Shameless Self Promotion, kinda
Friday, January 11, 2013 at 06:34AM A couple happy things appeared in my e-mail box yesterday.
The first was notification that the Blue Skunk is in the Teach100 list:
To remind you, the Teach100 is a noteworthy ranking of education blogs across the web that we have launched in an effort to build a comprehensive and timely list of the most influential and innovative education blogs. Our team of education experts has populated the Teach100 with some of our favorite education blogs, including yours.
For what it's worth. The little widget above lets one know one's ranking each day. I'll watch it for a bit and if it's not too embarassing I'll leave it up.
__________________________
The even happier e-mail was notification of a Tweet from Angela Watson that she reviewed my book, The Classroom Teacher's Technology Survival Guide on her The Cornerstone blog. I have to say that it is probably the most thoughtful, comprehensive and kind review I have ever received on any of my books. I actually sort of blushed when I read:
I held my breath a bit when I got to the chapter on teaching 21st century skills. There’s a thin line between making technology accessible to beginning technology users and pushing them beyond their comfort zones. There are many resources on the market that refuse to challenge educators and disrupt the status quo, and the technology use they advocate is so similar to traditional teaching methods that I have to wonder why a school would invest in thousands of dollars of equipment if the teacher’s just going to stand at the front of the room and lecture while students listen passively at their desks. This is a sharp contrast from the other end of the spectrum: resources that advocate such revolutionary ideas that the typical classroom teacher gets completely turned off (let’s be honest: an educator who is just learning to use email effectively is probably not going to encourage students to use their cell phones in class to run a backchannel discussion.)
But Doug’s advice in The Classroom Teacher’s Technology Survival Guide is the perfect balance: it’s relatable and comes across as totally do-able. He’s in touch with what’s happening in actual classrooms and doesn’t labor under the delusion that change comes quickly to schools. He presents 21st century learning concepts in a way that makes sense and gets the reader excited about them. His advice to “try to only ask students questions to which you don’t know the answer” was thought-provoking; the guidelines for “choosing activities and assignments that matter” are simple and easy to remember. Doug differentiates between truly engaging students with technology (holding their attention and inspiring them to participate) and simply entertaining them with it (providing amusement or diversion), and tells how you can make sure your classroom emphasizes the former.
Angela, thank you for actually reading the book AND writing the review. I am truly honored.
Reader Comments (1)
Well done! Keep up the good work!