Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Playing with Media: simple ideas for powerful sharing

Playing with media- a great read, view and liste!

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2011

Wes Fryer, author, Playing with Media - a fabulous read,listen and view!

Like many of you I saw the Tweet where Wes mentioned that his ebook was ready. It was late and I was all ready to turn in for the night, but I wanted to get this ebook right away, so I clicked to Amazon, downloaded and began reading. I am so glad I started reading this right away, as I am getting ready for back to school, and I do my best planning and thinking at night.

With the cover image, by his youngest child Rachel, I was hooked or you could say engaged! Then the purpose "to inspire and empower", had me taking notes and planning where in my classroom I would introduce some of the digital storytelling tools for my students to add to their digital toolkits.

To begin with Wes has a chapter dedicated to Tips for Reading and a glossary that my 82 year old mother could understand. Although this could be mundane, ever the storyteller, Wes, gets the information across in an entertaining way.

I like how Wes has examples to illustrate his ideas, which leads the reader, inter-actor, teammate, actor, playmate, viewer, listener, and creator to engage with this ebook. Wes gives all of us permission to play in the sandbox. He gives us strategies to try as we move along in the book. He gives us enough history so we are grounded and understand that " we learn deeper when we actively DO rather than passively watch" , ( Wes Fryer, Playing with Media).

His comments about testing, Common Standards, NETS, and 21st Century Skills are woven into the storytelling journey with compelling statements about how we need to incorporate digital media in Transformational ways. Once you begin reading or listening or interacting with this book and begin creating, you will be transformational and part of this story!

Wes thanks for this wonderful inspirational ebook, I will begin by creating the Flickr group 180schooldays , a public book where you and your classrooms can begin the year long journey of a photo or image a day. Join the Flickr group 180schooldays and tag your images with #180schooldays. The power of the crowd going deep into new and transformational interactive learning.

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Bon S

Great resource

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2014

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This book is inspiring on many levels, especially because it is educationally influenced.

Glad I bought this book as a resource.

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RD

A must read for educators or anybody interested in creating digital artifacts

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2011

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I am a homeschool mom to three little girls and I recently began searching for ways to use technology in our classroom. I'm not talking about internet searches for curriculum reviews or "educational" games to occupy the kids while I get a grasp on my sanity; I'm talking about learning to create digital "artifacts" and portfolios and learning to connect with other educators beyond my current homeschool forum. I'm NOT tech savvy and I was struggling to find someone to explain the wild, wooly world of creating blogs, wikis, audio and video stories, etc.

I was following Mr. Fryer on Twitter when I heard about his book. I downloaded the sample and was hooked after reading just the table of contents (which is linked). This was exactly what I needed. I went on to read the acknowledgements and was introduced to several fascinating people via Twitter. I downloaded the entire book and stayed up till 3 am reading. Mr. Fryer uses many, many links on nearly every page. He links to definitions to explain new terminology to newbies, like me. He links to examples of programs, movies, apps, and more. Everything was very well explained.

If you don't own a Kindle, don't despair! I read through it the first time on my Kindle then the next day I downloaded the Kindle app to my computer. I've been re-reading the book on my laptop in order to access the audio and video links as well as the websites.

I have definitely had fun "Playing With Media" since I started reading this book only a couple nights ago.

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H Songhai

Lifts The Bookshelf!

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2011

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I'm reading "Playing with Media: simple ideas for powerful sharing" by Wesley Fryer on my Kindle. This book, in my opinion, should be required reading for principals, academic coordinators and most teachers across the United States who continue to struggle with or just flat out ignore 21st century learning tools and strategies. Fryer's rich infusion of graphics, links, video and creativeness makes this book an inspiring and powerful experience for the reader/listener/viewer. It's virtually everything you'd expect from a "new" book. "Playing With Media..." virtually lifts the bookshelf! Thanks Wesley.

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keason

Great resources for a busy teacher

Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2013

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I love the information in this book. I want to involve my students more in creating with media, but I don't have time to stumble my way through apps or services to determine which ones are the best for what I want. This book recommends great apps, great services, and great activities to help a busy teacher move forward. Great resource.

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Kevin Hodgson

High Praise for Playing with Media

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2011

There are plenty of people writing about interesting projects that connect technology with learning but one of the small few whom I have consistently looked to for guidance and inspiration over the years has been Wesley Fryer and the posts he shares at his blog, Moving at the Speed of Creativity. His work around digital storytelling (see the Storychasers project) and use of audio podcasting for learning, in particular, have opened up a lot of possibilities over the years. For the past few months, I have been watching from afar as Fryer has been putting together an ebook about using media for learning (see his blog post about his experiences of publishing an ebook). Now the ebook is out, and I have to say, Fryer does an outstanding job of balancing practical knowledge of various elements of technology with the deeper understanding of the rationale behind bringing such tools into the classroom.

The ebook -- Playing with Media: Simple Ideas for Powerful Sharing -- is, as the genre suggests, only in digital format, and as usual, Fryer takes full advantage of the possibilities, embedding video tutorials, audio files, and hyperlinks galore that will have you moving in and out of this resource with ease and interest. Using his own young family as the source for many of the projects here, Fryer's use of digital stories and other media projects showcase how voice and creativity and technology can come together in powerful ways. The result is a rich learning experience that should open new doors for exciting work in the classroom, particularly for those educators who are still struggling with getting that first step moving forward. Fryer is a patient, wise guide.

One of the themes of Playing with Media is that technology and media tools can tap into students as creative composers. Fryer notes that he purposely chose the word "playing" for the title of this book because he wants teachers to understand that exploration and creativity are crucial to the path of learning. I couldn't agree more, and I think if educators can see the world of emerging tools through that lens, they may be more likely to "play" themselves and allow students time and space to do the same. The aspect of "play" allows for the possibility for small failures and unexpected pathways. That's OK. That's part of the experience.

Another theme that comes up a number of times here is the "Ethics of Minimal Clicks," which Fryer articulates throughout various chapters. It seems obvious to me now in hindsight, but for new users of technology, the fewer the number of clicks, or steps, that one has to do to set up and use a blog, or a wiki, or a podcast, or work on a video, the more likely that activity will make its way into the classroom. I applaud Fryer for laying out such a simple, yet powerful, idea in such clear terms. A witty phrase helps, too. Using this "Ethics of Minimal Clicks" as a sort of structural underpinning of much of the content, the book examines such sites as Posterous for blogging, Wikispaces for wikis, and Cinch for podcasting. The ease of use should make it rather effortless for teachers to bring students into the world with technology.

Two other topics stuck out with me, too: audio and video.

Fryer focuses in on the power of audio, and podcasting, and how the use of student voice for a variety of projects can transform not only writing but also publishing. As Fryer notes, audio can be done rather cheaply (using Audacity for recording and Audioboo for hosting, for example), yet giving voice to student stories and opinions and publishing those thoughts to the world is transformative for many classrooms. When it comes to video, Fryer advocates the consideration of "no edit" video production. Instead of getting bogged down in using MovieMaker or iMovie for editing, students can create videos quickly in a "no edit" mode that basically comes down to "what you shoot is what you get" and then you move on. I like that idea because it makes a video project a little easier to manage. And it paves the way for the possibility of a larger, more careful video project, too. Getting your feet wet is sometimes half the battle -- for teachers as well as for students.

There are plenty of books out there that are tapping into the tools of the 21st Century, and Fryer's ebook should join the mix of some of the more useful and interesting out there right now. His engaging writing style, inclusion of very useful resources and tutorials, sharing of authentic examples and explanations of the pedagogy behind the technology make for an enjoyable and productive read. I highly recommend Playing with Media: Simple Tools for Powerful Sharing for any Kindle, Nook, iPad or whatever your device might be.

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Cyndi Danner-Kuhn

Playing with Meda, A MUst have for Teachers

Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2012

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Wesley Fryer is simply amazing. This book is checked full of ideas and resources with enough explanation to implement immediately and know why. Every teacher wanting to integrate technology into their curriculum, and do that with purpose needs this book. Check out Wesley's, blog, Moving at the Speed of Creativity too. [...]

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Bryan Glover

GREAT Teaching Resource

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2012

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This book is FULL of practical ideas for incorporating web resources into your classroom. A MUST read for teachers wanting to build technology into their lessons.

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Alice

A Great Classroom Companion

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2011

I work with teachers who use technology to support their classroom instruction. Wes Fryer's new e-book, Playing with Media, has arrived just in time for school to start. Remember "make and take" workshops? This is it for the digital classroom. It is exactly the kind of book that should accompany any teacher workshop or training because it supports great teaching. It will be an invaluable resource all year long. It is relevant to any classroom in both pedagogy and instruction. The book is presented in a succinct, understandable manner. There are tools, explained with clear directions and graphics; big ideas, and follow up reading. Taken together, these will have a profound impact on any classroom. Everything is clickable. And the fact that's it's an ebook means that Wes will keep it up to date.

The more I read through and listened, the more excited I got. Not only did I learn many little tips and tricks, the reminder that we must keep creativity in our curriculum is ever present. I also enjoyed how Wes used his own children as models to showcase student work. He is passionate about sharing and celebrating what students can do on the web. In each category multiple tools are shown, modeling creation choice for student projects.

I chose to download and read the versions on my iPad and Kindle. The Kindle experience was less hands on but still easy to read. There is a companion website to go with the book. There is so much in this book that I will be using the resources time and time again. I really appreciated how this book is organized and would highly recommend it. I would love to see other classroom books modeled on this kind of ebook. I am going to think about it as a text book for a professional development course that I teach to education graduate students. #playingwithmedia

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robert sprankle

Absolutely Outstanding!

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2011

Absolutely Outstanding!

Wes Fryer's book is a journey that won't be completed with just one reading. Teachers will find themselves going back again and again to the resources and guidance that Wes has packed this book with. It has taken me months to get through the enhanced ebook version because of all the side-journeys that are included, demonstrating the power of digital text. Many bookmarks have been collected for me to return to and I have highlighted the heck out of this thing. You will get more than your moneys worth!

True throughout the book is Wes' belief and practice in the "ethics of minimal clicks." Wes makes the case that "the value of making a given technical process possible with the least number of steps as possible" is essential for teachers with an already full plate. He simplifies what could be seen as overwhelming obstacles for teachers to integrate media literacy and technology into their classrooms. This book would be an excellent resource for any Professional Learning or staff development, as well as an essential textbook in teacher training programs.

Wes Fryer serves as the very best type of guide for teachers integrating technology by showing real examples of successes rather than discussing the tools and reasoning in theory. Whether you get the paper or electronic version, Wes has created an accompanying website ([...]) with resources for the reader to keep growing with long after reading the book as well as providing a space for the book to evolve (as technologies change or are updated). He invites the reader to contribute to the book by adding their own media project links at the website as well as join together in conversation by using the Twitter hashtag #playingwithmedia.

Playing with Media is a true gem, easily incorporated into any curriculum by users at any level of proficiency.

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