Using Web 2.0 and Social Networking Tools in the K-12 Classroom

Modern K-12 lessons should never be dull or rote. In today's classrooms, educators can engage their students using a wide range of digital and social networking tools, from wikis and blogs to podcasts and videoconferences. In this timely book, Crane brings together the best tools, ideas, examples, resources and lessons to help educators create unique and modern curricula to motivate their students. A teacher and director at the K-12 and college levels, presenter and author with extensive experience creating and incorporating technology tools into curricula, Crane explores the many reasons for using and ways to implement Web 2.0 and social networking tools in a school curriculum. She covers a broad range of tools, including blogs, wikis, podcasts, videoconferencing, social networking, Google Tools and Digital Storytelling. Each chapter incorporates a different subject area, topic and age level. She also devotes entire chapters using Web 2.0 to enhance ESL learning, elective subjects and creating a community beyond the classroom. In every chapter, she offers ideas and insights exploring the objectives and uses of the tool, pointers for getting started and practical applications with sample lessons. Readers will find teacher exercises, instructions and screenshots throughout. Crane offers curriculum examples from educators around the world and up-to-date exercises on a companion website.

About the Author :
Beverley E. Crane has taught English-language arts and ESL at the middle-, high-school and college levels. She conducted workshops for K-12 teachers on such topics as literacy, writing and the writing process, ESL and integrating technology into the curriculum. She also created educational materials and conducted workshops for K-12 library media specialists and teachers on using online searching in the curriculum. She presented throughout the United States across curriculum areas at conferences. As director of the English Education Program at San Jose State University for five years, she worked closely with classroom teachers and administrators to provide guidelines for mentor teachers supervising English student teachers at SJSU. She creates training materials, including distance education online courses and self-paced module in searching techniques for Dialog and is editor of the Dialog customer e-newsletters. She is the author of three previous books published by Neal-Schuman.

Review :
Crane's book is a 'how-to' and 'why should I?' manual all rolled into one easy-to-understand text. It is firmly grounded in traditional education strategies and methodologies, yet it provides insight into current academic and technology trends. This excellent resource should be widely appealing to teachers, librarians and school media specialists.