Replacing VHS tapes with YouTube clips is probably not the ideal version of moving a classroom into the 21st century.

While that type of digital substitution may tick the boxes of education technology frameworks like SAMR, it doesn’t always provide an opportunity for deep thinking and real-world learning.

So how do teachers actually create meaningful work and allow students real agency in a 21st century classroom?

EdSurge talked with Scott McLeod, associate professor of education leadership at the University of Colorado in Denver. He’s the author of “Harnessing Technology for Deeper Learning,” which explores how his “four shifts” protocol can help educators test whether their practices and pedagogies support the goals of learning in the digital age.