Teaching Books

I bought and read this book during the last year of my PhD and it gave valuable hints and insight to the academic job search process. I highly recommend it to all the ABD PhDs out there.

I really enjoyed reading this book and it helped me a lot in my job search. The only thing I was disappointed with was the quality of the many sample CVs, Teaching and Research Statements. You simply need to do significantly better to get a good job.

I bought this book at the late stages of my job hunting process, days before my first, phone interview. Therefore, I did not read the first half of the book which has to do with planning the job search and searching (assisted with sample vitas, cover letters, etc. which cover half of this book's pages). My focus was in the interviewing, and later on in the negotiating phases. In that respect, I think that this book is what its title implies: a handbook giving generic guidelines to most of the situtations one might face while interviewing ( covering off-site, conference, phone, on-campus interviews), including a list of possible questions that might be asked. It gives you advise on how to prepare for each type of interview, what to expect, what to wear etc. in a brief manner, something that was very useful for my case, since I had only a few days to prepare for my first, phone interview. I also found some useful points in the "negotiating the job" section. Another aspect I liked about this book was that it covered specific situations such as dual-carrer couples, foreign nationals seeking US employment, etc. The last part of this book covers the "after you take the job" phase, which I plan to read.

Overall, this is a nice handbook, which outlines the basics, but doesn't get into much detail. I had to buy another book and combine information of both to better prepare for my job interviews. Half of the book is covered by sample materials, which I found useless, but given its low price, I would recommend it to anyone seeking for an academic job, as a start-up, quick reference guide, or a complementary book to another, more detailed one.

This book is a useful introduction to the academic job search process. There are some nuggets of gold in it, but mostly, it has generic information that you could probably get from any professor. Things like, write journal papers, attend conferences, read web sites for job postings. The list of potential interview questions is good. Some of the sample cover letters etc. are OK.

So far I've loaned this book to two other fellow grad. students interested in learning about the academic job market. The information is pertinent and interesting, and presented in logical steps. I recommend it.

Since I first saw Alice demonstrated at a small college computer conference, I have remained convinced how innovative it is. Using the pre-existing objects a novice needs only a bit of direction in order to create functioning programs that generate animation. When I obtained a copy of this book I immediately started reading it and working through the programs. The Alice environment is very easy to use, there were very few times when I had to ponder my next move or consult the help.
I am also convinced that Alice is the way in which young people; especially females can be lured into computer science. There is the misperception that computer science is only for math nerds, yet a large number of people use their computer expertise to generate artificial worlds (movies) like those created in Alice.
The Alice development environment is free and is on the CD included with the book. If you want to see the future of computer science and what will lure the next generation into a career in computers, then get this book and experience of power of Alice. It will truly take you to the world of wonderland.

I got the books quickly and in good shape. However, I did not see the Brief Edition explanation. The brief only has 5 of the 10 chapters. If I had seen this I would have ordered the full version.

If you know the ABCs of programming already, this book is useless for you. Alice is soooo simple, it's absolutely easy for you to figure out on your own how each element in Alice works. On the other hand, if you don't know what "Java" or "C++" is, ummm ... buy this book.

Actually, even if you don't know any programming language at all, but are moderately smart, you can figure out how Alice works since Alice has an inbuilt tutorial, which is fairly simple to follow and covers almost everything you need to know in Alice. (The rest 20% that is left out in the tutorial, you can figure out by trial and error.)

I will admit, there are some good definitions in here for the different concepts in programming. However, this is NOT a good way to actually learn Alice.

The exercises are not explained in the text unless they are an extension of the chapter problem. The text teaches very little about how to use Alice. If the Alice interface wasn't so clunky, it would be easy to figure out. None of the examples relate to any of the actual exercises. A case in point is the fish problem in chapter 2. There is no explanation given on how a fish can supposedly "jump" in Alice.

The CD does not include a Mac version of Alice. If the computers being used in a course do not have internet connectivity, this is a problem for Mac users. Also, the index is poor and there is no glossary.

Don't waste your money on this excuse for a programming manual. Get yourself a real textbook on the subject.

"One of Alice's real strengths is that it has been able to make abstract concepts concrete in the eyes of first- time programmers. " - Forward to the book.

I used this book as a textbook in a one-semester introduction to programming course in my high school. I intend to use it again next year. Here is why:

Each chapter begins with a motivational overview of the chapter's topic and end with exercises and projects. Storyboards are used to provide an algorithmic step-by-step description of the example animation. Screenshots of code and visual setting allowed students to recreate and closely follow the covered topic.

Student had their copies of the book open next to their workstations. Throughout the course, they were focused, on task and having fun. This made my experience teaching the course very rewarding. Answers to end of chapter exercises, projects and instructional support material are available to instructors on [..]

With no hesitation I give it 5 stars.
M. Kadri (High School Teacher, New York, NY USA)

The book essentially covers similar topics that were covered in my adult education issues class such as: academic freedom; issues facing higher education in the twenty-first century; the states and federal government and higher education; external factors and their impact; students, colleges and society's interconnectivity; financing higher education; technology and higher education; graduate education and research; and multiculturalism.
The chapter entitled, "Technology and Higher Education: Opportunities and Challenges for the New Era," (P. J. Gumport & M. Chun, 1999), offered a cautious, uncertain view of the future of technology in higher education. Certainly, technology has had an impact already in higher education as a "tool" or delivery mechanism. The social organization and nature of teaching and learning as a profession had certainly been affected by changes in technology. One of the most visible changes has been witnessed in virtual higher education. No longer is distance a hindrance in obtaining a college degree.
The authors' stress that the only prediction that can be confidently made about technology is that is will have an impact on higher education and it will be far-reaching. No single answer is available as many uncontrollable external factors such as societal forces will affect the technological futuristic outcome.
The basic structure of the book was in four parts: "the setting" which covered the dimensions of change in higher education; "external forces" which shape and control higher educational institutions; "the academic community" discusses the profession's changes and stresses; and "central issues for the twenty-first century." Each of the four sections of the book contains several chapters which discusses each general topic with different flavors of expertise.
I believe the editors were successful in their attempt to organize the information and chapters in such a way as to delineate key issues affecting American higher education in the twenty-first century. Each chapter provided a clear and concise representation of the topics listed.
This book was an easy read for students who wish to find out more about particular topics without reading a whole book on each individual subject. The editors selected pertinent topics to higher education that could be read quickly to grasp the general concepts. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on technology and the potential implications for education. I've already witnessed significant change in this area as what was business education, i.e., typing and shorthand has already evolved into the computer applications area. It will be fascinating to see what's ahead on the horizon.

I had to read this for a class, and as text books go, this is a good one. Covered all the major topics involved in higher ed. Easy to read.

Book Review
With the huge technological and societal changes that higher education face today, it seemed a natural choice to review American Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century: Social, Political and Economic Challenges. This book was edited by Philip G. Altbach, Robert O. Berdahl, and Patricia J. Gumport. It was copyrighted in 1999 by The Johns Hopkins University Press from Baltimore, MD. Each chapter is authored by a subject matter expert such as Roger Geiger, TR Mc Connell and Ami Zusman to name a few.
Summary of Contents
American Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century. Social, Political and Economic Challenges addresses key issues facing and testing higher education institutions now and in the future. It explores the impact society has on technology which causes a domino effect touching on political and educational challenges. These challenges promise to be stronger than any issues faced in the history of education. This includes many contributors to the educational process including the new breed of student.
"The student role within American higher education and society is a complex and requires a new epistemology, or way of thinking about that role, which enhances our understanding" (Altbach, Berdahl, and Gumport, 1999). The book goes on to note the importance of understanding the roles and relationship between students, educational institutions, and today's society. Naturally, this ultimately drives the direction and future goals of higher education.
Other entities such as the federal and state governments and business partners will also play a role in determining needs that will drive the direction higher education will take in the future.
These issues, along with a myriad of other areas, promise higher education an interesting and rather demanding and rigorous future.
Organizational Structure
This book was very well organized which supported easy understanding and a solid learning experience. It was broken into four parts, which included:
· Part 1, The Setting: This section discussed background and support information for higher education including a look at the structure, history and key issues facing higher education today.
· Part 2, External Forces: Support partners in higher education are examined in this section. These partners include entities such as the federal government, individual states, legal forces and external business partners.
· Part 3, The Academic Community: Controversial and timely issues are discussed in this section including the challenge of colleges building connects within the communities they support.
· Part 4, Central Issues for the Twenty-first Century: This section discussed some of the hottest topics faced by colleges today including funding, technology, and diversity.
The breakout of these sections clearly helped the reader easily realize some of the most important areas that we need to focus on being associated with higher education now and how society and technology takes us into the future. This is especially important since today's educational setting challenging the traditional settings and looking to enrich and enhance them. In addition, these sections help us to understand the importance of extending the boundaries of teaching (i.e. from the traditional classroom to new technology settings.)
Personal Reaction and Evaluation
"If a college or university is effectively to define its goals and select or invent the means of attaining them, it must have a high degree of substantive autonomy" (Altbach, Berdahl, and Gumport, 1999). This book raised a number of very important viewpoints and issues that higher education face in the future. In order to successfully meet the needs of society, I believe one of the most important points that the book makes is the vital importance of universities maintaining autonomy. Higher education needs to be able to move forward in offering programs that meet the knowledge gaps and educational demands that a rapidly changing technological society promises to offer in the future. Higher education must be able to turn on a dime in order to support this challenge. In this, as well as other avenues, this book was able to bring across, in my opinion, the "must-dos" for higher education in the future. The authors identify "change" as the most complex "must-do." However, it is also the most challenging and, according to the authors dependent on society and technology advances.
Conclusion
In summary, American Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century. Social, Political and Economical Challenges is an excellent source for educators in determining the direction to set in the future. It helped me to identify goals that must be achieved and areas that must be recognized as challenges face us now and for coming generations of students.

References
Altbach, Philip G., Berdahl, Robert O., and Gumport, (1999). American Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century. Social, Political, and Economic Challenges. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

This is one book from the set "What Your Xth Grader Needs to Know" (X = K through 6) edited by Hirsch Jr. I initially purchased the "Second Grader" one for my 7 year old daughter and recently purchased the complete set (since my son will start kindergarten soon). Each book contains American literature, stories/tales from other countries, American and world history, and other knowledge. My daughter enjoys reading from this set of books before her bed time, and I also learnd quite a bit. I highly recommend this set to parents and elementary school teachers.

This is a wonderful book, not only for your children, but for adults as well. I am currently going for my early childhood education degree and I will be taking the GACE exam and this book was recommended to me to help me study. I also have the 1st grade and 2nd grade version of this book...they are also wonderful!!

I learned about this book from the reference list in Beestar Social Studies program (www.beestar.org). Due to the vast differences among schools and teachers in teaching Social Studies, students often received a rather unbalanced treatment of the subject. This book comes as a rescue of the situation. It tells you clearly what your child should know as a fifth grader. My child picked up several important chapters from this book that somehow were never taught by his teacher. And yes the knowledge has been very useful in state tests. I'm very glad that we had this book.

I found this book to be very informative not only for young students, but also as a refresher for adults. As a future instructor, I find this book helpful not only for information, but also for "short and interesting" presentational information. It is short and to the point. I recommend the series (all grades) to everyone involved with students regardless of age. I have obtained four of the series for the age groups that I am working with currently.

I'm a big proponent of Core Knowledge schools since an organized curriculum that sequentially goes from grade to grade is sorely lacking in many public schools today. Too many elementary classrooms are guided simply by what a given teacher is interested in and there is often no consistency even within grade levels in a single school. Core Knowledge maps out a curriculum of what students should be taught during each elementary grade so they have the skills and knowledge educated people commonly possess. The What Your____________ Grader Needs To Know book series by E.D. Hirsch Jr. is the general outline for what is taught in each grade in Core Knowledge. The fifth grade book is very readable for a student of that age but also interesting enough for the parent to be genuinely engaged with the material. Poems and other samples from literature are included along with the math, science, social studies, art and language sections. This can be a useful supplemental book to a child following any curriculum but every parent whose child is in a core knowledge school will want to have access to this book.

I found Todd Whitaker's, "What Great Principals Do Differently: Fifteen Things that Matter Most," to be an extremely helpful book. The book's easy to follow format provides practical advice for any new administrator to use. I found Whitaker's book to be a fast read, and I believe any principal or assistant principal can apply concepts from this book to their daily work. From getting the best performance from staff and students, to creating a positive climate in the building, Whitaker gives many practical pieces of advice. Whitaker's focus on teachers being key to school improvement is an obvious solution often overlooked. I would recommend any new principal reading this book.

Great book, looking to venture into administration soon and was looking for literature to use with potential faculty and staff.

If you have read "What Good Teachers Do Differently' or visa versa don't buy it. It is almost verbatim and a WASTE of money and time.

I could not put this book down. Out of all the educational leadership books I've read, this was a simple read with the most applicable suggestions. It is a resource that I can read over again and get more out of it.

I read his other book What Great Teachers Do differently and enjoyed it. It is a quick read and inspires conversation. As a result, I quickly purchased his other book. Unfortunately, most of the chapters were the same but where it read "teacher" in one book it read "principal" in this one. So obviously I was disappointed that I paid for the same book twice. Pick one book for sure. It is worth it. But not both.

Having a Mary Spirit: Allowing God to Change Us from the Inside Out
I am excited to read this book. It is not about Mary and Martha. It is about how God changes us and we become pliable to His spirit. I have not gotten very far. But so far this book is exciting to read. It is not about being an introvert or an extrovert. Read it and see what God does to you.

So far I've read almost half of the book. It is easy to relate to the author and her illustrations. The read is fun, but convicting! I am excited for God to change my spirit!

This is a wonderful follow up to Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. It has helped each of us in our study grow deeper in our walk with the LORD. The study in the back of the book allows for even more understanding as to what it is we are called to be. Good for a small bible study and personal reflection

Our church gruop is studying this book and we are extremely pleased with the clear and direct approach the writer takes in sharing life experience and God's word. It is very relevant to the lives of women today, trying to balance everyday life and trying to make room for a deepening spiritual life. This would be a good study for any group of Christian women.

I ordered this book for a book club I am in. I am just a few chapters in...and it is absolutely amazing! I love the way Joanna Weaver writes! You feel like you are having a conversation with her! It's a MUST READ!!! Order it today!

The teacher told us to buy This Book... Reading and all that jazz. Every body from the class got it at the school store for $ 70 dollars... I did not want to spend all that money soo I started looking around, and I found it here in Amazon and some other web site almost at the same price. When I made the order they told me that the book would take 5 -9 business day but it came in 2 days... WoW Soooo I actually saved money getting it from Amazon. I really had to get the book...

In the book, "Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary",Marcus Borg explains what the situation, times and daily life was like when Jesus lived. He then goes into the experience of God and Jesus' teachings regarding that knowledge.
I believe that the book helps modern Christians and non-Christians alike to gain a more full understanding of the message of Christ, going to the heart and spiritual dynamic that was intended to show people the true inward path to realizing God.

I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but this book left me flat and somewhat agitated. I couldn't wait to be finished with it. Long winded diatribes, strange presumptions, crazy metaphors, when there was a point to make it took half a chapter to do it, other wise it kind of ambled along begging for somewhere to go. I'm not trying to be unkind, but I still have no clue what this book was about. I had to select 1 star, but I really mean zero stars.

This book is written for people who are not specialists in theology. It introduces readers to up to date knowledge on the gospels. It is well written - not at all "heavy". He talks of two paradigms - two very different ways of seeing Jesus. One is the traditional way of taking the gospel accounts as historically authentic narratives: the other sees Jesus in the light of modern knowledge of biblical literary and historical criticism, of the natural and human sciences, and differentiates between the metaphorical elements in the gospels, and the remembered history.

He gives a brief but very helpful account of the development in biblical scholarship over the past 300 hundred years, the different sources for our knowledge of Jesus, and demonstrates that the gospels were written as part of a developing tradition. He distinguishes between the pre-Easter Jesus, and the post-Easter Jesus - the Jewish teacher of a revolutionary gospel, and the Christ of faith.

His descriptions of how he and other scholars make judgments on what is probably history, and what is more likely to be metaphor, are illuminating for a modern understanding of some of the otherwise perplexing elements of the gospels.

It is helpful to read his account of the social and religious conditions of Galilee and Jerusalem in the life-time of Jesus, with its domination system which oppressed the peasants. Jesus brought to them a challenging message of hope and good news.

Borg explores the ministry of Jesus in rural Galilee, the journey from there to Jerusalem, and finally the confrontation with the Jewish and Roman authorities that led to his crucifixion.

Jesus' message is grounded in the here and now. The kingdom of God that Jesus taught, was, according to Borg, not something focused in the hereafter, but in building a better world in this one. His God is a God of compassion, with a passion for justice, which he illustrated in a variety of ways.

Jesus' methods included his parables, and his one-line memorable sayings. He used metaphor a lot, a vivid poetic way of communicating that challenges, inspires, and changes people.

He was a revolutionary who advocated non-violent resistance in a variety of ways. With dramatic prophetic actions he rode into Jerusalem, and overturned the tables in the Temple, as part of affirming that the kingdom of God challenged the domination system of the empire and its taxation stranglehold on peasant life.

Borg gives his account of why and how he believes the infancy and the resurrection narratives came to be written. As he makes the point more than once, "believe what you like happened at these time, but recognize the powerful truths that metaphors convey". As a historian he treats the most spectacular stories as metaphorical narratives and not as remembered history, but he is sensitive to those who feel insecure with this line of thinking.

This is an important book for those who wish to look afresh at the roots of the Christian way in the gospels, our relationship with Jesus of Nazareth, and the Christ of faith. It is also important to bring readers to an awareness of much modern knowledge of Jesus and his time. Whether you think this reflects or distorts truth, it is important to realize the breadth of modern thinking on this subject.

If you have never read any of Mr. Borg's works, please do yourself a favor and pick up this book. While he has written other books on Jesus, specifically "Meeting Jesus Again For The First Time", this one dives much deeper and provides a rich and detailed study of who Jesus was and what he stands for. Mr. Borg does a great job of explaining his positions and providing definitions for the "big words". The material might be scary for Christians who are founded on literal understandings but can be quite a revelation, as it was for me. The message from Mr. Borg is that while much of Jesus' story might not be literally true, it has a more-than-literal truth that forms a comprehensive (and new for me)basis for an increased level of Christianity and a transformational relationship with God.

Marcus Borg has done it again. He has painted Jesus in the kitschy clothes of a communist radical. There are many interpretations of what Jesus was up to in first century Palestine and Borg, like most of the Jesus Seminarians, seems to think Jesus was trying to start a new movement of radical inclusiveness and self-acceptance instead of being the fulcrum of history which I believe he is.

There is an author named N.T. Wright that Borg coauthored a book with called "The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions." When I read the book I was firmly rooted in Borg's brand of Christianity. I glanced at Wright's work and remember that it was very dense.

Fast forward to this year, I've been reading a lot of Wright and he puts more flesh onto Jesus bones than Borg does.

Borg paints with broad strokes a five point sketch that he's written of in other works. It is interesting but he also considers Jesus an illiterate Jewish peasant when the bible actually speaks of Jesus reading a scroll from the Hebrew Bible.

This current book makes Jesus into a preacher of the social gospel. Which is all well and good but it doesn't address the calling Jesus felt or what he really believed.

I recommend N.T. Wright's "The Challenge of Jesus" for a good counterpoint to this work.

I found this book to be an excellent reference for newer secondary teachers. The book covered not only policies, procedures, rules, etc. that are found in most classroom management books, they also covered important issues such as: constructive communication with students and parents, how-to make cooperative learning a reality in the classroom, and planning and conducting of instruction. I would recommend this book highly. Another book that I bought for secondary level was just a rehash of elementary level classroom management and most of it was fluff - this book is substantive.

The paper of this book is of mediocre quality. I splashed some water on a corner of a page and wiped it immediately; yet the page shriveled and the print faded nearly to illegibility.

The content itself is reasonably organized, but doesn't break any new ground.

This book contains a lot of information that is particularly useful for new teachers. It also provides useful examples of how to best set up and maintain your classroom and students. Great book.

I found this book to help a lot in preparing a behavior management plan. This was an area I felt school was weak in my studies at Georgia State. State has a great program, but this was an area I needed more help at. This book is filled with great examples of how other teachers have handled problem situations. Was worth the money.

This book is written in a common sense manner. The authors take the reader from the planning stage to implementing then they show you how to maintain management in the classroom so that the teacher will have a successful year. The authors also included nice case studies and checklists to better prepare you for the upcoming school year. I definitely recommend this book to all teachers or education majors.