I liked the David Warlick book a lot. I felt that his book, particularly chapter 4, dealt with how to authentically teach some of the concepts we discussed in class. For example, he discusses packaging information extensively. I am pretty much convinced that he’s right about how you can use short paragraphs and visual modification to get more information on a page. Also, he discusses the use of photographs clearly. Those visual tools are great helpers for students who often scan documents quickly. Finally, I like how he talks about planning lessons, and how teachers should figure out how to display the information they are collecting before they begin to collect it. Again, a strength of his book is the way, at the end of every chapter, he has plans for everyone in the school district, from tech directors to parents, that help integrate technology.
I also liked how he ran his website. He had frequent blog updates, and I found his interactive polls really compelling. For example, last week, he asked if teachers could be good teachers if they didn’t use technology. Also, a recent poll was linked to a Google spreadsheet. I had no idea I could do that! I totally need to figure that one out. It would be much cooler to do that than to go old school and make an SQL database in Access and link that to a poll. These kinds of things make Warlick a very compelling thinker. I can’t imagine what may lie in the future in his brain. Lastly, Warlick’s frequent posts make me want to keep reading it.
I am currently following him, Kathy Shrock, and all of my other classmates on Google Reader.
Warlick’s site is http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/
7 years ago
