Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts

Fundamentals of Piano Practice Review

Fundamentals of Piano Practice
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Fundamentals of Piano Practice ReviewThis book radically improved my piano playing. I was a good amateur classical guitarist when younger, but did not take up the piano until age 40. I assumed it would be impossible to develop enough technique as an adult to play anything very interesting. I spent 8 years or so banging out Hanon exercises and scales and got nowhere at all musically. With much painful labor I could work through some of the easiest Hayden sonatas at 75% of proper tempo. This book taught me how to practice the piano musically and in about a year and a half all of the Mozart and Hayden sonatas are within range and I am able to play for teachers or friends without falling apart. I no longer creep through scores looking for approachable adagios; I go straight for presto and allegro con brio.
This book clearly shows what's wrong with the way many students and teachers approach piano practice and tells you how to do it efficiently and quickly. Some of the tips I found most helpful were (1) throw Hanon in the trash (2) practice hands apart more than you think you need to (3) whenever you are working on a tricky passage, play it over and over at whatever tempo is relaxed, but end by playing it once very, very slowly (4) start your practice by playing a difficult piece musically without a long warm-up on scales and exercises.
The author sometimes has an idiosyncratic way of looking at things. For example, he suggests that in order to learn to play an Alberti bass very fast you should just realize that playing all notes of the chord simultaeously is the same as playing the Alberti pattern infinitely fast -so all you need to do is slow down a bit from the infinitely fast tempo. Clever, but not really that helpful. In spite of little quirks like that, though, this book can really help.Fundamentals of Piano Practice Overview

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Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed-Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students Review

Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed-Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students
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Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed-Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students ReviewI was browsing through my library's High School/College section and in it I spotted the interesting title and design of the book. I decided to check it out and read it and within reading the first 2 pages I was completely immersed in it. This book is AMAZING. It really gives you a glimpse into these 5 students lives and ALL they have to do and put up with. Its also written very well, the writing is very effective.
The thing is I'm in 8th grade, going to be a freshman next year, and ALREADY I can see these things start to happen. I already see the start and/or development of the tactics that the 5 students do to "survive" in school, the cheating, the copying, and the plagiarism among others. And another thing, like this is really worrisome for me, I mean I can already see myself as an "Eve" clone, studying all the time, having ZERO life, in order to get into an Ivy. But is there ANY other option but to do these things? I don't believe so. It seems like if students don't do all these things they WON'T "succeed" grade-wise in high school and then WON'T get into a good college, won't get high paying jobs and be successful, what kids like the ones described (and I) want to get. It seems like its the only choice. And what are people going to do about it? NOTHING. It would take forever to reform all of our high schools and middle schools and odds are it wouldn't succeed. So are we pretty much just STUCK where we are? Really seems like it, and its pretty bad. I WANT to be engaged in learning and all of those things, but by the look of it, it seems like that won't happen in high school. You never know though, right?
Anyways, this is an EXCEPTIONAL book and everyone should read it (especially anyone with an education related occupation, such as a teacher). I wish more adults read this kind of stuff and were aware of what goes on every weekday from 7 AM to 2 PM at their local (and maybe their kid's) high school. The high schoolers already know. I highly, highly recommend this book.Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed-Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students Overview

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Learning from Las Vegas - Revised Edition: The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form Review

Learning from Las Vegas - Revised Edition: The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form
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Learning from Las Vegas - Revised Edition: The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form ReviewRobert Venturi's study of the Las Vegas signage phenomena and it's impact on "architecture" is brilliant in it's scope. While written almost twenty five years ago, this book gains more and more pertinence as we as a society progress further into a "reality" of symbols, reproductions and representations. These words and thoughts are basically essential to the understanding of any city anymore, not just Las Vegas. Where this book misses the mark though is in the execution, as shown in Venturi's work, of these ideas. The projects put forth seem to pale in comparison to the implications the text actually has. These notions of architecture are by far some of the most relevant and important in modern theory today, it is unfortunate that their full potential could not be realized in these projects.... but maybe that is for you and I to do.Learning from Las Vegas - Revised Edition: The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form Overview

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Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Cultural Liturgies) Review

Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Cultural Liturgies)
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Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Cultural Liturgies) ReviewWhich comes first?
Belief or practice?
Christian worship or a Christian worldview?
In recent years, evangelicals have rightly discerned that many people in our churches lack even a rudimentary understanding of theology and the Bible. Too often, the people sitting in our churches on Sunday do not know what they believe or why.
In response to this problem, leaders have created a number of resources designed to help Christians develop a Christian worldview - a biblical framework for understanding life. I am encouraged by the worldview trend, as I believe it addresses a neglected aspect of evangelical church life.
But James K. A. Smith says that worldview training does not go far enough. In his new book, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Baker, 2009), Smith makes the case that worldview training targets only one aspect of our humanity - the mind. The assumption is this: when we think like Christians, we will then act like Christians. Smith challenges this notion and calls evangelicals to look beyond informational understandings of discipleship to a worship-centered view of discipleship, one that demonstrates how our liturgies form us into the people of God.
The book begins with an excellent question:
"What if education wasn't first and foremost about what we know, but about what we love?" (18).
Smith invites us to see Christian education as formed by worship, not just informed by teaching. Christian discipleship should not be reduced to the transmission of knowledge; true discipleship forms our desires.
Smith begins by challenging the anthropology that casts humans primarily in the role of "thinkers". Instead, Smith believes humans are primarily "lovers" (worshippers). When we over-intellectualize what it means to become a Christian, we wind up with a "bobble-head" Christianity (42). We should realize instead that it is what we desire and love that animates our passion.
Smith also pays attention to other cultural "liturgies." By taking his readers through the cultural liturgy of the shopping mall, the sports arena, the academy, etc., Smith skillfully demonstrates how immersion into these cultures forms our desires and communicates what "the good life" looks like.
"The core claim of this book is that liturgies - whether "sacred" or "secular" - shape and constitute our identities by forming our most fundamental desires and our most basic attunement to the world. In short, liturgies make us certain kinds of people, and what defines us is what we love." (25)
Smith's proposal is very thought-provoking. But I have a few concerns.
My first concern is a personal pet peeve. I dislike seeing Christian writers refer to humans as "animals." Smith uses the description "desiring, imaginative animals" when speaking of humanity. As someone concerned about our culture's diminishing of the uniqueness of human life, I prefer that our terminology better reflect our theology about human value.
Secondly, Smith puts forth too many "either-ors" in this book. One example concerns patriotism. For Smith, there is no complexity when it comes to competing allegiances. It is so black and white that one must choose between God or country. I agree that some evangelicals overemphasize national allegiance, but this problem is not resolved by denying the place of patriotism altogether.
Another example is Smith's downplaying of the role of the intellect. It is one thing to say that worldview is not enough (point taken). But it is quite another to tip the scales in the other direction. Though his picture of "bobble-head" Christians is memorable, I don't think it is the most accurate description of contemporary evangelicals. When considering our lack of biblical knowledge, we might picture instead a bloated body with a shrunken head.
I wish Smith had addressed many of the objections that one could raise. For instance, how does he explain the fact that many people immerse themselves in Christian worship week to week and are still not formed into the image of Christ? How do we deal with this unfortunate reality? Liturgy cannot be the only (or even primary ) answer.
Likewise, in arguing that worship precedes worldview, Smith says that Christians worshipped "before they got around to abstract theologizing or formulating a Christian worldview." (139) True, but their worship was based on common beliefs. Worship eventually propelled them to "abstract theology" about Jesus Christ - his person and work.
For Smith, liturgy births doctrine, rather than doctrine birthing liturgy. I am not convinced that this is the case. The early Christians worshipped because of the truth of the resurrection of Christ. They believed; therefore, they worshipped. In turn, their worship solidifies their belief. There is a synergy between worship and worldview, not a direct cause and effect.
I love high-church liturgy. I am attracted to Smith's call to consider how our worship practices affect our discipleship and formation. I would like nothing more than to go along and say "yes" to everything in this book.
But some of Smith's dichotomies are false, and so while I greatly enjoyed this book, and found it to be one of the most thought-provoking books I read this year, I remain unconvinced that Smith's proposal offers the best answers to the problems in evangelical life.Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Cultural Liturgies) Overview

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The Business of Happiness: 6 Secrets to Extraordinary Success in Life and Work Review

The Business of Happiness: 6 Secrets to Extraordinary Success in Life and Work
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The Business of Happiness: 6 Secrets to Extraordinary Success in Life and Work ReviewAs a 20+ year Caps fan, serial entrepreneur and voracious business book reader, I immediately pre-ordered the book when it was first available...and it was one of the best books I've read this year!
There are 2 main parts to the book. The first starting with Ted's story and the second with the 6 principles outlined and dissected. Following Ted's blog I've read parts of his story but never the whole thing and found this really insightful and inspiring.
I loved the journey and how each new endeavor (business or charitable) lead to more insights and distinctions for Ted towards happiness. Starting with a list of 101 items it was instructive to see how `business-like' Ted started with this journey to happiness or what he thought would make him happy. I really like how he pointed out buying a Ferrari (which was on the list) was like an empty calorie and didn't have much meaning afterwards. But other items on the list had a tremendous impact on his happiness.
The life list is the first of 6 tenets of happiness as identified by Ted. 1) Life list. 2) Multiple Communities of Interest. 3) Finding Outlets for Self-Expression. 4) Gratitude. 5) Giving Back. 6) Higher Calling.
It's a great list to focus on and this was the first business book I've seen to mention "Higher Calling" and "Finding Outlets for Self Expression" to help with your happiness. I love that and totally believe in it!
Ted repeatedly warns readers that `over-indexing' in one facet of your life - business success - prevents you from being happy. It's in the variety and living a full life that happiness occurs as a by-product. And this is certainly a good roadmap for anybody who wants to get there and take a shortcut.
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How to Win at College: Surprising Secrets for Success from the Country's Top Students Review

How to Win at College: Surprising Secrets for Success from the Country's Top Students
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How to Win at College: Surprising Secrets for Success from the Country's Top Students ReviewI wish I'd had this book in college. There seem to be a million breezy, humorous books about college life on the shelves, but they're all about cooking, cleaning, reducing stress and buying futons. This one is better than most at breezy humor, but it gets five stars because it's about COLLEGE: the core tasks of getting good grades, an employable resume, and the critical thinking skills necessary for a richer appreciation of life. My little brother is starting Harvard next year, and I've bought him a copy. Hard to believe the college-survival genre has been around so long and this book is just being published now.How to Win at College: Surprising Secrets for Success from the Country's Top Students Overview

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History Teaching with Moodle 2 Review

History Teaching with Moodle 2
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History Teaching with Moodle 2 ReviewThough the book History Teaching with Moodle 2 by John Mannion is intended for History teachers, educators of other disciplines would also find it useful for creating attractive and interactive courses on Moodle. It serves the purpose of all levels of Moodlers - beginners, intermediate and advanced.

With the help of stepwise instructions and screenshots, this book introduces beginners to the course structure, course format, blocks, forums, wikis, polls, and course administration. It enables beginners create attractive courses, add interactive content and create questions, using quiz module.
Intermediate Moodlers would find this book useful for: recording student's performance and generating a variety of reports using gradebook; creating collaborative learning environments, using database module; blending multimedia resources with questions, using lesson module. Detailed instructions on how to use Audacity enable teachers to record quality audio and chunk audio files to prevent long download time.
This book guides advanced Moodlers through the use of Xerte for creating dynamic and SCORM-compliant uploadable learning objects. It helps teachers create workshops with appropriate settings for workshop introduction and instructions, access control, students work submission, rubric creation with grid layout, and allocating assignments to students for peer-assessment.
Detailed and stepwise instructions, screenshots, exercises and tips help teachers to experiment various modules and features for designing and developing dynamic courses. The best part of the book is, promoting open source software, namely, GIMP, Xerte, and Audacity for creating high quality interactive resources with ease.
But, the book does not detail the new and useful features of Moodle 2.0, namely, Conditional activities for restricting the availability of learning activities and resources to students according to certain conditions; and File picker repository for importing content from external repositories.
In conclusion, this book from Packet Publishing is a useful resource for all levels of Moodlers - beginners, intermediate and advanced, who wish to create visually appealing, interactive and effective learning environment.History Teaching with Moodle 2 Overview

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The Leipzig Connection (Basics in Education) Review

The Leipzig Connection (Basics in Education)
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The Leipzig Connection (Basics in Education) ReviewThis book tells the true and complete story of what happened to our educational system, and how it was ruined by Rockefeller money through the introduction of psychology (and later psychiatry)into the system. Going right along with this destruction there is another very well documented book titled "World Without Cancer" by G. Edward Griffin (an independent researcher not connected with the authors of The Leipzig Connection), which tells how the Rockefellers turned our MEDICAL educational system into a profit center for themselves---a system which promotes drugs (which they make and sell) and surgery, which necessitates the use of their drugs---and away from other more promising avenues. If you want further documentation on the destructive influence of the Rockefellers read Ida Tarbell's famous book "THE HISTORY OF THE STANDARD OIL COMPANY". Then there's "Why Johnny Can't Tell Right From Wrong" by William K. Kilpatrick and "Dumbing Down Our Kids : Why American Children Feel Good About Themselves but Can't Read, Write, or Add" by Charles J. Sykes, both of which detail the depths to which the Rockefeller financed psychological fiddling of our school curriculums has taken us. But essential to a complete understanding of any of the above is an understanding of the story related in "The Leipzig Connection". It really is a must read.The Leipzig Connection (Basics in Education) Overview

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"Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?": A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity Review

Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity
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"Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria": A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity ReviewAs you review all the "reviews" thus far written, you get a sense that Dr. Tatum's book has gotten people thinking and taking stands. I appreciate the straightforwardness with which Tatum introduces her subject -- racism. Sure, we can disagree with her definitions and use of rhetorics. But she made the definition clear and prominent enough so that we can disagree. It is hard to measure oneself by a wishy-washy yard-stick. Tatum provided a solid yard stick by which you may examine your own stance, assumptions, and conclusions. In reading the reviews, especially the critical ones, it struck me that even those who strongly diagreed with Tatum understood her basic premises and her arguments. It is upon that understanding that we can disagree. I applaud the author for clearly laying out her arguments on a controversial issue.
The main strength of the book, to me, is in fact the redefinition of racism. You don't have to agree with it, but you do now need to examine whether a "system of advantage" exists and if it does, whether it should be included in the definition of racism. I am neither white nor black, so I cannot speak of black/white issues in first-person. But I come from a family with four generations of academics. The sytem of school, academia, and education benefits me greatly, and I suit the system particularly through by upbringing. By analogy, I am open to the idea that past explicit systems of racial inequality do not lose its effect in a mere generation or two, especially for the black race. Through my reading, I am questioning and examining my own assumptions as well as that of the author's. To that extent, I think the book is doing its most important job -- make you think.
The weakest point of the book is also in relation to the definition. The author included both internal belief and external system of advantage into her definition of racism, but only spent significant time exploring the system, but not belief. The author talks much about how the environment shapes the individual, but not how the beliefs of an individual (particularly, a black person) can alter the environment and his/her own fate. It places the black individual in a powerless position, except through the path of activism in racial issues. The book largely ignores the reverse stereotypes that many whites feel from the blacks. The book simply does not name it, or implies that it doesn't count as "racism". Whatever the name, minority stereotype of the majority exists, and it should/can be addressed. I am a racial minority, and I hold such stereotypes.
The integration of identity theory with the racial issue is a valiant attempt. Sure it's not perfect, but it is a working hypothesis and I applaud the author's ability to present it in a way that is understanable and arguable.
The weakness of the identity theory presented is the overemphasis that we develop positive self identity only (or at least, first) by "sitting together" with our own kind. By that suggestion, must whites first sit whites during teen years, and rich with rich, poor with poor, woman with woman, man with man, athletes with athletes, nerds with nerds? Sure, that IS a big part of identity forming. The cost of "sitting with your own kind" is that your development gets stuck in a rut. You have few exposures to fresh ideas, ideas that would conflict with each of our narrow and individual views (and thus stimulate you to oppose, assimulate, or digest). Cognitive theories of child development places much emphasis on "cognitive conflict" in conceptual development. Though the author do advocate cross-racial dialogue, it struck me that the author overtly favors within-racial identity development, particularly for the black youth. Perhaps the argument is that blacks are "conflicted" enough by a white society, so they need not seek more. Are the black youth in America so oppressed so as not to be able to reap much benefit from other groups in identity formation? I don't know. I do question the argument "same kind first, and then cross lines" ... My gut feeling is that both should proceed more or less simultaneously.
Each of us, as readers, have our own ongoing identity development in relation to the question of race. The author, through this book, is beginning a cross-racial talk. Her clarity and honesty in the positions she had taken confront our minds, as if a "different" person is suddenly sitting at our lunch table". To that extent, I greatly appreciate the book, even while disagreeing with some ideas, agreeing with some ideas, and still digesting others.
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Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys Review

Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys
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Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys ReviewWhile I think men and the parents of daughters would also benefit from reading this book, I want to emphasize that as a woman and the parent of sons this book has become an invaluable resource for me. The authors made many important points about the male experience that were new to me, or vague, and also gave practical ideas and examples for achieving goals or avoiding conceptual traps.
Kindlon and Thompson begin with the story of Cain, which is immediately disorienting. In a good way. I've always been puzzled about why God was so mad? I believe the fruit Cain offered was beautiful, so why was it of lesser value? I never thought God was fair to Cain, though admittedly Cain did react badly. So immediately you're in the state of mind to question perceptions about males as well as male perception (and reaction).
I didn't find any intellectual oneupsmanship over which gender's got it worse. Instead, I saw: Boys are different, and here's what some of the differences are and why that's so, and how you can deal with that. I feel much better prepared for the many talks I hope I'll have with my children over the years. Important talks that I want to be transformative rather than reactionary or alienating.
This isn't just a book for the parents of adolescent boys, either. The authors make the point many times that giving boys an emotional education is imperative -- teaching them to recognize various emotions as physical cues and with emotional consequences. More importantly, the authors then cite cases from their clinical backgrounds and make down-to-earth suggestions about what to do to catch these problems and help our children. Young boys will benefit from your early introduction of these principles, including: giving a boy an emotional education and letting him have an inner life; recognizing that boys have a higher activity level (amen!) -- and accepting it; communicating with boys in a direct and respectful way, and enlisting them as problem solvers; using discipline that is instructive and fair rather than harsh and crushing; teaching a boy that there are many ways to be a man.
This is a plausible theory informed by clinical experience, but most of all it is a catalog of simple actions that may make a huge difference in your sons' lives. Andrew Vachss' Another Chance to Get It Right, says these things so eloquently. Every day the collective experience of the world is the sum of the choices each of us makes individually. We decide whether to be lazy parents and raise mediocre adults, or do we try to make a golden age, populated by mature, happy adults who have the knowledge and the will to make the world a better place in their turn? Every day you decide whether to spank or to reason, to pressure or to embrace, to train or to teach, to saddle them with our baggage or let them be. Let Vachss' book motivate you and this book instruct you. You and your children will be the better for it.
Well-written, insightful, transformative.Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys Overview

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High-Tech Teaching Success A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Innovative Technology in Your Classroom Review

High-Tech Teaching Success A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Innovative Technology in Your Classroom
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High-Tech Teaching Success A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Innovative Technology in Your Classroom ReviewHigh-Tech Teaching Success tells teachers how to bring technology into the classroom, offering keys to using Google Earth, blogs, digital diaries, Facebook and other popular online sites in the teaching process. From classroom web sites to digital teaching, this is an excellent review of how technological opportunities can integrate into any classroom teacher's objectives.
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Moodle 1.9 E-Learning Course Development: A complete guide to successful learning using Moodle Review

Moodle 1.9 E-Learning Course Development: A complete guide to successful learning using Moodle
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Moodle 1.9 E-Learning Course Development: A complete guide to successful learning using Moodle ReviewI opened my copy of Moodle 1.9 E-Learning Course Development by William Rice with a high expectation that it would be an informative and practical reference text. Why? I was about to upgrade to Moodle 1.9. Did it meet my expectations?
Now read on...
Using open source software can be a daunting experience, regardless of your technical or business experience, and this text's purpose is to shorten users' path to competency in the application. Broadly speaking, the text covers four Moodle-related activities:
* Installing and configuring Moodle 1.9
* E-Learning course development and delivery
* E-Learning course management
* Moodle administration and maintenance
The author assumes zero previous knowledge of the application, and Moodle 1.9 E-Learning Course Developmentbegins by describing Moodle's Social-Constructionist approach to learning, before bringing the reader on a whistle-stop tour of Moodle 1.9's features and functionality- a very good idea indeed, as this goes some way to providing an understanding of why Moodle 1.9 looks and works the way it does for newcomers, acts as a pertinent reminder for experienced Moodlers, and sets the context for the course creation sections later in the book.
The book is structured in a logical and linear fashion: the author aims to guide you through the full application implementation and course development process. The text seems to be aimed primarily at teachers and trainers and the author spends the majority of the manual discussing - in detail and very effectively - the processes, "how-to's" and "gotchas" of using Moodle from a teaching and training perspective. I must point out that something strange must have happened during the editing process of the book, as there's some glaring typos (and even a whole word omitted from the back cover of the text) which are a distraction, but do not deter from the usability of the manual.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, this book was my companion through a recent upgrade from Moodle 1.6 to 1.9, and it did not let me down. As an experienced Moodle user, I used the book very much as a "just enough, just in time" resource rather than as an end-to-end guide through the application. My experience was that the text works very well when used in this fashion. Some other positive aspects of my "user experience" of the text included the author's accessible and direct writing style and use of web-based resources like a downloadable Moodle Project Plan. In my view this text is a straightforward and reliable companion for those who seek to find out more about - and use - Moodle 1.9.
Moodle 1.9 E-Learning Course Development: A complete guide to successful learning using Moodle Overview

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Empower English Language Learners With Tools From the Web Review

Empower English Language Learners With Tools From the Web
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Empower English Language Learners With Tools From the Web ReviewLori Langer de Ramirez's EMPOWER ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS WITH TOOLS FROM THE WEB shows how web 2.0 tools can help English language learning, and comes from a nationally known expert on ESL teaching and curriculum development. Classroom strategies explored here provide step-by-step guidelines for using a range of Web tools and activities and make for a powerful survey.
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Using Moodle: Teaching with the Popular Open Source Course Management System Review

Using Moodle: Teaching with the Popular Open Source Course Management System
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Using Moodle: Teaching with the Popular Open Source Course Management System ReviewThis is an excellent book for a teacher who would like to know a little bit more about Moodle. The teacher does not need to know much about course management software. This book gives a great overview, with examples, while not getting caught up in the technical details.
For example the Lesson module section starts off with non-Moodle classroom story told by Jason. Then the chapter gives a short overview and talks about the different features of Lesson. There are a couple of inserts on tips and examples of how a feature could be used. Plus a few screen shots.
If you are looking for examples of GIFT or XML formats, then this is not the book for you. On the other hand, after reading the Lesson and Quiz chapters, the potential teacher will know that these are a few of the question formats that can be imported into Moodle.
Moodle documentation and on-line forums are great resources but are not designed for the non-user or really new user. This book will help a teacher ask or find more information about what they want to do in their course. It is "Moodle 101 : An Introduction to teaching with Moodle."
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Leading 21st-Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement Review

Leading 21st-Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement
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Leading 21st-Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement ReviewI read this book for as required reading for an Instructional Technology Leadership graduate class that I am enrolled in. As a future elementary special education teacher, this is not a book that I would typically seek out. However, I think this book is possibly more useful for an individual like myself, than someone who is already a technology leader or the educator with a technologically oriented mindset. The book is well organized and easily accessable even for someone like myself with limited tehcnological expertise.
The book is divided into three sections. The first section is dedicated to presenting information on why it is so important to move towards a more technologically focused education system. The second section concentrates on what can and should be included in this new vision of education. This section strongly emphasises the great potential that the Web 2.0 tools has for educators and students. The final section presents topics relating to the practical considerations involved in being a leader int the 21st Century school.
The book makes a strong case for the importance of changing the focus of the traditional school to include 21st Century skills and technologies. More importantly, the book includes tools, and several real examples to assist the educators who want to play a part in leading their schools in this direction. I often felt mildly inspired and strongly motivated by the examples that the authors presented. I found my mind racing to find ways to implement the tools and strategies in a special education setting. I look forward to using this information in my education career.Leading 21st-Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for Engagement and Achievement Overview

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Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age Review

Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age
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Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age ReviewReinventing Project based learning by Susie Boss and Jane Krauss is a well organized compendium of journalism and communication on the leading edge of current technology trends. They have used the most current Web 2.0 trends of communication and collaboration on the web. The book is a great snapshot in time of the current web development state. It appears that the authors believe authentic learning happens when you examine your ideas from all sides and from other points of view. New tools like Blogs, flikr, skype, wikis, and del.icio.us that support reflection and collaboration, give learners the opportunity to shape and revise their work, and expose the work to the analytical feedback of other people. The main direction of the book seems to be to collaboratively create knowledge with others. The content is divided up as follows.
SECTION I Anticipation
*Chapter 1 Mapping the Journey--Seeing the Big Picture
*Assess your readiness to begin teaching with technology-rich, authentic projects.
*Technology Focus: Social Bookmarking
*Chapter 2 Creating a Professional Learning Community
*Engage with colleagues, near or far, to build collaboration into project design and enrich your teaching practices.
*Technology Focus: Online Communities
SECTION II Packing Up
*Chapter 3 Imagining the Possibilities
*Establish the conceptual framework for your project. Why do "big ideas" matter in project design?
*Technology Focus: Why Use a Wiki?
*Technology Focus: Essential Learning with of Digital Tools, the Internet, and Web 2.0
Chapter 4 Strategies for Discovery
*How do you begin designing a project? A guided design process helps, whether you build a project from scratch or adapt an existing project plan to meet your needs.
*Technology Focus: Track Assets Online
*Chapter 5 Project Management Strategies for Teachers and Learners
*Teachers and learners alike benefit from improving their project management skills.
*Technology Focus: Project Management with Technology
SECTION III Navigating the Learning Experience
*Chapter 6 Project Launch--Implementation Strategies
*Get your project off to the right start by generating curiosity and preparing students for the active learning ahead.
*Technology Focus: Screencasting
*Chapter 7 A Guiding Hand--Keeping a Project Moving
*Consider the critical roles of classroom discussions, technology use, and troubleshooting strategies in keeping the project moving forward.
*Technology Focus: Podcasting
SECTION IV Expanding Your Circle
*Chapter 8 Building Connections and Branching Out
*Successful projects may take off in directions you did not anticipate.
*Imagine the possibilities for extensions and connections.
*Technology Focus: Online Collaboration
*Chapter 9 Making Assessment Meaningful
*Near the end of the project, you put your formal assessment plan to use.
*With 21st-century projects, teachers are incorporating new approaches to make assessment more meaningful.
*Technology Focus: Online Grade Books
*Chapter 10 Celebrating and Reflecting
*Culminating activities remind learners of where they have been and what they have gained along the way.
*Technology Focus: Photo Sharing
SECTION V Unpacking
*Chapter 11 Bringing It Home
*Build time for reflection and sharing into the project life cycle to make the most of your investment in meaningful curriculum design.
Have I found the book useful? Probably not, as it is not as much about project-based learning as I had hoped. It is more about communication and collaboration and current learning trends than it is about project-based learning. It is however, a wonderful book and a must read for anyone trying to get up to speed in our web dependent world. Read this book now, as it will be out of style after a few years.
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Moodle Teaching Techniques: Creative Ways to Use Moodle for Constructing Online Learning Solutions Review

Moodle Teaching Techniques: Creative Ways to Use Moodle for Constructing Online Learning Solutions
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Moodle Teaching Techniques: Creative Ways to Use Moodle for Constructing Online Learning Solutions ReviewWilliam Rice, in Moodle Teaching Techniques, has created a resource that goes beyond the basic "keystroke and click directions" provided by many introductory manuals. Rice provides a variety of practical suggestions for teachers and trainers and avoids the discussion of technical issues which are often irrelevant to Moodle course creators.
The book begins by introducing the instructional principles he uses as the basis for the ideas and activities shared throughout the book. Those without formal educational training will find these few pages informative and helpful, while those with an instructional design or educational background benefit from a reinforcement of those principles we learned, but sometimes forget when the development begins. For example, Rice discusses the value of forums and collaboration among course participants, an important element in good course design, but one which is lacking in many Moodle courses. I was pleased to see this principle reinforced and think it is helpful for readers to be reminded.
The core of the book consists of chapters dedicated to various Moodle tools and specific applications; all presented with the expectation that the reader is familiar with Moodle basics. As I started reading, I was skeptical that Rice was going to present any unique ideas that I had not seen or thought of before--I've been using Moodle for over four years and have worked with hundreds of schools, companies, and organizations through which I've heard many interesting and unusual ideas for the implementation of Moodle activities. As I read, however, I found some ideas that really made me think again about how I had been doing things. In some cases, there was new information that I didn't realize was useful until after the fact. For instance, there are several pages dedicated to network or IP addresses as they relate to proctoring quizzes. As I read the information, I thought initially that too much space was dedicated to the concept; thinking that most readers would contact their network director or that they would know the information themselves. A few days later though, as I was conducting a training and discussing IP addresses, I realized that the information I picked up made me aware of some nuances surrounding proctored quizzes and activity tracking that I had not considered before.
In addition to the ideas Rice presents for the application of the various modules, one of the biggest strengths of the book is that he includes instructions for "real" teacher tasks. Readers will find one section of the book dedicated to tracking participant activity, which is a skill that many teachers and trainers will utilize. Rice mentions using everything from the activity logs to course reports to see what learners are doing. The book also addresses more obscure, under-used features such as splitting forums, using groups and custom scales. Rice hit the mark here in identifying these more advanced topics as being especially valuable.
The other feature that will benefit readers is that Rice presents the "why" behind his choices. For example, he explains his selection of a forum over a wiki for one activity. In another section, he explains why he would use a wiki instead of an assignment, blog, forum, or journal. In my experience, course creators do not struggle as much with which button to click, but rather more in deciding which tool is best for a specific learning activity. Rice's explanations provide the reader insight to help guide them through those decision-making processes.
While Moodle Teaching Techniques is a valuable resource for Moodle users, there are some caveats that should be mentioned. First, as Moodle 1.9 is released later this month, I recognize that many readers will be looking for information to help them make the transition. Though this book makes mention of being based on 1.9, it is really based on 1.8 functionality. For most of the content, the version is not significant as the information is true for both 1.8 and 1.9 and the book is more about big ideas than buttons. However, there are a few pages that mention groups and the gradebook, both of which have seen large changes in 1.9. The good news is that the suggestions still apply and the functionality exists in both 1.8 and 1.9, but the steps will be a bit different. In the case of the gradebook example, the reader will likely have to spend some time finding their own solution to the suggested implementation.
Aside from the version difference, my only other complaint is that while Rice professed that this book was not going to go step-by-step and was going to make some assumptions about prior knowledge, it seemed a bit inconsistent. In many places the instructions were detailed and very clear; I had no doubts that even a fairly novice Moodle user would be able to follow along. In other places though, I found myself wanting more information. For example, the lesson and the workshop are pretty complex tools and while the information presented was helpful, it could have been more so. While Rice generally follows his premise throughout the book, the lesson and workshop are tools that many people struggle with and readers may have benefited from a bit more detail about them.
Despite these minor complaints, I recommend this book without reservation. Moodle Teaching Techniques is a great companion resource to other more basic Moodle texts and manuals and provides many ideas to help teachers and trainers take their Moodle courses to the next level.Moodle Teaching Techniques: Creative Ways to Use Moodle for Constructing Online Learning Solutions Overview

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Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools Review

Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools
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Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools ReviewPeople no longer just search for information on the web. Now they provide information, too. These people include our students. The world has changed; students have changed, and traditional schools are no longer up to the task of educating young people for the future.
This is the argument of the book Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools. Although we're still in the early days of bringing together education and Web 2.0, there are good models of learning and technology use that point us in the right direction.
The authors provide examples of teachers who have guided their students to use Web 2.0 tools in creating a collaborative math solutions manual, an independent literature circle project, a collaborative guidebook about online security, for example.
Solomon and Schrum observe that, although young people may be ahead of their teachers in using these tools, teachers can help them use the tools in educationally appropriate ways.Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools Overview

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The Digital Writing Workshop Review

The Digital Writing Workshop
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The Digital Writing Workshop ReviewThis is the book that every English teacher in America should be reading. Troy Hicks takes the traditional writer's workshop, introduced by well-known educators, such as, Donald Graves and Nancie Atwell, and reinvents it to include the all important digital element.
On page 5, Hicks discusses the purpose of his book, which relates to the obvious changes in technology; he explains how to create a writing workshop that goes beyond paper and pencil to implement a workshop that emphasizes 21st Century skills. Hicks addresses RSS, blogs, wikis, and podcasts, and he provides a companion website to support the book at the Digital Writing Workshop Ning.
I love that Hicks discusses how to introduce NPR's This I Believe series into the classroom. His ideas, thoughts, and rubrics are more than enough reason to buy this book. If your high school is not implementing this writing assignment at some level in your school, I highly suggest that you visit the website and buy Hick's book to discover why it is a keeper.
The most important element that Hicks brings up is on page 104 when he discusses why we are missing the point when we assign digital projects as assignments. Is the font, the colors, or even the number of slides used, make a project relevant? None of this really assesses whether a student can effectively create a worthy digital product. As an English teacher who understands that digital elements and images are connected to words on a deeper level than just using the required number of pictures in the slides, I know this is true, but assessing and creating a rubric is difficult. The Digital Writing Workshop demonstrates not only how to use new technologies, but also provides teachers with charts of effective digital writing. If you have just purchased this book, turn to page 115 to figure 6.2 to see what I mean.
I have used wikis and nings with my students, but this is the first year I have ventured into letting my students support their own personal blog. Hicks created a Blogger's Matrix that includes assessments for teachers to use with student bloggers in the classroom. I plan to incorporate these assessments into my classroom.
I was excited to find a book called The Digital Writing Workshop. The title alone inspired me, and I knew that this would be a book that would be an invaluable resource in my classroom.The Digital Writing Workshop Overview

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Moodle For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) Review

Moodle For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
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Moodle For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) ReviewDisclosure: I write and review Moodle books for Packt Publishing. However, I bought this book myself from Amazon.co.uk so this is an objective review by a reader who paid her own way :)
Its Big Plus: it is much cheaper than the Packt series of Moodle books and, as with all Dummies books, I presume it will be available in stores in the Real World rather than POD (I bought mine from Amazon.co.u. where it was not much more than GBP£10) Its big Minus: it is written for 1.9 and although as the author says, much of the content is transferable, there are some significant differences and major additions that it lacks.
If you want to skip to the conclusion: this is a helpful book, written in a easy to read style. The book is divided up into five sections: Getting Started with Moodle where we consider course layout and enrolment; Creating and Managing Course Content , which is mainly static resources including multimedia and the gradebook; Adding Activities - as you'd expect! followed by Moodle Management and then The Parts of Tens, which fifth section is mainly ideas and suggestions for engaging your learners and keeping them involved.
Each chapter is fully illustrated with clear screenshots and explanatory tables and I cannot praise enough the author's personable style. Having read and reviewed a fair number of Moodle books now, it is increasingly apparent to me that it's difficult to strike a balance between Moodle for admins and Moodle for teachers. If your book IS for Admins or specifically for teachers, then that's fine - but some books, such as Wm Rice's E Learning Course Development (which is being revised for 2.0 ) and indeed my own Moodle 2.0 First Look try to cover both aspects, and it's not at all straightforward. You have to be careful if you are an admin and also a teacher that you don't confuse teacher readers by lettting them think they have more admin rights than they actually do (this was a criticism of the Wm Rice book which I think will be redressed) On the other hand, if you are an admin reading the book, then you will want to know about server issues, bulk user upload, site backup/upgrading etc and not feel sidelined by pedagogical discussions. My own criticism of my own Moodle 2.0 book is that it didn't cover those admin issues in enough detail. Radana's balancing act is a good one as she frequently points readers to the section of admin/teacher that applies to them or to the moodle docs. (Actually, the docs have been altered in the last day, so I presume her links will now redirect to the 2.0 docs) If there is a bias, I feel it is towards the teacher side of Moodle - and that's no bad thing. While the reader is told how they can get hold of a Moodle, there aren't detailed instructions on setting up your own - I reckon, possibly if you are a potential admin with your own server and knowledge of PHP and MySQL, then you probably won't be reading a Dummies book. On the other hand, if you want a quick, no-nonsense intro to Moodle's many activities then this book is very readable.
The first couple of chapters deal with the definitions of CMS. LMS, VLE, LCMS etc and also - to my interest- how to understand our learners and their generational differences. We're in the territory of Digital Natives vs Digital Immigrants here - and, courtesy of Radana, I now know that I am a Digital Immigrant Baby Boomer II whereas my children are Digital Natives Generation Y After busting some Moodle myths, we get on to setting up a course, enrolling users and managing groups. I'd have liked to have metacourses explained here, and also groupings as I think groupings is a very valuable feature especially if you have several groups in one course and you don't want them to see each other's work. Chapters 5 to 7 cover creating content mainly from the "add a resource" drop down, the HMTL editor and also choice and surveys. A section on multimedia is followed by a handy look in at Moodle's gradebook, although again, while the reader is shown how to add new scales, they are not introduced to outcomes and yet I am finding outcomes (criteria/goals/competencies, whatever you call them) are increasingly popular.
The book really comes into its own in the third section where, from chapters 8 to 12 we are taken through Moodle's many activity modules. Radana makes even the highly complex Lesson module accessible to all. Neither the workshop nor the HotPot module is covered here and I think that was a justifiable decision by Radana because in 1.9 the workshop, while usable, wasn't really recommended in its previous state. It's come back with a vengeance in 2.0 though. HotPotatoes was standard in 1.9 but with its eye closed and in 2.0 it has been moved to contrib. (It's still great!!)
If there was a weak area, I would say it was (similar to mine) in the Moodle Management section, Chapter 13 on admin. I felt it was an all too brief run through the admin settings with the occasional inaccuracy and confusion. For instance, if your Moodle front page is your showcase then you need to know more about managing Site Files than you learn here. Additionally, one of the most frequently asked questions on the moodle.org forums is missing - how to get a space in the middle of your front page to add images and wording (tick "include a topic section" in front page settings) That said, the emphasis is definitely on the individual course manager and his/her course, and Chapter 14 is a useful resource for those many readers with that role. The strength of the book lies in its style and the fact that it is written by an educator heavily involved in elearning, keen to link pedagogy to practice.
Not being familiar with the Dummies series, I wasn't aware until I read it that the final part of the book The Part of Tens is meant to include the little extras that don't fit in elsewhere. What a good idea! I enjoyed this - ten questions to ask before creating your course and ten ways to keep your learners involved.
In conclusion then -if you are a techie you might find the book lacking in some areas (which might be filled by Alex Buchner's Moodle Admin soon also available in a 2.o flavour.) However, if you are new to Moodle 1.9 then this book is written in an approachable way, especially if you are a relatively non -technical person "saddled" with admin but mainly focused on using it with your learners. Let's hope there will be a 2.0 version.Moodle For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) Overview

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