Click here to check out what readers are saying about the book on Amazon!
(And please add your own review — I read every one of them!)
This type of book is rare because it offers an explanation of how to use the technology and then combines it with solid ideas of how to integrate it into the classroom. Furthermore, the author’s own journey learning and using these tools is presented and helps the reader connect with the process of technology change and integration. Lots of really useful ideas (and I am aware of many tools already). I highly recommend this book for any instructor who wants to increase their use of technology in a meaningful way.
Dr. Robin Kay
Director of Graduate Studies
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Faculty of Education
“…Michelle Pacansky–Brock has written a much needed handbook. I call it a handbook, though it is definitely not marketed or structured as such, because for many that is what it might become. Starting with her own personal journey through infusion in teaching technologically, Michelle moves through the practicalities of teaching with emerging technologies to the actual tools that you might use in your classroom. The intricacies are not lost throughout. Besides the details of how to use and implement much of the technology discussed, broader problems such as student privacy, security, and copyright issues are covered. There are pictures throughout (in black–and–white), mainly showing what a given screen or technology might look like. For each of the websites listed (and there are many that are discussed throughout), links are given and a detailed overview of what is presented there and how you might use it actively with your classroom, or what it is more often referred to, a learning community.” (Read entire review here.)
Marc Zucker
Assistant Professor
“In her book “Best Practices for teaching with Emerging Technologies,” Michelle Pacansky-Brock really pushes teachers and educational technology leaders to stay abreast of emerging technology. Once we find products and technology that we like and become comfortable with, there is a tendency to be dismissive when new technology appears on the horizon, especially if its usefulness is not obvious for the learning environment. Pacansky-Brock encourages educators to explore all possibilities since upcoming students will be using the newest technology. The book guides educators to learn about, and then use, all the latest tools and technology to implement or improve communications, collaboration, and general connectivity, especially for online or distance learning environments. The book is filled with web links to useful educational resources and guides for implementation of emerging technology. Serious use and implementation of the practices and strategies presented in this book will guide educational leaders to make the best use of available resources.”
Neil Johnson, Ph.D.
Chief Academic Officer
William Howard Taft University
“Teacher Pacansky-Brock has written an excellent guide to bringing the teaching paradigm into the current century, in a way that embraces the perspective of students (of all ages) and has been proved effective time and time again. I could hardly envision a better introduction to using emerging technologies in the classroom in a single self-contained resource. While this book recounts a personal journey, it also very well organized, and provides structured guidance. These experienced insights can help guide any educator through the maze of Internet tools, to discover many ways in which they can facilitate a fundamental shift in student engagement and learning.”
Click this link to read the full review.
—K. Walsh, CIO at The College of Westchester in White Plains, NY
and is the founder and author of EmergingEdTech.com
“Educators interested in keeping current can follow this primer, which demonstrates how to shift toward a ‘culture of learning’ that leverages technology for instructional purposes and places the student at the center of it all.”
—Alexandra M. Pickett, Associate Director, SUNY Learning Network, USA (@alexpickett)
“This is a career defining book—for the reader, that is. While the steps and practices outlined focus on emerging technologies, the overarching strategies, ideas, examples, and themes aptly position the reader in the heart and soul of what decades of learning sciences research tells us—that learning is a participatory construct.”
—Susan Gautsch, Director of e-Learning, USC, USA
“Michelle Pacansky-Brock’s Best Practices for Teaching with Emerging Technologies is much like its author – full of smart ideas, great examples, and passionate enthusiasm. Above all, Michelle is never in love with the technology – she’s in love with her students and with the process of learning. Her book will serve as an ideal resource for the teacher at any level who wants to make better use of the newest technologies but isn’t sure where to start. Michelle provides a step-by-step guide that shows the best ways to use the latest technologies while always keeping the focus on the student. Technologies may change, but passionate teaching is always in style. ”
—A. Michael Berman, PhD, Vice President for Technology and Communication, California State University Channel Islands
“This book is a ‘must read’ for those interested in technology and education. Michelle’s own practical experiences become a road map for rethinking instructional models in higher education, and provide an appropriately optimistic view of the opportunities ahead.”
—Steve Hargadon, Creator of Classroom 2.0, USA