Technology-Leadership+Book+Summary


 * Week 4 Assignment, Part 1: Technology Leadership Book Summary**


 * //Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms// by Will Richardson**

The author Richardson presents a wide array of Web 2.0 Tools that every teacher should have in their toolbox. He refers to the new emerging technology as "Read/Write Web" and “The Social Web”. He thoroughly discusses Weblogs (Blogs), Wiki's, RSS, Aggregators, Flickr, Podcasting, Screencasting, Video Publishing and Live Streaming Video in a very simple format for any audience to appreciate. In instances the author presents solutions to common problems users will run into when using these tools. The book has every possible solution to what if scenarios. Richardson's work is very easy to understand because the book is written in a very casual text. He includes many sources and links to information that is actually useful. Most readers will find the classroom application examples and best practices very useful. After reading this book, you'll discover many new uses for these tools in any K-12 classroom.

Richardson describes the current state of the Internet how Tim Berners-Lee envisioned it in 1989. He envisioned that the Internet could be a “collaborative medium, a place where we could all met and read and write” (Richardson, 2009). Richardson explains the relevance of the Web to our everyday lives. He mentions how the web has been a groundbreaking medium to broadcast elections or submit devastating news such as the Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami or Hurricane Katrina (Richardson, 2009). With an Internet connection just about anybody can be an amateur reporter anywhere around the world. Richardson refers this as a “society of authorship”. I found the survey conducted by NetDay News in 2005 very interesting. Their findings showed that the fastest growing age group for using the Internet is 2-to 5-year olds. As a result of this early exposure to the Internet, kids minds are becoming “hypertext minds” not sequential (Richardson, 2009). One of the most important pieces of advice the author gives readers is that they need to first use these tools themselves before introducing them to students. Richardson leaves no stone unturned in this book. He discusses the Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and various ways to keep students safe online. He suggests sending a letter home to parents and creating one for administrators or supervisors. What if you don’t know what to say in the letter? Don’t worry, he provides a sample letter for guidance. He mentions a good rule of thumb for students to think about “what if someone finds this piece five or ten years from now?” (Richardson, 2009)

In explaining Weblogs or Blogs, the author includes benefits of blogs and uses of blogs in the education realm. He lists six uses of blogs in education: class portal, online filing cabinet, E-portfolio, collaborative space, knowledge management or a school website (Richardson, 2009). One important concept the author details is the comparison between traditional writing and blogs. “Writing stops; blogging continues. Writing is inside; blogging is outside. Writing is monologue; blogging is conversation. Writing is thesis; blogging is synthesis” (Richardson, 2009). The author also posts a rubric that can help teachers identify when real bloggging is occurring. He lists the categories from “not blogging to complex blogging” (Richardson, 2009). It is very obvious to the readers that the author is a big fan of Wikipedia. He argues that it is a very trusted source since it is constantly being updated and verified by users for its accuracy. Even Steve Jobs calls Wikipedia “one of the most accurate encyclopedias in the world” (Richardson, 2009). The author informs readers about best practices of wikis in the classroom. From “Flat Classroom Project” to “Planet Math Wiki”, the author provides real life examples of how wikis are transforming classrooms all across the country. If you think RSS had just one simple use, you are wrong. The author lists many different ways you can you can use RSS feeds to organize links and a solution for just about any type of configuration.

The author separates tools such as Flickr, podcasting, and screencasting into its own category known as “The Social Web” (Richardson, 2009). Richardson points out that “this is where the fun begins” referring to these exciting tools. He discusses the many uses of Flickr including: presentations and slideshows, RSS, geotagging and even legal issues surrounding Fair Use of photos. If you are new to podcasting, you will discover everything you need to know about setting up your own podcast and broadcasting it all over the world for free. He lists many links and resources to free applications to be used with the creation of podcasts. A step-by-step tutorial is available for those ready to create their own amateur radio show or episodes. If video publishing is what interests you, the author shows you how to upload your own videos to sites such as YouTube or the school safe alternative TeacherTube. And for those looking for more of a challenge there is screencasting tools such as Jing, to allows users to snap a picture of your screen or record a video of your onscreen actions (jingproject.com).

Finally, the author concludes this book by introducing 10 major shifts relevant to these emerging technologies. These shifts address the needs of students as well as teachers. Each and every single one of the shifts is very convincing and is a great resource for all teachers to use when trying to convince themselves and administrators that these tools truly make a difference and is the future of learning. Do not overlook this last and final chapter.