Product Description

Written for novice or experienced users of the Internet and applicable to all grade levels, this revised edition explains the evolution of the "read-write Web" and its relevance to state and local curriculum standards. The author provides real-life classroom examples and specific teaching applications for integrating Web-based tools with instruction, plus how-to steps for using Weblogs, Wikis, Rich Site Summary (RSS), aggregators, social bookmarking, and online photo galleries. (20080513)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35557 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 168 pages

Review
"Hits the nail on the head by emphasizing how technology can be used in ways that go beyond one-on-one student use of software programs and teachers’ use of PowerPoint for presentations. The book emphasizes the collaborative work and learning that can occur when educators take advantage of all that the Internet has to offer." (Erica Boling, Assistant Professor of Literacy Education 20080513)

"This is a book that I would use immediately with my preservice teachers or department if I were a K-12 supervisor. Important, though, is getting it in teachers’ hands as soon as possible." (Karen Stearns, Assistant Professor )

Customer Reviews

The potential to transform learning
For once I got a feeling that the web might provide a killer application for education. I am a University lecturer with some experience of e-learning. So far we have not managed to make much of the potential of the internet but this book suggests ways it can have a serious impact.

Online teaching needs to be used to engage students in ways we have not achieved before and the use of the read/write web might at last make this possible.

I only gave it four stars because for me the pedagogy is not well grounded in theory but if you are looking for a practical way to take your teaching forward this is the book.

A good overview of web tools for educators
I bought this because I was starting to use blogs with some of my classes and I wanted some ideas and advice, because using a blog as a teaching and learning tool isn't the same as blogging for fun. The book certainly delivered on that - lots of simple practical information about how various tools are used by educators.

Will Richardson doesn't assume you are an expert and writes clearly about each topic, starting from a basic level and moving on from there, but he doesn't patronise the reader. I liked the fact that the examples came from schools, often with web links so I could explore some of the projects described if I wanted to. The author works in a school that serves a different age range to my own, but I have used and adapted a lot of the ideas to support my own classes.

The only disadvantage is that technology moves on very quickly, so I had one or two (very) minor teething problems when following some instructions. I think this is a problem that any book about web tools would face and the overall quality of both advice and instructions is excellent.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to teachers who regard themselves as beginners in using web tools with their classes, but it would also be useful to those with more experience who just want to pick up a few new ideas.

Blogs Wikis, Podcasts
As someone who is considering quitting the teaching profession, I found this book inspiration and wish that I had read it sooner. It has made me reassess my perspective on teaching/education. Richardson addresses the fundamental shifts that are taking place in education, pointing out that students no longer need to learn as much information as in the past, but they need to be able to manage information better, and they also need to be able to effectively work in collaboration with each other.