Introduction – Techniques for Effective Technology Integration
Last modified on 2010-02-06 17:19:48 GMT. 4 comments. Top.
My peers both here and on Twitter were very helpful and encouraging in getting me to write the book that I am working on. Below, I have put download links in both .doc and .pdf form, as well as embedded the introduction via Scribd. This is very much in the first draft stage and I am seeking constructive feedback. Regarding the voice, would it sound condescending or overbearing to a teacher? Regarding the content, is it too redundant or slow? What should I add or remove? Any thoughts in general would be appreciated.
Unless otherwise stated, everything I write is released under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike License, so you can reuse or improve on it if you need to, if it will help other teachers.
Download PDF File
Introduction
Chapter 1 – Building a Personal Learning Network
Last modified on 2010-02-10 16:11:50 GMT. 3 comments. Top.
First, I owe a big thank you to everyone who helped out with this. There are at least 10 people who I have added to the special thanks list to be included at the beginning of the book when it is published. In particular, though, @lasichelped me retool the introduction and gave me some really good advice. @gottsledand @bryanjack(with his student Katie) helped me greatly by providing 1st hand stories from when they used some of the tools mentioned in the chapter.
Second, this is the first full chapter. The introduction, if you want to read it, is still available here. It is rather long (38 pages in Word), but I also think it is foundational to succeeding through the rest of the book. If you are reading this, you can probably testify to the power of having a good PLN.
Third, I am always looking for honest feedback. What do I need to do to improve this chapter? In particular, is there anything you think I should remove to make it easier to read? Would you change or add anything (I was going to cover the Educator’s PLN along with Google Reader, but I was concerned over space)? Is there anything about the chapter that you particularly don’t like?
Lastly, the referenced video tutorials are not done yet. We have our second day off in a row today and my microphone is in my office at school. The tutorials will be done by the weekend.
Without further preamble, here are the download links and the Scribd document:
Click here for the PDF.
Chapter 1: Building a Personal Learning Network
Chapter 2: Introduction to Web 2.0
Last modified on 2010-02-20 19:24:33 GMT. 4 comments. Top.
I am hoping to release a new chapter by Sunday of every week. Splitting free time between writing the book and working on TeachMeet Nashville planning resulted in almost not getting this week’s chapter finished in time.
This week I am releasing the second chapter. If you have not read the introduction, you may want to start here. If you have not read the first chapter, you may want to start here.
Chapter 2 is an introduction to the what, how, and why of Web 2.0 tools. If I am being honest, I am least satisfied with this chapter compared to the previous two weeks releases. It will probably be the shortest chapter in the book. It attempts to explain what Web 2.0 tools are, why teachers and students could benefit from using them, and provide some examples. I chose Glogster, Wordle, and Wallwisher because of their simplicity and their versatility to be used in many different situations and content areas. If your favorite tool was not presented, it will most likely be presented in a later chapter; feel free to suggest one in the comments, though, in case I have overlooked it or have not discovered it yet.
I think the reason that I am not completely happy with this chapter is because it is the only chapter that does not have a clear vision and focus. The chapter before and the intro have a clearly delineated vision of what needs to be accomplished; the chapters following will all have a specific focus, like tools for collaboration for example.
I am really hoping for some constructive feedback. If you have any ideas please leave them in the comments. I am very transparent about my work and am open to criticism, so don’t worry about hurting my feelings if you find something that needs to be changed. Hopefully, our collaboration will result in a work that will help teachers. Also, if you want to be included in the From the Teachers section of the book, please put a narrative of a time that you used Glogster, Wordle, and/or Wallwisher. See some great examples from Debra Gottseleben and Bryan Jackson in the previous chapter.
Thank you to Aaron Eyler, Scott Synder, Matt Guthrie, Bill Chamberlain, Tom Barrett, Cindy Lane, and Danny Maas, for their contributions and help this week.
Also, the manuscript says that the tutorials are done. I was just writing optimistically and I will make the tutorials on Monday when I am back in my office.
Without further ado, here is the Word document and the pdf file. The chapter is also embedded below with Scribd.
Chapter 2
Chapter 3: Harnessing the Power of Social Networks
Last modified on 2010-04-07 17:54:16 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Since I was out most of last week for TeachMeet Nashville, this week has been a little slower in the library. I was able to write faster than I normally can. I am still trying to get stories for my From the Teachers section at the end of the chapter, but I managed to finish the chapter mid-week. It covers a rationale for using social networks, common excuses for disallowing them (and rebuttals), and presents scenarios for using several social networking tools in class, including Facebook, Twitter, Edmodo, Ning, and Skype.
I am seeking honest feedback. If there is anything I need to improve on, change, forgot, or need to include, please let me know. Don’t worry about hurting my feelings; I wouldn’t have posted it for everyone if I was cared about that.
Here is the chapter as a Word document and as a pdf file. Below it is embedded with Scribd.
