Linda Cooper and David Barber

How can we ensure we use technology effectively with young children?
Using New Web Tools in the Primary Classroom is for all teachers interested in the application of new web-based ICTs to primary teaching. It offers a justification for using Web 2.0 tools and explores tangible ways in which technologies such as blogs, wikis, podcasting, media sharing and social networking sites can enhance classroom practice, teaching and learning.

Considering key issues such as how children learn, curriculum, policy, and children’s prior experiences of ICT, this book focuses on the expectations and needs of the child and how technology can be unlocked to meet those needs now and in the future. Key ideas considered include:


Diverse views of social software in education


Using web tools to create and reinforce stimulating learning environments


Teacher skills and the availability of suitable technology


Competing demands of government policies and curriculum


Practical ideas for enriching learning through social software: Children as producers of knowledge, as explorers, and as communicators.

Enhanced with reflective questions and tasks to support your own thinking, and with practical ideas for using web-based ICTs in a range of subjects and in topic work, Using New Web Tools in the Primary Classroom is a rich resource for all student and practising primary school teachers. Those on Education Studies courses interested in new internet technologies and their potential to enhance learning within primary schools will also find much food for thought.

David Barber is Head of E-Learning at Bishop Grosseteste University College, Lincoln, UK.
Linda Cooper is Senior Lecturer at the University of Chichester, UK.

Introduction Section 1 Understanding Web Tools in the Primary Classroom 1. Rethinking Social Software for the Primary Classroom 2. Web 2.0 and Barriers in the Primary Classroom 3. The Role of Social Software in the Classroom 4. Web 2.0 and the Primary Curriculum Section 2 Inspiration and Ideas for Teaching and Learning 5. Children as Producers of Knowledge 6. Children as Explorers 7. Children as Communicators 8. Conclusion