Web Explorer

I just finished reading Will Richardson’s book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Wow! Richardson is definitely in a place that I am striving for. He has a deep understanding of pedagogical practices and integrating technology into today’s classrooms. We are surrounded by ‘digital natives’, students who have never known anything but computers, internet, iPods, video games, and other tech gadgets. I don’t necessarily consider myself a ‘digital immigrant’. Afterall, I programmed a Commodore 64 to play a game back in high school! I also owned an Atari. Wow! We have come a long way. In Richardson’s book, he discusses how, as educators, we can learn to harness Web tools, to motivate student reading, research, and communication. He discusses what we’re coming to know as the Read/Write Web. He discusses Weblogs. Wikis, RSS, Flickr, and Podcasting and how to use these applications in the classroom. I had the opportunity to meet Will Richardson at the Macul Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan in March, 2006. I actually sat through three very informative workshops that he presented. Buying his book just seemed like the next step. If you are looking for an informative book that explains the uses of these types of applications in classrooms, then Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts is definitely worth the $. As Will says in the preface, ” This may look like a book about technology, but it’s really a book about the connections, collaborations, and conversations that the new “cool tools” 0of the Web are allowing us to create.” As I continue to move along in my journey of understanding how I, as an educator of ‘digital natives’, can harness this vast amount of Web tools and use them in my classroom, I will keep seeking out other educators who can guide me along this path.