the land of New Literacies and New Learners that is run by the powerful Wizard."

    "Oh wow.  A wizard!  Do you think he can help me get home so I can get back to school on time to teach my students?  I was going to try some new technology ideas today."

    "I'm sure he can!  The Wizard knows all about technology, new literacies, and new learners!  Actually, most of us in this land do," said the Scarecrow.

    "That's wonderful!" responded Dorothy.  "I've really been trying to learn more about that.  You wouldn't happen to know anything about engaging students and making sure they are active social learners would you?  Thinking about that kept me up last night."

    "Indeed I do.  Why back when I was in school, our teachers used the Triple E framework to help them incorporate technology in ways that would engage students and make them active, social, and focused learners."

    "I've never heard of the Triple E framework before," Dorothy said.  "Could you tell me a little bit about that?"

    "The best place for you to learn about it would be in a book called Learning First, Technology Second by Liz Kolb.  It talks all about the three parts of the Triple E framework...Engagement, Enhancement, and Extension..and how to integrate technology taking those three things into consideration.  It also shows how the Triple E framework connects to the ISTE standards," replied the Scarecrow.

    "Now those I've heard of!" said Dorothy.  "Isn't being a Global Collaborator one of the student standards?"

    "Right you are, Dorothy.  If you look through the lens of engagement in the Triple E framework, you can see that students could be Global Collaborators by using technology to collaborate with other learners, maybe locally or globally, to co-construct knowledge on learning goals.  In the enhancement circle of the Triple E framework, students could use technology to add value to or scaffold and support their understanding of local and global issues.  And finally, the extension piece of the framework lines up naturally with being a Global Collaborator.  The local and global issues students would be learning about are authentic and would connect to everyday life."

    "You definitely are very knowledgeable about the Triple E framework!  I think I should add that book to my reading list.  Toto seems to be getting restless, and I still need to find a way to get home to teach my class.  I think I should start making my way to find the Wizard," Dorothy responded.  "Would you like to go with me?"

    "That sounds great," said the Scarecrow.  "It's been awhile since I've taken a journey.  I'm always up for a good adventure!  Let's head down the path to the forest."

    So Dorothy, Toto, and the Scarecrow began their journey to find the Wizard.  They continued to talk about technology use and engagement as they traveled deeper into the forest.

    "How did your teachers know that you were being an active learner and not a passive learner, Scarecrow?" Dorothy asked.  "Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference."

    "Why that's an easy question!" said a voice that wasn't the Scarecrow.  

    "Who said that?" asked Scarecrow.

    "It's me...the Tin Man," came the response from a man made of metal standing behind them.

    "So you know about being an active social learner?" Dorothy asked the Tin Man.

    "Of course.  Here in the land of New Literacies and New Learners, we all do.  Back when I was in school, our teachers would often ensure there was a social component to our work.  We could pair up to complete a task or we might collaborate on an assignment using a tool like Google Docs.  This way we had to be an engaged, active participant in our learning."

    "I also remember the learning being hands-on or having to talk about and share my thoughts on the learning," added Scarecrow.  "This helped keep me focused and engaged in the learning goal."

    "Those all seem like great strategies to make sure students are being active social learners," Dorothy replied.  "I'll definitely be sure to think about that when incorporating technology use in my classroom.  My classroom!  I've got to get back soon or I'm going to miss my lesson!  We're heading to find the Wizard to see if he can help me get home.  Would you like to join us Tin Man?  I'd love to hear more about your ideas on new literacies and new learners as we travel."

    "Sure.  That sounds great!  It would be good to get this metal moving," said the Tin Man.

    On and on the new friends traveled, deeper and deeper into the forest and into their conversation about technology and engagement.

    Tin Man said, "According to Learning First, Technology Second, there are three questions you should ask yourself to consider the level of engagement in learning goals when using technology.  They are: Does the technology allow students to focus on the assignment or activity with less distraction?  Does the technology motivate students to start the learning process of knowledge gathering?  Does the technology cause a shift in the behavior of students, where they go from being passive to active social learners?"

    "Thanks for sharing those, Tin Man!  I'll use those to help with my planning!" exclaimed Dorothy.

    "Ruff, ruff, bark, bark, growl," said ToTo.

    "What's wrong boy?" asked Dorothy.

    "I think it must be me," said a voice coming from the trees.

    The group of travelers turned around to see a lion!

    "Please don't be afraid.  I'm very friendly and couldn't help but overhear your conversation.  I, too, am interested in this topic of technology and engagement.  I especially enjoy gamification," said the Lion.

    "Well, the more the merrier!  Join right in," Dorothy replied.  "Could you tell me a little about what gamification is and how it helps students persist in learning?"