JOSSEY-BASS The World Is Open: How Web Technology Is Revolutionizing Education

A review for:The World Is Open: How Web Technology is Revolutionizing EducationTime flies! Unwittingly, Web and its associated technologies has turned the appeals and expectations around the world and ascended to the forefront of educational field. Her charm is being accepted and recognized by people all over the world. Here, I have to mention mainstream excellent works of professor Bonk. His representative work is The World Is Open: How Web Technologies are Revolutionizing Education is widely read and accepted in China and around the world. This book is mainly delivering a very big picture of the massive transformation taking place in education today. Professor Bonk appeals to a wide range of audiences from educators to business in the world with full of deep love: Web Technologies are linking to the education in the whole world and simultaneously revolutionizing the educational world. Nowadays education is available anytime, anywhere, on any device to learn from anyone else online. Namely The World Is Open: How Web Technologies are Revolutionizing Education provides an “open” stage for each and every reader. I work as an educator at University in China for many years. Now I am doing some research work as a visiting scholar at Indiana University in America. Without a doubt, I am very honored and proud to read this book. At first glimpse, I was attracted by its strong “novelty.” I am voracious and can`t help reading it at a sitting. I feel like walking around the stage of world education. No exaggeration to say that this book is really a book of life. It tells us education is no longer a luxury but a human right—we are all learners and WE-ALL-LEARN. In effect, Web Technologies are pushing the door open to the limit of learning and teaching in education field, especially making sense of the more open and informal education opportunities in front of each of us in the world. This is also just the pursuit and demanding for countless educators both at home and abroad. It`s just so called the path along mountain ridges. I am so appreciated how this book is inspiring and provoking…, this book not only makes me recognizing much of the terrain of Web learning and teaching in the educational world but also makes me begin to recognize myself teaching from my “heart.” Firstly, let`s look at the educational world from my eyes. This book captures illustrative stories of those successfully using these emerging technologies of how technology can enhance learning about the world to learning with the world. If you wonder how school will evolve in the information-rich internet Age---this book will show you. If you wonder how teachers transfer a four-walled classroom of learning to authentic learning in action---The story “CHASING JACK BUT FINDING GODWIN” will show you. If you wonder how to transform passive reception learning to active learning ---The authentic story “Ice Stories” will show you. If you wonder how Jenny Zhu who gives up her MA in public policy becomes the host of ChinesePod---The story “CAN I HAVE A REFILL AND A CHINESEPOD” will show you. If you wonder how Matt Harding decides to quit his video game development job and become DANCING MATT---If interested, see the story “FROM TECHIE TO TRAVELER TO TUBER TO TEACHER.” If you wonder how ME/U used cable television netwoks to serve thirty thousand students who were completing courses remotely from more than thirty different colleges and universities---The authentic and highly interesting story “Extending Our Minds over to Denver” will show you. If you wonder how Mandarin is developing well in Michigan and Florida---The story “Mandarin in Michigan” and also “Virtually Young in Florida” will show you. If you wonder how knowledge industry rebels---The authentic story “AN HOUR IN SAN FRANCISCO” that Professor Bonk experienced with his son Alex will show you. If you wonder how “fingertip knowledge” has the potential to get you anywhere and help you meet anyone---The story “BOB AND TOM FINGERTIPPING PRESIDENTS” will show you. If you wonder how one mother`s question had changed Lucifer`s life into a millionaire in TAIWAN---The story “OOPS, DID I MEAN TO SHARE THAT” will show you. …………… If you`d like to ‘see’ what that book looks like ..., friends, what are you waiting there yet?Besides, education is markedly changed today. This book has introduced some real life examples with technologies that are available in my home country of China and around the planet. Not only is each story inspiring and motivational, but they are also practical, thereby providing many ways for readers to open their own world of learning. We have to recognize that it is now time to embrace that openness for the benefit of society, whatever the organization, institution, or individual involved. From the perspectives of orgnizations and institutions, it still has room to improve the infrastructure of education and enrich teaching resources. Because technology plays a central role which makes learning more open and unconstrained by classes and schedules. It`s the time for the need for shifting their teaching philosophy to a more learner-centered or hands-on approach. This trend is especially evident nowadays. But in real education environment, most teachers still stand in front of blackboard to teach woefully lockstep and mechanized today.From the perspectives of educators, it is also especially important to remind us to develop and use online leaning technology to learn about education in the world and to teach the learner online with the world. Because most online contents still remain lifeless. Overtime, learners also still have to endure extremely dry and bland content from the textbook and maybe unimaginative activities. Last but not the least, I hope Professor Bonk will also write some Chinese popular communicate software like as QQ, Weichat, and so on into the future book because it`s really good communicative platform for overseas students at home and abroad to learn Chinese. Simile!A book like this is something to enjoy. If you are like me and want to learn how educators are also sailing in the sea of education, this book is your navigating light. Open it and relish her strong “novelty,” and expect some interesting moment along the way when you discover or the book reveals answers for whoever you are, whether you are a politician, business leader, administrator, teacher, parent, or student. Simultaneously we should express our great honor and thankfulness to Bonk`s passion and charm that helps each one of us to cultivate and find our own place in the field of open education. With his tireless endeavors and sweat, Bonk has paved the way toward a more wonderful world of education. This amazing book “The world is open” might be considered today one of the greatest works in the history of educational revolution.

As a student in the educational technology field, Curtis Bonk's book "The World Is Open" proves to be a valuable resource. His 10 components represented by the acronym "WE-ALL-LEARN" allow the readers to explore 10 trends in technology. These trends can help educators change their schools environments by effectively incorporating the internet and technology in their classrooms. His easy to read book outlines various sensible and comprehensive ways to explore and use a wide variety of educational technology resources.In utilizing online technology to learn myself, I could truly relate to many concepts and ideas that Bonk describes in his book. For anyone who is interested in the power of online teaching and learning, Curtis Bonk's book is a must read. It will provide great details and ideas to make the online learning experience a productive and exciting one. His ideas on web 2.0 tools and other technologies will enhance teachers and students education experience.

When looking back at this book, it gave me ideas about technology and education from all grade levels K-college. The book is all about the way technology and the internet have made it possible for everyone to learn at any time. Bonk talks about how education needs to keep up with the every changing and upgrading technology field. Bonk teaches the reader about the WE-ALL-LEARN model.WE-ALL-LEARN model:W - web searching in the world of e-booksE - e-learning and blended learningA - availability of open source and free softwareL - leveraged resources and OpenCourseWareL - learner participation in Open Information CommunitiesE - electronic collaborationA - alternate reality learningR - real-time mobility and portabilityN - networks of personalized learningI enjoyed all of the many resources the Bonk give the reader for all age levels. I will continue to look back on this book for ideas when it comes to technology and education. This book will not sit on my book shelf long and will be taken to school with me for references and ideas. Although this is an older book, I think that some schools and take some ideas from Bonk and start to upgrade what technology they have and how they use it. 4.5 Stars!

Dr. Custis J. Bonk is gifted at helping teachers make their classrooms more engaging to their students. Anything wrote or suggested by this author would be worth buying and considering for classroom adoption.

This book provide excellent insight into the future (and present!) of how learners will interact and move to the next level in their educational experiences. This is a must read from an expert who has amazing insight based on his experiences.