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Review of Design for Learning: User Experience in Online Teaching and Learning. (2023),
by Jenae Cohn and Michael Greer.
Reviewed by Sarah Kosel Agnihotri
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"In Design for Learning: User Experience in Online Teaching and Learning, Jenae Cohn and Michael Greer guide readers through fundamentals of design principles for creating accessible, engaging online learning experiences. The tone is conversational and direct, striking a balance that will appeal to novice as well as expert audiences, and the organization of the book makes it easy to navigate in multiple ways depending on readers’ goals. While the intended audience is faculty involved in the design and development of online learning experiences, literacy educators will likely appreciate the many examples Cohn and Greer include related to online writing instruction, as well as the emphasis on User Experience writing strategies. With section outlines opening each of the 11 chapters and “Takeaways” summarizing the key points at the end, enhanced by links throughout the book to relevant information covered in more depth elsewhere, it can be used as a quick reference when searching for specific information or it can be read through as a step-by-step guide.."
Review of Teaching Online for Kindergarten and Primary Teachers: Get Ready for Your Next Online Class. (2023),
by Gregory Michael Adam Macur.
Reviewed by Kenna Grove
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"In Teaching Online for Kindergarten and Primary Teachers: Get Ready for Your Next Online Class (2023), Gregory Michael Adam Macur masterfully crafts a straightforward yet enriching guide for educators on how to navigate online contexts with young students. The text delivers pragmatic guidance for improving student engagement and performance in digital spaces, encompassing a wide range of content from classroom management and instruction to utilizing body language and prioritizing the socioemotional well-being of learners..."
Review of MLA Guide to Digital Literacy, 2nd ed. (2022),
by Ellen C. Carillo.
Reviewed by Moira Connelly
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"In this short, readable guide, Ellen C. Carillo offers students tools to find, produce, and assess digital information. She also offers tools to instructors. At the end of each of the 11 chapters, Carillo provides activities appropriate for in-class group work, reflection paragraphs, discussion posts, or complete essays. The Appendix includes four complete lesson plans cross-referenced with sections of the chapters. Especially for instructors like me, who find that the curriculum of first-year writing is already asked to do too much, these resources would be a manageable way to incorporate teaching on digital literacy..."
Review of The Hidden Inequities in Labor-Based Contract Grading (2021), by Ellen C. Carillo.
Reviewed by Cat Mahaffey
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"The COVID-19 pandemic revealed serious gaps in teaching approaches and practices, including grading schemas that exacerbated inequities across socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic lines. As instructors from K-12 to higher ed found themselves faced with challenges of student mental health, engagement, and access, flexibility became the mantra. While all instructors struggled to meet students’ needs, scholars in online literacy were perhaps better equipped because of their continued focus on ongoing training and attention to accessibility and equity. And this is where Ellen Carillo’s (2021) The Hidden Inequities in Labor-Based Contract Grading emerges as an informative text.. . . . "