Very interesting chapter and a good run-through of the possibilities that are available for use in the classroom. I have been using a wiki for a few years now and it has worked wonderfully in class. I am able to upload extra copies of handouts, study guides, assignment sheets, and other class paperwork, which allows my students to be more responsible with their work. I have also played around with uploading podcasts of my lectures to the wiki, which allowed students who were absent (or who needed more time to take notes) to listen again to the class lectures. I have found great success using the wiki in the classroom.
This year, I am experimenting with using Edmodo in my AP classes. I like the ability to post assignments and have students complete the assignments on the site. The site also has a grading feature, which I can use to grade the assignments. So far, the assignments have allowed my students to "blog"... which has been a wonderful assignment. Each week, they need to write a paragraph-length response to the week's work, including a minimum of one simple, one compound, one complex, and one compound-complex sentence. Each week, I also throw in a "challenge" (usually requesting the use of some kind of literary device- this week's challenge asked the students to use litotes in their blog!). I find that this gives the students a few opportunities: they are able to write each week, practicing the writing skills that they will need for the AP exam; they are able to process the week's work, giving me an opportunity for formative assessment; and they are able to get practice writing online, which prepares them for what will become a larger part of their classroom experience in college.
In one of the sections of the chapter, Richardson writes about the Toolbox, in which he lists a number of technologies that a teacher can use. I am familar with all of those technologies, with the exception of the "Social Bookmarking". He defines it as a way to create a "personal Internet" (10). This sounds like a very interesting tool and I would like to learn more about it and how to use it in the classroom. It sounds like it could be used in researching papers, which would be very handy for my students.
Shannon, I so admire your use of technology in the classroom and aspire to feel as comfortable as you do in integrating these new tools into my own practice. The way you use technology to differentiate for students is wonderful. I love that you use podcasts both as a resource for absent students and as a review exercise for students who might need more processing time. Nice job!
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