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Teaching With Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts & More: Dozens of Easy Ideas for Using Technology to Get Kids Excited About Learning
Knowing the best and easiest ways to use dynamic digital resources helps teachers and students alike thrive in today’s classroom. This book of quick tips and practical ideas shows how to fuse technology with everyday teaching. Readers will learn ways to use presentation software, e-portfolios, digital cameras, interactive whiteboards, and other teacher-tested tools to enhance learning and motivate students. Other tips include guiding students through a productive Web search, innovative ways to publish student work, and strategies to effectively manage the classroom. For use with Grades 3 & Up.
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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October 15, 2010
I choose the book Teaching with Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts,& More for my book chat. I choose this book because it was written for teachers of third grade students and up. This was the first book that I saw geared toward teaching younger students how to use technology. While I was reading this book, the first few sentences stood out to me as a teacher who struggles with technology.
“Knowing the best and easiest ways to use dynamic digital resources helps teachers and students
alike thrive in today’s classroom. It’s possible, however, that a new piece of equipment has
shown up in your classroom, and you are watching it gather dust. Perhaps you feel overwhelmed by
the sheer variety of technology at hand, or are unsure what students and other educators are
talking about.” (Fitzgibbon, 4)
These sentences stood out to me because this is exactly how I felt when I first started implementing technology into my classroom. I was completely overwhelmed by the different types of technology that were available for us to use in the classroom. I was pulled in by the thought that I was not the only teacher who has pieces of technology equipment gathering dust in their classroom. These sentences also pulled me into reading this book because I remember feeling overwhelmed about how I could use technology in the classroom in a way that would not put my students at risk. I am thinking about the risk of the students not having the privacy to use the Internet in the classroom without having other people read their work. I also mean that students can access inappropriate material with the click of a mouse. I know that I am not the only teacher that feels this way about her students.
This book will have an implication for younger students and their teachers because it shows teachers how easy it is to incorporate technology into their classrooms. I know that this book will encourage teachers to try and use the different types of technologies because now there is an easy procedure for them to follow. They will be able to try the technologies by following the procedures, and they will have the confidence to begin trying to teach technology into their classrooms. This benefits the students because they will be able to learn how to use different types of technology in their classrooms. I know that there are many students who do not have access to technologies at home and school is their first introduction to the computer and its’ tools. This book helps students receive the opportunity to experiment with technology with a teacher who is comfortable teaching the technology that they need to know. This will enable them to feel more comfortable using technology as they get older and need to use more technology in their daily lives. This book is helping us to prepare our students to work and learn in this technologically advanced world.
I feel that this book was written to show teachers that implementing technology into the classroom can be easy and painless. This is done by breaking the book into easy to learn sections with quick introductions and easy to follow lesson plans. This book addresses some Web 2.0 tools, technology equipment that is usually seen in classrooms, and some equipment that is not usually seen in classrooms. I will discuss of few of the tools that are shown in the book. Teaching with Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts,& More begins by introducing email. There is a quick introduction to email for teachers and then it goes directly into an easy to follow lesson plan for the younger students. It gives the teachers ideas on how to introduce email to the younger students. They can send an email to their friends in the classroom or their teachers. There are also fun facts about email for the teachers and additional activities for the students to complete if they are doing a good job with the introductory email lesson. Teachers are given worksheets for students to complete about the differences between email and regular mail. This is extremely helpful for teachers who are overwhelmed with the thought of teaching technology to their students.
The book Teaching with Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts,& More, also discusses search engines. The book shows the teachers how to choose reliable websites and gives tips on how to search the Internet. This is great because some teachers do not know how to use the Internet to search for information. They still use books and newspapers to find the information that they need. As a teacher, I want to make sure that I am comfortable with the subject before I teach it to my students. The tips that are given in this section help to ensure that teachers are ready to show their students how to search online. There are also activities given to help the students practice what they have learned about searching.
The book then discusses Wikis and Blogs. The introduction for these tools is longer than the other introductions in the book. I think that this is because many teachers have not heard of Wikis and Blogs. I have mentioned these tools to teachers in the past and they had never heard of these tools. They were excited to learn about them after I told them what they are. This book would be great to help teachers learn about these great helpful tools. After the introduction, there are step by step instructions on how to create both a Wiki page and a Blog. The book gives teachers ideas on what etiquette needs to be used when using these tools. Students should not be cursing, using slang, or name calling, etc. These are great rules and could be blown up as a poster to place in the classroom. They also give teachers ideas for additional activities to complete using these tools.
This book goes on to discuss interactive whiteboards, classroom response systems, presentation software, LCD projectors, podcasts, MP3 players, E-Books, digital cameras, webcams, and electronic portfolios. Each of these sections begins with an introduction for the teacher so that they know what the tool is and how it is used. Then there is a step by step procedure on how to teach the students how to use these tools. Most of the tools also have additional activities that the teacher can use to continue working with the technology to give the students more practice. Many of the different lesson plans also come with worksheets that the students can complete to reflect on what they learned about the technology tools.
My reaction to this book is that it is a wonderful tool for teachers who are struggling with the thought of integrating technology into their classrooms. Teaching with Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts,& More breaks it down into easy sections so that the technology does not seem so overwhelming. I also loved how the book gave lesson plans for the teachers to follow when teaching the different technologies. Teachers can practice by following the step by step procedures that are given in this book. This would help them find any areas that they might have trouble with and fix them before they actually taught the students. There are also helpful tips given that help the teachers when they are teaching or learning about these tools. I feel that this book was written to show teachers how easy it can be to integrate technology into the classroom and I think that this book did a great job showing this. I agree that technology can be easy to integrate when you do it in small increments and only use technology that you feel comfortable with. It is hard to teach students to be comfortable with technology when you are not comfortable using it yourself. This book helps you to become comfortable with the technology before you actually teach it to your students.
This book connects with what we have been learning about in our graduate class. We have been discussing the importance of using Web 2.0 tools in the classroom and this book showed teachers how to do this in a manner that would make them feel comfortable. We have also been learning about the future of technology and many of the tools that have been discussed are shown in this book. School 2.0 showed how podcasts will be used in and outside of classrooms. This is something that I have never used before and this book is helping me to feel more comfortable about using this technology in my classroom when the need arises.
This book also connects with what is happening in school districts around the country. I know that in my school district there is a push to use technology in the classroom. I know that as a teacher I was completely overwhelmed about the thought of introducing technology in my classroom when I wasn’t comfortable using them myself. This book fulfills a need that is occurring around the country. More and more school districts are expecting their teachers to implement technology into their classrooms. Teachers are feeling overwhelmed and confused about how to do this in a way that benefits the students. This book gives the step by step procedures that are needed to feel comfortable enough to introduce this tool into classrooms effectively. There are also worksheets and activities given to help teachers explain these tools to their students in a way that will help them understand and remember how to use these tools.
I would give this book a rating of 5 stars. This book does a wonderful job showing teachers how to implement technology into their classroom in an easy and meaningful way. Most of the books that show how to implement technology seem to be geared toward the older grades and I was pleasantly surprised to find this book. I would recommend this book to teachers of younger students and any teacher who is having difficulty implementing technology into their classroom. This book is invaluable for these teachers because it has already done the overwhelming part for you. There are lesson plans for you to follow so that you know how to use the tools. This is going to save these teachers a huge amount of time and effort. We know that we already have so much to get done in our days and anything that can save us time is wonderful. Especially something that is also giving us exactly what we need in order to successfully teach our students how to use technology in their daily life. Another great thing about this book is that it can be adapted to fit the needs of older students. Teachers of the older grades still need to introduce these technologies to their students and they can make the assignments more difficult for their students if needed. I am glad that I got the opportunity to read this book because I learned many new ways to teach technology to my second grade students. I hope that you learn as much as I did!
Fitzgibbon, K. (2010). Teaching with Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts,& More. New York: Scholastic Inc.
“Knowing the best and easiest ways to use dynamic digital resources helps teachers and students
alike thrive in today’s classroom. It’s possible, however, that a new piece of equipment has
shown up in your classroom, and you are watching it gather dust. Perhaps you feel overwhelmed by
the sheer variety of technology at hand, or are unsure what students and other educators are
talking about.” (Fitzgibbon, 4)
These sentences stood out to me because this is exactly how I felt when I first started implementing technology into my classroom. I was completely overwhelmed by the different types of technology that were available for us to use in the classroom. I was pulled in by the thought that I was not the only teacher who has pieces of technology equipment gathering dust in their classroom. These sentences also pulled me into reading this book because I remember feeling overwhelmed about how I could use technology in the classroom in a way that would not put my students at risk. I am thinking about the risk of the students not having the privacy to use the Internet in the classroom without having other people read their work. I also mean that students can access inappropriate material with the click of a mouse. I know that I am not the only teacher that feels this way about her students.
This book will have an implication for younger students and their teachers because it shows teachers how easy it is to incorporate technology into their classrooms. I know that this book will encourage teachers to try and use the different types of technologies because now there is an easy procedure for them to follow. They will be able to try the technologies by following the procedures, and they will have the confidence to begin trying to teach technology into their classrooms. This benefits the students because they will be able to learn how to use different types of technology in their classrooms. I know that there are many students who do not have access to technologies at home and school is their first introduction to the computer and its’ tools. This book helps students receive the opportunity to experiment with technology with a teacher who is comfortable teaching the technology that they need to know. This will enable them to feel more comfortable using technology as they get older and need to use more technology in their daily lives. This book is helping us to prepare our students to work and learn in this technologically advanced world.
I feel that this book was written to show teachers that implementing technology into the classroom can be easy and painless. This is done by breaking the book into easy to learn sections with quick introductions and easy to follow lesson plans. This book addresses some Web 2.0 tools, technology equipment that is usually seen in classrooms, and some equipment that is not usually seen in classrooms. I will discuss of few of the tools that are shown in the book. Teaching with Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts,& More begins by introducing email. There is a quick introduction to email for teachers and then it goes directly into an easy to follow lesson plan for the younger students. It gives the teachers ideas on how to introduce email to the younger students. They can send an email to their friends in the classroom or their teachers. There are also fun facts about email for the teachers and additional activities for the students to complete if they are doing a good job with the introductory email lesson. Teachers are given worksheets for students to complete about the differences between email and regular mail. This is extremely helpful for teachers who are overwhelmed with the thought of teaching technology to their students.
The book Teaching with Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts,& More, also discusses search engines. The book shows the teachers how to choose reliable websites and gives tips on how to search the Internet. This is great because some teachers do not know how to use the Internet to search for information. They still use books and newspapers to find the information that they need. As a teacher, I want to make sure that I am comfortable with the subject before I teach it to my students. The tips that are given in this section help to ensure that teachers are ready to show their students how to search online. There are also activities given to help the students practice what they have learned about searching.
The book then discusses Wikis and Blogs. The introduction for these tools is longer than the other introductions in the book. I think that this is because many teachers have not heard of Wikis and Blogs. I have mentioned these tools to teachers in the past and they had never heard of these tools. They were excited to learn about them after I told them what they are. This book would be great to help teachers learn about these great helpful tools. After the introduction, there are step by step instructions on how to create both a Wiki page and a Blog. The book gives teachers ideas on what etiquette needs to be used when using these tools. Students should not be cursing, using slang, or name calling, etc. These are great rules and could be blown up as a poster to place in the classroom. They also give teachers ideas for additional activities to complete using these tools.
This book goes on to discuss interactive whiteboards, classroom response systems, presentation software, LCD projectors, podcasts, MP3 players, E-Books, digital cameras, webcams, and electronic portfolios. Each of these sections begins with an introduction for the teacher so that they know what the tool is and how it is used. Then there is a step by step procedure on how to teach the students how to use these tools. Most of the tools also have additional activities that the teacher can use to continue working with the technology to give the students more practice. Many of the different lesson plans also come with worksheets that the students can complete to reflect on what they learned about the technology tools.
My reaction to this book is that it is a wonderful tool for teachers who are struggling with the thought of integrating technology into their classrooms. Teaching with Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts,& More breaks it down into easy sections so that the technology does not seem so overwhelming. I also loved how the book gave lesson plans for the teachers to follow when teaching the different technologies. Teachers can practice by following the step by step procedures that are given in this book. This would help them find any areas that they might have trouble with and fix them before they actually taught the students. There are also helpful tips given that help the teachers when they are teaching or learning about these tools. I feel that this book was written to show teachers how easy it can be to integrate technology into the classroom and I think that this book did a great job showing this. I agree that technology can be easy to integrate when you do it in small increments and only use technology that you feel comfortable with. It is hard to teach students to be comfortable with technology when you are not comfortable using it yourself. This book helps you to become comfortable with the technology before you actually teach it to your students.
This book connects with what we have been learning about in our graduate class. We have been discussing the importance of using Web 2.0 tools in the classroom and this book showed teachers how to do this in a manner that would make them feel comfortable. We have also been learning about the future of technology and many of the tools that have been discussed are shown in this book. School 2.0 showed how podcasts will be used in and outside of classrooms. This is something that I have never used before and this book is helping me to feel more comfortable about using this technology in my classroom when the need arises.
This book also connects with what is happening in school districts around the country. I know that in my school district there is a push to use technology in the classroom. I know that as a teacher I was completely overwhelmed about the thought of introducing technology in my classroom when I wasn’t comfortable using them myself. This book fulfills a need that is occurring around the country. More and more school districts are expecting their teachers to implement technology into their classrooms. Teachers are feeling overwhelmed and confused about how to do this in a way that benefits the students. This book gives the step by step procedures that are needed to feel comfortable enough to introduce this tool into classrooms effectively. There are also worksheets and activities given to help teachers explain these tools to their students in a way that will help them understand and remember how to use these tools.
I would give this book a rating of 5 stars. This book does a wonderful job showing teachers how to implement technology into their classroom in an easy and meaningful way. Most of the books that show how to implement technology seem to be geared toward the older grades and I was pleasantly surprised to find this book. I would recommend this book to teachers of younger students and any teacher who is having difficulty implementing technology into their classroom. This book is invaluable for these teachers because it has already done the overwhelming part for you. There are lesson plans for you to follow so that you know how to use the tools. This is going to save these teachers a huge amount of time and effort. We know that we already have so much to get done in our days and anything that can save us time is wonderful. Especially something that is also giving us exactly what we need in order to successfully teach our students how to use technology in their daily life. Another great thing about this book is that it can be adapted to fit the needs of older students. Teachers of the older grades still need to introduce these technologies to their students and they can make the assignments more difficult for their students if needed. I am glad that I got the opportunity to read this book because I learned many new ways to teach technology to my second grade students. I hope that you learn as much as I did!
Fitzgibbon, K. (2010). Teaching with Wikis, Blogs, Podcasts,& More. New York: Scholastic Inc.
September 20, 2013
At first I thought the activities featured were simplistic, but then I read it was for third graders and up. Overall, it wasn't what I expected.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews