Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms

"Hits the nail on the head by emphasizing how technology can be used in ways that go beyond one-on-one student use with software programs and teachers′ use of PowerPoint for presentations. The book emphasizes the collaborative work and learning that can occur when educators take advantage of all that the Internet has to offer."
―Erica Boling, Assistant Professor of Literacy Education
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Use the Web to help students learn more, create more, and communicate more effectively!

Technology impacts every facet of students′ lives and plays a significant role in how students receive and process information. The second edition of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms shows educators at all levels and disciplines how to tap into the potential of digital tools for creating relevant, interactive learning experiences in the classroom.

With updated research on Web technology, a critical section on Internet safety, and a new emphasis on information literacy with related links, this resource equips teachers with:

• Definitions, explanations, and how-to′s for using technology to enhance learning
• Applications for blogs, wikis, podcasts, Real Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds, aggregators, social bookmarking, and online photo galleries
• Real-world examples from K–12 teachers around the world

When teachers expand their knowledge of Web tools to build 21st-century learning skills, they can effectively prepare students for future success.

A parent of two middle-school-aged children, Will Richardson has been writing about the intersection of social online learning networks and education for the past 10 years at Weblogg-ed.com and in numerous journals and magazines such as Ed Leadership, Education Week, and English Journal. Recently, he shifted his blogging emphasis to willrichardson.com. Formerly a public school educator for 22 years, he is a co-founder of Powerful Learning Practice (plpnetwork.com), a unique professional development program that has mentored over 3,000 teachers worldwide in the last three years. His first book, Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (Corwin, 3rd Edition 2010) has sold over 80,000 copies and has impacted classroom practice around the world. His second book, Personal Learning Networks: Using the Power of Connections to Transform Education, was released in May, 2011. His articles have appeared in Educational Leadership, EdWeek, English Journal, Edutopia, and Principal Leadership, among others, and over the past six years, he has spoken to tens of thousands of educators in more than a dozen countries about the merits of learning networks for personal and professional growth. He is a national advisory board member of the George Lucas Education Foundation and a regular columnist for District Administration Magazine. Will lives in rural New Jersey with his wife, Wendy, and his children Tess and Tucker.