Anything Goes Google
I love Matt Miller's "Ditch That Textbook" blog. When I read his posts I realize I want to do what he does instead of teach! LOL :P Not really... but kind of?!
First, gaining free access to his free e-book, 101 Practical Ways to Ditch That Textbook, is an instant win! I downloaded the e-book and found it to be very useful. The e-book has a very user friendly format. On bright colorful pages each "practical way" is boldly numbered. There is only one additional informative page after the cover and then you see it; 1. Use Google Drawings to make interactive graphic organizers.
Ahhhhh, how refreshing. The list begins and includes just enough information to promote the suggestion and provide a link to free products and "how to" articles. That's it. Then you see 2, then 3, and so on.
Some of the links, which are indicated as selectable with a royal blue font color, send you to apps. Again, this is sooo user friendly. Anyway, I love the e-book but Matt Miller doesn't stop there.
While the e-book is worthy of standing alone, Miller's blog offers many more resources. Matt provides article after article about various things Google. This blog is a place to go to whenever I want/need a new Google tool or recommendation. He blogs about creating student newsletters and writing papers to necessary add-ons, apps, and sites. Moreover, Matt shares articles about pedagogy and tech education. So often we come across articles that are rife with information only to realize that implementing the ideas or suggestions discussed is beyond our grasp. Miller's posts make it easy to understand ideology becoming reality. He writes in a way that facilitates actual motivation, movement, and execution.
I have been fond of podcasts for a long time. Now, I also enjoy screencasts. The Ditch That Textbook blog has a Screencasts section which shows how to use certain tools and how to apply them to teaching. How wonderful! :D
Throughout the site readers are encouraged to leave comments and/or ask questions. I want to leave two enthusiastic thumbs up for everything I see! During this upcoming summer I will be spending a lot of time perusing Ditch That Textbook so that I will rise to the challenge and become, according to Matt Miller, one of the "teachers who will take risks, who will reject the status quo if it isn’t producing results."
