Technology+Leadership+Book+Summary

The book I read was “Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms” by Will Richardson. I chose this book because it seemed like it would have some practical and useful ways to use web tools in the classroom. The author discusses Weblogs, Wikis, RSS, Aggregators, Social Bookmarking, Online Photo Galleries, Audio/Video Casting, Twitter and Social Networking Sites. He begins by discussing the origins of the Internet or the read-only Web and the evolution of the read/write web. This evolution has implications in our lives, but especially in education since it allows students to publish and edit easily as well as getting comments from people anywhere in the world. Richardson states, “In and of itself, the “old” read-only Web was a transformative technology. It changed the way we work, the way we learn, and the way we communicate. I would argue that historians might look back on the first ten years of the Web the same way we look back on the early days of the printing press, the steam engine, or the automobile. The Web has changed our lives.” (Richardson, 2010)  Weblogs are discussed first and in more detail than any of the other tools. Richardson (2010) feels they are the most important part of the read/write Web. Essentially weblogs are websites that can be edited by their owner and commented on by anyone who finds it. Not only can Weblogs expand the walls of the classroom but they can help teach students the new literacies they need to work in a 21st century world (Richardson, 2010). Students are engaging in a higher form of learning by blogging. When they blog, they are using analysis and synthesis skills. According to Richardson (2010), “Writing stops; blogging continues. Writing is inside; blogging is outside. Writing is monologue; blogging is conversation. Writing is thesis; blogging is synthesis.” Richardson goes on to list possible uses of blogs in the classroom along with step by step instructions on how to get started. He also gives examples of educators who are using blogs successfully. Wikis are the next tool he discusses. Richardson (2010) states that the first wiki was created in 1995 in the hopes of giving people an easy way to publish. Wikis are a truly collaborative tool since anyone can edit the pages. The author believes that Wikis can be powerful educational tools. He addresses RSS (Really Simple Syndication) next since the first two tools are about publishing; this one is about consuming information. His main reason for educators to embrace RSS right now is that it allows us to “read more content from more sources in less time.” (Richardson, 2010) When you set up subscriptions in your chosen aggregator with the RSS feeds, it allows you to quickly scroll through new articles and information and determine what you really want to read and what you want to ignore. Richardson (2010) says, And this is another one of those skills that our students, the knowledge workers of the future, are going to have to develop in order to flourish. Given the fact that the amount of information going online shows no sign of slowing, if they are unable to consistently collect potentially relevant information for their lives and careers and quickly discern what of the information is most useful, they will be at a disadvantage. (Richardson, 2010, p. 73) The rest of the tools are discussed in the same format. In each chapter, Richardson discusses the Web 2.0 tool and how he personally uses it. Then he gives directions on how to set that particular tool up for your own personal use. He ends each chapter by giving ideas for using the tool in the classroom and giving examples of teachers who are using them and how they are doing it. The way he gives examples and actual websites to look at make this book very realistic for educators to read and actually use.