What Every Middle School Teacher Should Know: Review

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What Every Middle School Teacher Should Know: ReviewThis book was used as a textbook in a graduate class I just completed. I found the book to include practical ideas and advice, and clear explanations concerning the adolescent. Every middle level teacher and/or teacher of adolescents (5th through 9th graders) should read this book, regardless of how many years they have been in the classroom! The book offers new information and research, and combines this well with the former research on adolescents and how they learn.What Every Middle School Teacher Should Know: OverviewThis important new book describes everything a middle school teacher should know when teaching adolescents.

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21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times Review

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21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times Review
First off, thanks to the authors for writing a book that is applicable to teaching and learning. I've read 6 other books on 21st century skills topics and none have come close to providing models, examples, etc. on teaching and learning. In this book the authors spend less time detailing the changes in our world that are bringing an emphasis on "21st century skills" back to the forefront and more time on defining the skills and a learning framework to be used by educators in assisting students acquisition of these skills. The text details each "21st century skill" with descriptors of what students should be able to do. For educators, this is paramount in designing performance tasks and/or evaluating student performance tasks as actually being a "21st century skill." The authors then provide a learning framework or the "the project learning bicycle" and finish up with good descriptors of system changes to promote the implementation of their ideas. To sum up my thoughts, this is a book written for educational practitioners.
Dee W. Hartt, Ed. D.
21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times OverviewThe new building blocks for learning in a complex world
This important resource introduces a framework for 21st Century learning that maps out the skills needed to survive and thrive in a complex and connected world. 21st Century content includes the basic core subjects of reading, writing, and arithmetic-but also emphasizes global awareness, financial/economic literacy, and health issues. The skills fall into three categories: learning and innovations skills; digital literacy skills; and life and career skills. This book is filled with vignettes, international examples, and classroom samples that help illustrate the framework and provide an exciting view of twenty-first century teaching and learning.
Explores the three main categories of 21st Century Skills: learning and innovations skills; digital literacy skills; and life and career skills
Addresses timely issues such as the rapid advance of technology and increased economic competition
Based on a framework developed by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21)

The book contains aDVD with video clips of classroom teaching. For more information on the book visit www.21stcenturyskillsbook.com.

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In the Mind's Eye Review

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In the Mind's Eye ReviewWest describes the subjects of this book as dyslexic. I have developed a special interest in treating adolescents and adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD) and have never read a clearer or more helpful explanation of how differently the ADD person thinks and processes information from the rest of us (the "Earth People", one of my patients calls the non-ADD persons, since he spent all his undiagnosed life feeling as if he were from another planet). So I chose to read ADD wherever West writes "dyslexia". Be that as it may, and whatever the terminology, it is enormously supportive and helpful to my ADD patients when I explain their observations of their differences in West's terms. There is a poster in my waiting room showing a picture of Einstein, with a reference to how poorly he did in elementary school and the caption: "They said he was a nice enough kid, but no rocket scientist..." West discusses Einstein, and Faraday, and Maxwell, and how they thought differently; what a useful way to understand that not all differences from the norm are inferiorities. For the kid or adult who wonders if she is stupid but is certain she doesn't learn the same way as most of those around her; for the parent who is searching for some way to validate an unhappy child; for the teacher who is struggling to understand the pupil who seems to have brilliant flashes interspersed with an almost stuporous inattention and a talent for intrusion and non sequitors; for the mental health worker who is searching for a model with which to understand these most enigmatic clients; for the skills coach who KNOWS these kids and adults are NOT "lazy, stupid, or crazy", and needs some way of showing this to them... for all these sojourners with the ADD person, this book is enormously helpful and stimulating. I use material from it every day, gratefully.In the Mind's Eye OverviewThe computer-generated information superhighway could launch a new renaissance of creativity for millions of visual thinkers! Some of the greatest minds in politics, science, literature, and the arts experienced undetected learning disabilities that stopped them from assimilating information the same way as their peers. Some of our most original intellects Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Lewis Carroll, and Winston Churchill relied heavily on visual modes of thought, processing information in terms of images instead of words or numbers. In the "Mind's Eye" profiles gifted individuals who used non-traditional methods in their work as it explodes many myths about conventional intelligence and charts new vistas for today's computer visualisation technologies.Thomas G. West examines the learning difficulties experienced by these people and others, and how recent neurological research shows an association between visual talents and verbal difficulties. In the "Mind's Eye" probes new data on dyslexics to see how computers enhance the creative potential of visual thinkers, as well as interactive computer applications to all levels of education and work.Updated with a new preface, epilogue, and expanded notes, this volume could be the clarion call for educators and corporations to mine this untapped resource of highly creative talent in our midst.

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The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 Discovery Book: A Beginner's Guide to Building and Programming Robots Review

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The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 Discovery Book: A Beginner's Guide to Building and Programming Robots ReviewI (a hardware/software developer and radio ham for some 30 years) bought LEGO Mindstorms for my now eight-year-old son last Christmas. Being a LEGO nut since he was old enough not to swallow the pieces, he's had great fun with Mindstorms since then.
But after you've built the models detailed in the Mindstorms kit, where do you go next? The Mindstorms online help is pretty good, but tiresome to read on the screen, and not the best medium for a youngster. The Alpha Rex etc. are impressive but it's hard for a child to try to make his own models of a similar complexity on the basis of the models in the Mindstorms kit. There is a huge gap between copying ready-made models and learning to create real robots from scratch, and Laurens Valk's book fills that gap perfectly.
As "the missing manual", this book thoroughly explains the NXT hardware and NXT-G software, in enough technical detail to satisfy a seasoned programmer like me, but without overloading someone who is completely new to the technology. That is no mean feat!
The building instructions are of a similar quality to those provided in the all-too-slim Mindstorms manual, and my son was able to follow them and the programming instructions with only minimal guidance from me (usually because we hadn't yet read the accompanying text! :-)
Now, there are several ways to approach this book. To get started quickly, you or your child genius can simply follow the detailed building and programming instructions to create any of the eight robots detailed in the book. My son had almost no trouble doing this: in fact, he first went after the more complex models like the Strider featured on the cover, followed by the very impressive Chimney Climber. If, like us, you're new to the LEGO Technic and Mindstorms systems, you'll be surprised how they can be made to do such remarkable things.
The program instructions feature a simplified overview - essentially a flow diagram - that lets you follow the basic structure of the program and learn about loops, "if-then-else" blocks, etc. Your young robotics engineer can learn about the how-and-why of the programs, and gradually improvise to deepen his/her understanding of what the NXT controller is "thinking", and then devise clever ways to change it.
Then there are the challenges, or "discoveries" to use Laurens' word: 87 of them in all. Once we have settled down to reading the book together start-to-finish (give us a chance, we've only had this book for a week!), the discoveries will provide many new paths to explore and consolidate our understanding of robotic systems.
I would have expected to pay three times what Amazon is charging for this book, based on similar books aimed at software developers. At under $20, it is excellent value for money and an essential "NXT" step on any robot designer's path of discovery. Buy it!The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 Discovery Book: A Beginner's Guide to Building and Programming Robots OverviewDiscover the many features of the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 set. The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 Discovery Book is the complete,illustrated, beginner's guide to MINDSTORMS that you've been lookingfor.The crystal clear instructions in the Discovery Book will showyou how to harness the capabilities of the NXT 2.0 set to build andprogram your own robots. Author and robotics instructor Laurens Valkwalks you through the set, showing you how to use its various pieces,and how to use the NXT software to program robots. Interactive tutorials make it easy for you to reach an advanced level of programming as youlearn to build robots that move, monitor sensors, and use advancedprogramming techniques like data wires and variables. You'll build eight increasingly sophisticated robots like the Strider (a six-leggedwalking creature), the CCC (a climbing vehicle), the Hybrid Brick Sorter (a robot that sorts by color and size), and the Snatcher (an autonomous robotic arm). Numerous building and programming challenges throughoutencourage you to think creatively and to apply what you've learned asyou develop the skills essential to creating your own robots.Requirements: One LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 set (#8547)Features
A complete introduction to LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0
Building and programming instructions for eight innovative robots
50 sample programs and 72 programming challenges (ranging from easyto hard) encourage you to explore newly learned programming techniques
15 building challenges expand on the robot designs and help youdevelop ideas for new robots
Who is this book for?This is a perfect introduction for those new to building and programming with the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 set. The book also includes intriguing robot designs and useful programming tips for more seasoned MINDSTORMSbuilders.-

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Designing for Learning: Six Elements in Constructivist Classrooms Review

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Designing for Learning: Six Elements in Constructivist Classrooms ReviewI have just completed a Master of Arts Program in teaching. For my Masters Project I studied the methods and effects of constructivism. An oft stated criticism of constructivist pedagogy is that it is an epistemology and theory that is easier defined than applied. There are a lot of books out there which explain and analyze the theory. These are good to have read before hand in order to truly appreciate what this book accomplshes.
This book takes a deep subject with a rich philosophical foundation and leads the reader through six practical steps of application. The steps are sequenced chapter by chapter as the rationale behind each step is explained. Though it is more about application, it does not neglect the mention of leading theorists; in each chapter there is a "Precedents" section. Dewey, Bruner, Vygotsky and Piaget all get their alloted space. At the end of the book is a resource section which shows examples of a dozen lessons K-12 and how each of the six steps are applied.
The authors recommend reading their book three times, the first time to get a "general understanding", the second time for "reflection", and the third time for "application". It is well worth spending this kind of time because of the difficult nature of constructivist pedagogy and the attacks it suffers from the more objectivist critics.
The practice of constructivism not only instills "book knowledge" of a subject but students acquire a practical working knowledge as well. For example if students were studying electricity it would be the difference between defining a complete circuit and being able to build one. Constructivist teaching focuses on real world practices and applications of knowledge. In a constrcutivist classroom, students create their knowledge with teacher guidance and peer interaction.
Those who attack constructivism complain that it takes too much time resulting in inadaquete coverage of curriculum or that it is carried out poorly with students not learning what they should. There is a balance between constructivist and objectivist practices that can be accomplished; however, that is not the object of this book. This book is a foundational recipe for applying a pedagogy which requires much subject and practitioner expertise.

Designing for Learning: Six Elements in Constructivist Classrooms Overview
Introducing CLD - Constructivist Learning Design - a new and different way of thinking about learning and teaching.


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Using Picture Storybooks to Teach Literary Devices: Recommended Books for Children and Young Adults Volume 3 (Using Picture Books to Teach) Review

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Using Picture Storybooks to Teach Literary Devices: Recommended Books for Children and Young Adults Volume 3 (Using Picture Books to Teach) ReviewThis book is a wonderful tool for teachers and media specialists to use in identifying various titles that demonstrate literary devices, such as alliteration, inference, and imagery. Often one title is shown to demonstrate multiple devices, which can help professionals when working with a limited budget with which to purchase materials. Examples for 41 literary devices are given. The book is very well organized and cross-referenced to provide ease of use. Highly recommended!Using Picture Storybooks to Teach Literary Devices: Recommended Books for Children and Young Adults Volume 3 (Using Picture Books to Teach) Overview

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LeapFrog® Tag Reading System (16 MB) Review

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LeapFrog® Tag Reading System (16 MB) ReviewThere was an article about this toy before it came out in Wired Magazine. It basically interviewed the inventor and peaked my curiosity. So I purchased it. It is an impressive device by any modern day standards. Basically it's a camera that recognizes words and images on specialized paper (the limited series of books that you purchase). Once recognized it plays sound bites or reads the word(s) on the page that you are passing the pen over. It's smartly designed and a child quickly understands how to operate it.
At first it's a game and your child will just want to click on everything to hear the sound bites. As time goes by they start exploring the less than obvious features like read back and games. Before you know it you have a totally transfixed kid. It's great for a long drive and it certainly beats the pants off a dvd. I do believe that this device is positively contributing to my child's learning. I will say that the books vary in quality. I am writing reviews on most of them ; ) so you can follow along if you wish. To start with get Sponge Bob as it is the best of the bunch followed by Kung Fu Panda or Cars.
Last thought if you're still with me. This is a wonderful invention. I do recommend it especially for parent's that are looking for an alternative to TV. I just wish to caution that it is not a substitute for quality reading time with your child so make sure to read to them as well. Overall a great investment.
I hope this review helps.LeapFrog® Tag Reading System (16 MB) OverviewIntroducing Tag Reading System, the revolutionary touch reading system that brings reading to life like never before. Tag engages children to make reading a rich, fulfilling experience. Children simply touch the Tag Reader (which looks like an electronic pen) to the book's pages, and words talk, characters sing and stories fly off the pages.
With a huge library of hardcover books and games including favorite TV, movie and classic tales, each Tag Book allows children to learn at their own pace, building their skills and their confidence. Plus, by connecting the Tag Reader to the online LeapFrog Learning Path, parents can see what their child is learning -- and even receive recommendations on what books their child could read next! Includes Tag Reader, plus the "Ozzie and Mack" Book; additional Tag Books sold separately. Tag Reader requires two "AAA" batteries, not included.

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