The Socially Networked Classroom
Teaching in the New Media Age
- William Kist - Kent State University, USA
Foreword by Kylene Beers
Ashbury College, Canada
'I loved this book. I learned a great deal about 'texts' and about how to teach 'texts' to students in the digital age. But what was so compelling about this book was the genuineness of the author; he cares passionately about his students and passionately about the subject matter. As Dewey points out, effective education must have an emotional component; indeed, the book's credibility and authority derives from its core emotional energy' - Elliot Soloway, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
'This book is totally compelling and geared to a slice of the teaching profession that is in desperate need of the kind of guidance and insight that Kist offers. By sharing his creative teaching methods, he points out the openings in teachers' practice where shift can happen' - Sue Collins, Integration Technology Specialist, Bedford Public Schools, MA
Secondary school students are increasingly plugged in to social networking sites outside of school, but inside the classroom such functions of the web are often ignored. In The Socially Networked Classroom: Teaching in the New Media Age, William Kist identifies and documents the processes of teaching and learning via social networking in the new-media classroom.
This book broadens the debate around what constitutes literacy as it tackles practical tasks for educators that include:
- Documenting the assignments, assessments, and outcomes of instruction in networked classrooms
- Categorizing the classrooms into levels of Web 2.0 applications
- Illustrating how the new assignments can be used to address classic classroom questions
"Kist chronicles his journey in both the classroom and online, as well as that of many other teachers navigating these new spaces with their students. He writes as a learner should, sharing what he discovers along the way. I appreciate the notes from the road, and I suspect educators will find much to take back to their classrooms. I like even more that he asks important questions while capturing how he and several other master teachers have attempted to ask and answer them with their own students. You will, too."
"The innovative classroom activities in this engaging book will inspire teachers to help students acquire digital-media literacies for collaborating on and sharing their work—literacies essential for participation in a networked world."
"A veritable smorgasbord of ideas and suggestions. This text grabbed me right away, and I started flagging all sorts of ideas even in the earliest chapters. It is as if Bill Kist met me in the hallway, took me by the hand, and simply said, 'Come here, I want to show you something.'"
"This book marks our place in the whirlwind transformation of Internet technology that launched users in a surprisingly sudden (and often unnoticed) leap from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0. Kist shows educators both a mirror and a map, explaining where we are and where we might go in this vastly rich frontier of knowledge and learning. The paths he shows us spill into layered networks of inter-crossing connections and intersections—a true 'web' of knowledge—replacing old, tired, and narrow paths."
"I loved this book. I learned a great deal about 'texts' and about how to teach 'texts' to students in the digital age. But what was so compelling about this book was the genuineness of the author; he cares passionately about his students and passionately about the subject matter. As Dewey points out, effective education must have an emotional component; indeed, the book’s credibility and authority derives from its core emotional energy."
"This book is totally compelling and geared to a slice of the teaching profession that is in desperate need of the kind of guidance and insight that Kist offers. By sharing his creative teaching methods, he points out the openings in teachers’ practice where shift can happen."
"This book is the push that many educators need to seriously think about why and how they 'do' technology in schools and implement the changes necessary to ensure our students are networked and connected 21st-century learners. It should be in the hands of all teachers and teacher-librarians."
This is a bit American biased but is a good way for all types of teachers to investigate the way social networks work and methods to use them effectively.
