Teacher Training Books

This book explains the components of a full teacher induction program, not just mentoring (which they see as just one part and insufficient to really retain new teachers on its own). The format of the pages is very busy, and while there is useful information here, you'll need to weed through a lot of repetition to get to it all. Wong's other book, "The First Days of School" is pitched repetitively too.

I am a PhD student and 30 year practitioner of computer assisted language learning. Like the previous reviewer, this book is one of the best I have read that sits in between the highly theoretical texts and general practice texts that fill the bookshelves at libraries of educational technology subjects. It is bit expensive, so check out your library first before buying, but if you buy, you won't be wasting your money.

The authors provide thorough explanations of pedagogy and wonderful case studies that inform and inspire. The philosophy presented represents up-to-date ideas about curriculum design and the teacher's role in the classroom. Chapters include website references where educators can locate resources that help to extend ideas. A truly useful text.

As the debate continues on the importance, need and role of technology in today's classroom it has become clear that the focus still needs to remain on learning. In Teaching with Technology, the authors Kathleen Norton and Carolyn Wilburg, say that "technology is a means to an end; it is human activity....Making wise choices about the use of technology then depends on recognizing the ways in which it facilitates what humans can do."(2) This brief statement, emphasized in the first chapter of the book, ends up being the common thread in which the meat of the text is woven around. The authors take the reader on a journey of explaining how the intentional planning of the learning environment can serve as a teaching tool, when thought is given to how the students will interact with digital information resources and other classmates. Through the authors' exploration of several process models that help the student to explore electronic resources, evaluate content and synthesize meaning, the learning environment unfolds to expose a mix of meaningful, enjoyable learning experiences for both student and teacher. A natural way for this to happen is to design learning environments within the context of a problem. This process is thoroughly explained and supported through the several classroom examples in which students engage in problem solving to arrive at the key content concepts. Through this process the teacher takes on the role of facilitator and the student is then put in charge of developing and constructing the learning that is required to solve the problem. As a result the students are put into an active mode of seeking tools to aid in a learning process that more closely resembles the level at which they will function when collaborating in the world's workforce.

Aside from addressing the concerns of the learning environment and problem solving, this book also explores designs for literacy, knowledge structure and process, and communities of learning. All of these issues make up a support system in which the technology-enriched environment is delicately balanced. The tool of technology is what helps to orchestrate the learning within the context of these concepts. Particularly, when a community of learners is established within the classroom climate students function at a level of respect and responsiveness to content that is beyond what is typically present in a traditional classroom. It is the sense of community that fosters a sense of belonging and contribution to the learning process that results in higher retention and participation levels previously unseen.

I chose to read this text for a graduate class assignment but then also gave a copy to a teacher that I am mentoring. She and I are working together to design a learning opportunity for her students that would involve the use of four new computers. She was feeling uncreative and frustrated about using them meaningfully and so we decided to begin reading the text together. We took turns picking chapters to focus on. We found that this text was extremely helpful in guiding our thinking to incorporate all the important aspects of technology use in the classroom. It provided new ways in which to think about collaborative group work, assessment strategies and the importance of evaluating learning as a process not just a product.

I also found the Suggested Activities and Reflection included in the appendix of the book to be a unique addition to an already easy to read and follow text. In that section the authors provide approximately 8-12 questions that guide reflection and discussion. The reflection questions help the reader to contemplate their own practices or stimulate thinking in order to seal a main idea for the reader. In addition, each chapter of the book is summarized into bullet points of main ideas for a quick reminder or review. I will use this book again next year for several other interactions with teachers who are ready to tackle the integration of technology into their classroom for the sake of increased student learning. In my opinion this book is right on and has a wealth of useful information for a teacher of any level.

This is my first book review. I bought this book new 4 or 5 years ago for a graduate course in Education. I was then an MA student, and I remember it particularly well: such a waste. Buy it if you must, but pay as little as you can. I defy you to make sense of it.

I teach technology to adults on a daily basis, and I also teach teachers technology. I have read a fair number of books on the subject. To date, this is the best book I've found. It covers a wide range of topics, and takes what I consider to be many of the best pieces from other books and puts it into one.

So why do I give it only 4 stars? Well, I haven't found a book yet about technology that really jumps out at me, and says "This book is completely awesome, and every teacher should own it" But this is the closest I've found to that, other than "Computers as Mindtools for Schools", which is not as comprehensive as this book, but goes into territory not charted as well by any other book I've found.