In 2011, Susan Ko invited me to write a book about teaching with emerging technologies that would be included in her “Best Practices for Online Teaching” series. On the one hand, I was honored and excited about the challenge. On the other hand, I had doubts. I asked myself, “Why would faculty interested in emerging technologies want to read a book?” The medium itself was at odds with the topic, I thought. Second, how does one define a best practice in a space that is fluid and dynamic? Further, I am one to critique the idea of best practices. I prefer the idea of effective practices, as each faculty member brings something unique to teaching.

Nonetheless, I wrote the book and it published in 2012. Since then, the book has received many positive reviews on Amazon, Good Reads, and other places. I have also had many interactions with faculty about how reading the book has impacted  their perceptions about how technology may be used to support learning.

In the years following its publication,  parts of the book became outdated. This was mostly due to the high turnover rates for early edtech startups, was also influenced by the mainstream adoption of smartphones, critique of learning management systems (Blackboard, Moodle, Desire 2 Learn, Canvas), and the increasing adoption of open educational resources. I knew the book needed to be refreshed, but when I was contacted by Routledge and asked to write the second edition, I found myself revisiting the same questions. This section includes those questions and my responses.