Review: Illuminate: Technology Enhanced Learning

Illuminate: Technology Enhanced Learning by Bethany Petty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bethany writes in a very conversational tone and shares many engaging anecdotes about her personal experiences as a learner, a teacher, a mom, a friend, and a blogger to back up her points.

The book is broken into ten chapters, with each one covering using technology to engage, explore, create, communicate, think critically, assess, reflect, motivate, design lessons, and connect. I learned something new from each chapter and wish I had read this when I didn't have just five days left in school, so I could implement them this year.

I loved that the book was not based entirely on the tech tools, but more on applications of each tool. New ideas that I had never considered before were presented in each chapter. A ton of stickies now adorn my copy with things I'd like to try in my own classroom.

While the focal point of the book is the "why/how" to use different tools, the "what" tool to use is also addressed. I consider myself pretty in the know about educational technology, but there were about six tools I had never heard of or knew what they did. The 35 tools are helpfully categorized in the "Tech Tools Index" at the back of the book, which made it easy to count up how many I need to learn about soon, but even more nuggets of wisdom are sprinkled throughout the book, making the grand total much higher. Luckily, blank notes pages are included at the end of each chapter to keep it all organized.

A common fear about print books about technology is that they will be outdated within a year or two. Bethany has helpfully included QR codes (which she shares a number of educational uses for throughout the book) to blog posts she has written about the subject. In my interactions with Bethany, I know she is on the ball when it comes to educational technology, and these blogs will be updated as current technology is refined and new, better tools are developed. Essentially, you are getting two books for the price of one - the one in your hand and the future iterations of her blog.

Thank you for allowing me the chance to read and review this book, Bethany. (Note: I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest review). I thoroughly enjoyed every page of Illuminate: Technology Enhanced Learning and look forward to seeing your work continues to grow!

View all my reviews

Comments

Review: Dark Halls - A Horror Novel

Dark Halls - A Horror Novel by Jeff Menapace My rating: 5 of 5 stars No disrespect to Mr. King, but with this book, Jeff Menapace has cemented his status as my all time favorite supernatural horror author. Dark Halls holds a few close personal ties for me. It takes place in Pennsylvania, where I grew up, and the protagonist is a male elementary teacher, which is how I began my career. Luckily, that is where the parallels between my life and Ryan's end... although Ryan is my middle name. Ryan is a new hire at a "cursed" school, which has seen its fair share of murder, suicide, and other tragedies. Though he initially scoffs at the rumors, he quickly realizes there is more truth in these legends than most people realize. The writing is fast-paced, succinct, and engaging, as has become customary in Menapace's work. While gory at times, it is not overtly so. The supernatural element makes sense in the context of the book, and even sets

Review: A Monster Of All Time: The True Story of Danny Rolling, The Gainesville Ripper

A Monster Of All Time by J.T. Hunter on Tour July 1-31, 2019 The True Story of Danny Rolling, The Gainesville Ripper Ambitious, attractive, and full of potential, five young college students prepared for the new semester. They dreamed of beginning careers and starting families. They had a lifetime of experiences in front of them. But death came without warning in the dark of the night. Brutally ending five promising lives, leaving behind three gruesome crime scenes, the Gainesville Ripper terrorized the University of Florida, casting an ominous shadow across a frightened college town. What evil lurked inside him? What demons drove him to kill? What made him A Monster of All Time ? My Review: What a gripping, fascinating tale about a horrifying serial killer and his reign of terror! I consider myself to be quite the true aficionado and I'm shocked I never heard about Rolling before. Now that I have, if I had to describe him in a word: Monster

Review: Blackquest 40

Blackquest 40 by Jeff Bond on Tour May 13 - July 13, 2019 Synopsis: Deb Bollinger has no time for corporate training. Her company's top engineer at just twenty-seven, Deb has blocked off her day for the one project she truly cares about: the launch of Carebnb, an app that finds spare beds for the homeless. When she's told all employees must drop everything for some busywork exercise called Blackquest 40, it's an easy no. Trouble is, her bosses aren't really asking. Blackquest 40 is the mother of all corporate trainings. A near-impossible project to be completed in forty straight hours. No phones. No internet. Sleeping on cots. Nobody in, nobody out. Deb finds the whole setup creepy and authoritarian. When a Carebnb issue necessitates her leaving the office, she heads for the door. What's the worst that could happen? Armed commandos, HVAC-duct chases, a catastrophic master plan that gets darker by the hour - Blackquest 40 is a