Books: hot off the press: ff you're looking for verification of No Child Left Behind's worth, you might want to skip this section. Many of the books chosen, from Reading The Naked Truth to Not With Our Kids, come out swinging against NCLB. (The Top 100).Active Learning Associates 2002 COMPLETE SOURCEBOOK ON CHILDREN'S INTERACTIVE MEDIA www.childrenssoftware.com, $70 Featuring educational software, smart toys, Web sites and videogames, the latest addition of this annual guide has more comprehensive reviews and an expanded analysis of the market. Included are listings of the best teacher-rated products for each subject, grade level and computer platform. In addition, the book contains a directory of nearly 900 children's software publishers and more than 48 print and online stores. Beacon Press This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. IN SCHOOLS WE TRUST: CREATING COMMUNITIES OF LEARNING IN AN ERA OF TESTING AND STANDARDIZATION www.beacon.org, $24 Veteran public education teacher, writer and advocate Deborah Meier Deborah Meier (1931– ) is often considered the founder of the modern small schools movement. After spending several years as a kindergarten teacher in Chicago, Philadelphia and then New York City, in 1974 Meier became the founder and director of the alternative Central Park uses her latest book to argue that schools need to be reinvented. She says schools must establish trust between students and teachers and work harder to include more contact from adults outside the school system. Meier traces how relationships between teachers, administrators and parents can affect the learning culture at a school. She argues against standards and high-stakes testing A high-stakes test is an assessment which has important consequences for the test taker. If the examinee passes the test, then the examinee may receive significant benefits, such as a high school diploma or a license to practice law. , instead offering a blueprint for creating schools where students embrace academic learning while absorbing lessons of good citizenship from the adults around them. Heinemann NOT WITH OUR KIDS YOU DON'T! TEN STRATEGIES TO SAVE OUR SCHOOLS www.heinemann.com, $15 A refreshing book written from a parent's point of view, author Juanita Doyon takes readers through her real-life attempts as a would-be activist. As a parent fighting the pressures that come with standards and accountability, she explains how she fought to change schools, and sometimes succeeded. Called the "roving room mother of the resistance" by Susan Ohanian, Doyon's book explains how to work with the press, education officials and how to use home-baked cookies to your advantage. Recipes included. Heinemann READING THE NAKED TRUTH: LITERACY, LEGISLATION, AND LIES www.heinemann.com, $19 For anybody who's paused as they read the phrase scientifically based research Scientifically based research or SBR is the required standard in professional development and the foundation of academic instruction under the guidelines of No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB).[1] References 1. , this book is for you. Author Gerald Coles dives behind the numbers to show what research there really is about various reading programs, and how this research is flawed, with a specific slam on Verb 1. slam on - apply carelessly; "slap some paint onto the wall" clap on, slap on apply, put on - apply to a surface; "She applied paint to the back of the house"; "Put on make-up!" the National Reading Panel's widely quoted study. Heinemann STUFF THAT WORKS! www.heinemann.com, $17 per volume Stuff That Works./A Technology Curriculum for the Elementary Grades is a five-volume series. Each volume helps teachers plan and implement classroom activities and units organized around how and why a basic technology works. Included are classroom stories, standards connections and suggestions for teachers new to the subject. The guides integrate science, math, social studies, language arts language arts pl.n. The subjects, including reading, spelling, and composition, aimed at developing reading and writing skills, usually taught in elementary and secondary school. and everyday technology. Available titles are: Mechanisms & Other Systems; Packaging & Other Structures; Signs, Symbols and Codes; Designed Environments, and Mapping. Heinemann TESTING AND STANDARDS: A BRIEF ENCYCLOPEDIA www.heinemann.com, $12 At 110 pages and 7"x5", this book is literally small enough to fit in a pocket. It aims to demystify de·mys·ti·fy tr.v. de·mys·ti·fied, de·mys·ti·fy·ing, de·mys·ti·fies To make less mysterious; clarify: an autobiography that demystified the career of an eminent physician. standards lingo Lingo - An animation scripting language. [MacroMind Director V3.0 Interactivity Manual, MacroMind 1991]. while covering the ethics and issues of testing and standards. Author Sandra Wilde provides administrators with facts to challenge policies relating to relating to relate prep → concernant relating to relate prep → bezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc testing and standards that aren't benefiting students. In a series of mini-essays, she helps readers: determine if a state's standards and tests have been well developed; learn how passing scores for state tests are set; and learn how to check whether local newspapers describe test results accurately. K12 Handhelds I01 GREAT EDUCATIONAL USES FOR YOUR HANDHELD COMPUTER A computing device that can be easily held in one hand while the other hand is used to operate it. The Palm devices are a popular example. See Palm, smartphone and palmtop. www.k12handhelds.com, $40 With handhelds finding a home in school districts across the country, this 370-page book should be required reading for administrators. This book covers everything from how to pick the right handheld for your district to explanations of hundreds of Palm OS and Pocket PC applications. The best part lies in the education uses explained, from classroom management ideas to cross-curricular integration strategies to detailed lesson plans. Linworth Publishing DIGITAL CAMERAS IN THE CLASSROOM www.linworth.com, $45 In this book, step-by-step guidelines show how digital images can be an active, experimental part of standards-based instruction. The authors wanted to write about digital photography while researching ideas on increasing classroom productivity via technology. The book gives comprehensive information on selecting and using various cameras as well as downloading, storing and editing pictures. It also includes tips to engage students and lesson plan samples to show how students can solve problems and collaborate. McGraw-Hill OSBORNE'S FLASH MX: VIRTUAL CLASSROOM--WE BRING THE CLASSROOM TO YOU www.mcgrawhill.com, $40 Using its CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). as a big draw, this publication combines a clear, step-by-step approach with simple multimedia tutorials. Users can follow along with the CD-ROM as the author explains and demonstrates techniques written in the book. It allows users to work at their own pace and replay the tutorials as often as needed as needed prn. See prn order. . The author also "speaks" to the user in streaming audio A one-way audio transmission over a data network. It is widely used on the Web as well as company networks to play audio clips and Internet radio. Computers in home networks stream audio (mostly music) to digital media hubs connected to home theaters. , providing clear explanations of the Web page and graphics tools available. 0'Reilly MAC OS X: THE MISSING MANUAL, SECOND EDITION www.oreilly.com, $30 Apple's new Jaguar operating system operating system (OS) Software that controls the operation of a computer, directs the input and output of data, keeps track of files, and controls the processing of computer programs. contains 150 new features and is more customizable than its predecessor, Mac OS X. To help users master these changes, author David Pogue David Pogue (born March 9 1963) is a technology writer, journalist and commentator. He is a personal technology columnist for the New York Times, an Emmy-winning tech correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning, and tech guest reporter for NPR's Morning Edition. has re-written and expanded his earlier manual for Mac OS X. Besides new material on almost every page, there are now chapters on iChat instant messaging Exchanging text messages in real time between two or more people logged into a particular instant messaging (IM) service. Instant messaging is more interactive than e-mail because messages are sent immediately, whereas e-mail messages can be queued up in a mail server for seconds or software, the Web search tool Sherlock 3 and the new Finder--all written in Pogue's humorist hu·mor·ist n. 1. A person with a good sense of humor. 2. A performer or writer of humorous material. humorist Noun a person who speaks or writes in a humorous way style. Peachpit Press THE ROBIN WILLIAMS MAC OS X BOOK: JAGUAR EDITION www.peachpit.com, $30 Readers will learn how and why to take advantage of Mac's multiple-user features, how to use iChat to communicate with others around the world, where all of the popular old features have gone, how to customize the Mac with the System Preferences and more. The author doesn't neglect the basics either. Readers will find logical, easy-to-follow sections on how to complete a variety of everyday tasks: printing, sending email, exchanging files and surfing the Web. Teachers College Press THE VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOL, TEACHING GENERATION V www.teacherscollegepress.com, $20 While the hype surrounding virtual high schools seems to have died down recently, this book is a primer for any officials thinking about incorporating virtual classes into their districts' curriculum. This book is based on a five-year study conducted by SRI International (company) SRI International - One of the world's largest contract research firms. Founded in 1946 in conjuction with Stanford University as the Stanford Research Institute, they later became fully independent and were incorporated as a non-profit organisation under U.S. . It examines the virtual schools that exist, how districts can adopt and create these classes, and the implications that online schooling has for the future of education. Teachers College Press EDUCATIONAL REFORM: A SELF-SCRUTINIZING MEMOIR www.teacherscollegepress.com, $28 In this personally revealing book, author Seymour Sarason draws on his 50 years experience in education reform to discuss issues that affect every district today. Along the way, Sarason touches on charter schools, high stakes High Stakes is a British sitcom starring Richard Wilson that aired in 2001. It was written by Tony Sarchet. The second series remains unaired after the first received a poor reception. testing and the need for teachers to relate differently to each other and to parents. 1. LeapFrog SchoolHouse QUANTUM PAD www.leapfrogschoolhouse.com, Single unit $59, 6-platform set $330 This school-version of the Quantum Pad learning system is designed for students in grades 3 and up. The system is an interactive, multi-sensory learning tool that assists students in continuing reading, language arts and math. The Quantum Pad platform supports the library of interactive books offered by LeapFrog SchoolHouse for upper elementary students. This version is shipped with headphones Head-mounted speakers. Headphones have a strap that rests on top of the head, positioning a pair of speakers over both ears. For listening to music or monitoring live performances and audio tracks, both left and right channels are required. so students can work independently, as well as one set of batteries and an AC adapter Same as power adapter. . 2. Alfred A. Knopf THE LANGUAGE POLICE: HOW PRESSURE GROUPS RESTRICT WHAT STUDENTS LEARN www.randomhouse.com/knopf/, $24 Diane Ravitch's book shines a light on the fairly clandestine textbook adoption procedures, but also lists how various groups from the right and left have stripped books of any thoughts that could be deemed controversial. Women can't be shown cooking dinner, blacks can't be depicted as living in urban areas and older people cannot be portrayed as feeble or dependent because these examples might smack of stereotypes. Ravitch, an education historian and a research professor of education at NYU NYU New York University NYU New York Undercover (TV show) , shows how this country's students are compelled to read insipid texts that have been censored and bowdlerized, issued by publishers who willingly cut controversial material from their books. 3. Beacon Press SCHOOLS THAT DO TOO MUCH: WASTING TIME AND MONEY IN SCHOOLS AND WHAT WE CAN ALL DO ABOUT IT www.beacon.org, $24 Three years after author Etta Kralovec argued for the end of homework, she's back taking on an even bigger target, traditional school schedules and spending. Kralovec, a former teacher and professor of education, argues that budgets and schedules are the first two areas that should be reformed. Using stories from schools around the country, she shows examples where the community offers opportunities in sports, theater and community service, so school can concentrate on academic learning. 4. Wolfram wolfram: see tungsten. Media A NEW KIND OF SCIENCE www.wolframscience.com, $95, including book and CD-ROM A major work from author Stephen Wolfram, this 1,197-page book basically overturns the way we think about the operation of our universe. Wolfram, the acclaimed scientist who left the field to start his own software company, also includes a CD-ROM that can replicate 450 of the very programs he describes in the book. Written with clarity and illustrated by nearly a thousand original pictures, this book "will merit discussion for years to come." says Gregg Sapp, a scientist from SUNY SUNY - State University of New York at Albany. |
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