File:Tuttle032709BkBlogsRichardson

Will Richardson  Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, Second Edition. For classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, technology integration specialists, technology directors,  and administrators  $23.45  Amazon.com

Harry Grover Tuttle

Will Richardson, an educator turned Web 2.0 guru, carefully explains and gives many examples of various Web 2.0 tools; he emphasizes how these tools can help improve student learning.  His book includes these chapters: Read/Write Web; Weblogs  Pedagogy and Practice; Weblogs  Getting Started; Wikis Easy Collaboration for all; RSS  The New Killer App for Educators; The Social Web; Fun with Flickr  Creating, Publishing and Using Images Online; Podcasting, Video and Screencasting, Live Streaming; and What It All Means. He combines a very conversational style with research and specific examples.

Richardson argues that students are publishers and editors in their outside of school use through the various Web 2.0 tools. Teachers need to change so that students can reach audiences beyond the classroom walls,have access to primary sources, and edit, collaborate and publish as part of  classes. Teachers can learn to use these free tools to bring their classroom into the world of modern day learning. The author emphasizes that keeping students safe focuses on responsibility, appropriateness, and common sense,to teach students the skills they need to navigate the darker side of the web  safely and effectively.

In the “Wiki” chapter, he uses Wikipedia as the poster child for collaborative construction of knowledge and truth where thousands of people engage in negotiating and creating truth. Wikipedia is quoted by authoritative sources as the New York Times. Each Wikipedia entry is a collaboratively written research paper.  Companies like Disney and BMW have wikis to manage documents and information. To use a wiki, students need to know to click on the “Edit” button to add or make changes and the “Save” button to save changes. Within a classroom,  wikis can be used  to create an online textbook where students or colleagues add text, images, PowerPoint, etc. (South Africa has its whole nation's curriculum as a wiki). Richardson supplies numerous examples of wikis being used in classrooms to connect students to share ideas with others such as a teacher from Georgia, USA and from Bangladesh, an AP review wiki complete with podcasts, and a book study with student created content. He tells about wiki tools such a wikispaces and pbwiki.

His “RSS” (real simple syndication or feed) chapter details what RSS and why teachers should be using it. He stresses that with RSS or an aggregator of information the teacher can read more content from more sources in less time. Instead of the teacher going to the source, as the sources are updated, they come to the teacher. He shows how to use Google.Reader .The teacher searches for a topic of interest, clicks on add subscription (or cuts and pastes the URL),and creates a folder for all the content of a similar nature. Teachers can add their own tags to the author's tags  and can Add a Star to keep the information. Teachers can grow professionally by devoting a little time each day to read the feeds. In the subject area, each student can create a blog and then the teacher uses RSS feeds to keep updated on additions to the students' blogs.  Likewise, teachers and students can use RSS to find research information, news feeds, websites, and bookmarks. Teachers and students develop the skill of scanning to find relevant information.

This book is an invaluable tool for  educators who want  to begin using Web 2.0 tools in the classroom so that their students can use their out-of-class communication skills as part of their classroom learning. After reading any chapter,  teachers will feel comfortable enough to try out the technology and reap the enormous benefits.

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