An "education" for 2012
583194
Not since Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation Of ... Have i been able to not only listen to a full cd of an artist, but listen, get excited to what's next, and listen again for what i may have missed during the previous spin through. Estelle mixes many different styles of R&B,  and yet sounds and feels comfortable no matter what the mood, or song subject is. this one's got my vote for album of 2012
3534727
Don't be misled by the title of this book; 2012 actually refers not just to one year, but a range of years going to 2020 and even beyond and is consistent with the Mayan calendar.  While many interpreted the Mayan prophesy incorrectly to mean the end of time, this book corrects that misinterpretation.

The author,Walter Shelbourne, has impressive credentials.  He was trained as a philosopher, but is also an intuitive, clairvoyant. and channeler.  This is a short book; an easy read that is filled with rich material befitting a book twice or three times its length.

While reassuring us early on that we should not be fearful of the 2012 prophesy, he prepares us for the existential issues that lie ahead.  Our society can expect enormous upheavals having to do with our fossil fuel dependency, climate change, scarce resources, and even culture clash.  He notes that we, as a people, are experiencing greater intelligence and spiritual awakening now and that we will need every bit of it for weathering the existential storms ahead.

Extreme political conservatives, religious fundamentalists, and Tea Party republicans beware, Shelbourne resides firmly in the progressive camp.  And he is not hesitant in his support of those principles.

While being quite emphatic in his interpretations and recommendations, the author is not preachy and everything he sets out is meticulously researched.
Again, the amount of significant material packed into this short and easily digested book is quite amazing.

I highly recommend this book to anyone concerned with where we are headed as a society.
3518448
Teaching With the Tools Kids Really Use: Learning With Web and Mobile Technologies was published in 2010. The book was written by Susan Brooks-Young who spent more than 23 years as a prekindergarten through Grade 8 teacher, site administrator, and technology specialist at a county office of education, as it says on the About the Author page (Brooks-Young, xi, 2010). The author begins by introducing 21st Century Skills, which has become a common term among educators. Then she delineates three mobile technologies, cell phones, MP3 players, and netbooks, and five web technologies, social networks, virtual worlds, creating online writing content, creating online image content, and gaming, that can be used in schools to enhance instruction and teach 21st Century Skills. Each one has its own section that includes an introduction of the technology and how it is used in society in general, common objections to the use of the technology in schools, how and why those viewpoints began to change, and strategies for using the technology in the classroom.

As I was reading, I realized that the technology the author talks about is a little outdated. A red flag went up in my mind when I read, Currently, 20% of teens who have cell phones are using smart phones, but marketers are betting that this is just the beginning (Brooks-Young, 16, 2010). Thats when I looked to find out the book was published in 2010. It doesnt seem like 2010 was that long ago, but in the world of educational technology, thats pretty old! Regardless, a lot of the books content is still applicable. In fact, many of its predictions have come true. Teachers do have students use their cell phones in class to answer polls and questions. Another suggestion made in the book is to have students create social network profiles for literary and historical characters, which I had already heard before, so it is somewhat popular. Finally, at the end of the book,

The themes of the book are also applicable to technology integration today. Firstly, despite societal resistance the use of technology in schools, teachers can find and have found innovative ways to integrate teen culture into school and use it for education. The purpose of school (one of them, at least) is to acclimate young people to society and to teach them how to function productively and effectively. So it makes sense that we should use the tools that are available in the real world to accomplish that goal. Also, views about the use of technology in schools are changing and it is becoming much more accepted. But the most important theme is that technology alone cannot improve teaching practices. It takes hard work and planning by a good teacher to make it work, and it is definitely worth the effort.

As Ive mentioned this book is a little dated, but the ideas in it are still good. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for an introduction to the idea of using technology in the classroom. However, for any educator that already has an understanding of educational technology and is looking for something more, I would suggest trying to find a more recent account.
466744
This is a stylized educational video that is different from the norm. The information is terrific, albeit, the audio is the somewhat weak link in an otherwise, overall, strong production.
3260728
There's plenty of good info here.  It's advisable that the purchaser of this book have a keen interest in education from the onset.  If you believe there are big problems in the whole field of education, this book will provide substance for those beliefs.
1147503
There is enough information in the program, like a year at college.  It shows how we got this far along because a handful of people,most of which we never heard of got us this far along.
4212448
This is a collection of well-researched articles on topics related to contemporary education in response to the social and political changes that are causing uncertainty among educators, parents and the general public. Among the topics dealt with are aims of education, progressive ideas on education, reforming teacher training, the overproduction of college graduates, Christian education, equality of educational opportunity, family education, schools and school reform. The examples are generally from Germany and Austria, but the principles applied are widely applicable and can easily be related to problems in contemporary American education or education in other countries. Many ideas that were self-evident only a few years ago are sometimes the topic of heated discussion today. Indeed, some parents are choosing to home school their children rather than expose them to public schools. Thus, the author supports the view that there should be a basic set of value attitudes shared by all citizens and taught in the schools. This is an answer, among other things, to the problems or issues of diversity, multi-culturalism, civics education and the treatment of national history in schools. As well, parents need support by a community of belief that can strengthen and orient them in the education of their children in matters of sexual ethics, community spirit, patriotism, social relations, work ethics. Matters of gender identity are not explicitly dealt with, but there is relevance and applicability of the principles of citizenship and morals in society. The claim that progressive emancipatory education is a valuable and useful basic concept is scrutinized and found wanting. The author also disposes of the idea that all children should be prepared for university training, whereas there are not enough jobs for university trained graduates, and a dual-system such as used in Germany or Switzerland would prepare many students realistically for the jobs available for their level of talent. Also, the idea that all students are capable of learning anything is exposed as misguided and contrary to the different interests of students. Teacher training is also an issue that the author discusses in a practical and realistic manner. Future teachers should not be trained as researchers or intellectuals, but rather prepared to actually provide the help that students in schools can benefit from. The question of religious instruction in schools and how schools can do justice to the different attitudes toward faith of different parents is also dealt with sensibly and insightfully. The book is written in a clear and logical style which is easy to follow and easy to absorb. The translation from the original German is true to the text but nevertheless idiomatic and uncomplicated. Thus I think that many readers would benefit from reading the text. Some may be interested in learning about European education, others may want educational guidance from a conservative perspective on the family, schools and the community. The author is a well-known scholar in Europe and has also published several valuable texts in English.
4614129
Jeffrey J. Selingo describes the current state of higher education and what some innovative institutions are doing about it. It is a book about possibilities and sparks engagement with models for change that improve access, cost and value of education in an age when degrees seem out of reach for many.
3182011
Although this book's suggested readership group consists of those in the 8-12 age range, I think it will be of interest to anyone else - regardless of age -- who has an interest in the information provided about a remarkably diverse range of subjects. The material is organized within 28 sections that begin with a "News Recap" (i.e. of highlights in 2007 in 2008) and proceeds from Animals (e.g. "Animal Facts: Weird but True") through Movies and TV (e.g. "Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards") to What's Next? (i.e. "a few of the wondrous inventions and trends that will greet us in the near future"). The lively and informative 243-page narrative is supplemented by more than 700 photographs, maps, charts, and other illustrations.

As is true of most other almanacs, this is a volume in which to roam rather than read from beginning to end. Think of it as a marketplace for information on prominent display at 28 different "booths." Pause to examine what attracts the eye, then move on. Come back again in a week or a month. Curious minds will find answers to questions such as these:

1. What are the three major reasons that animals communicate? How do they do so?
2. How do various systems in the human body work?
3. What are among the most helpful Internet resources?
4. What are the ten destinations most-visited by tourists?
5. What happens at a recycling plant?
6. What is the purpose of each of the 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution?
7. What were the major developments in world history from 4000-3500 B.C. until 2007?
8. What are the basic beliefs of the five major religions?
9. What are some of the "wackiest" sports from around the world?
10. Who were among the most influential activists throughout history?

This almanac also provides a wealth of detailed information about all of the U.S. presidents, all of the 50 states, the largest U.S. cities, and dozens of foreign countries as well as timelines for exploration, life-changing inventions, and the planet Earth.  To sum up, as the 2009 edition clearly indicates, the Time for Kids almanacs offer content and production values of the highest quality. That is why they have won a number of awards such as the Teacher's Choice Award as "Best Children's Reference Book" from Learning magazine, the Association of Educational Publishers' award also as "Best Children's Reference Book," and ranking on "The A-list" by FamilyFun magazine.
2474452
Curriculum for Senior Management. Understand why the new trend is onshoring...
3967278
Interesting information for all - parents, educators et al
3660541
This book proves what taking a interest in a child's education can produce.  These are works of America's future leaders.  Bravo!
22320
When I was a kid this was basic knowledge.  If our children are to survive, they need to know more of these skills.  Technology yes - technology AND life skills - heck yes.
2534776
Great book. Gives what I think is a more accurate view of 2012 and beyond than we have been getting from many writers. This book states that 2012 and the year's following it are a transitional period of our redefining reality rather than a period of destruction as many see it. I highly recommend it.
1864916
I have gone over the book a second time and realized there is a lot of business/economics information that can be likened to a course taken at school.  The three examples in the back section of the book could be used as guidlines for business purposes.  The cover photo is a little wacky but we should not judge a book by it's cover, as I have learned.  ;-)
1455453
*SPOILER ALERT*
December 2012 is almost here, and the world as we know it is NOT going to end in some galactic cataclysm when someone/something presses the giant red reset button.

Okay, I suppose anything is possible, but it is far more likely that life will continue on much as it has since recorded history began. There will be grand events, wars and natural disasters. There will also be a lot of the same-old, same-old.

Jenkins' 496 page treatise on the 2012 phenomenon is an extensively researched and heavily thought-out work. I did not, however, find it to be particularly engaging or overly informative. In the end, no real conclusions are made. In fact, much of the book is spent with Jenkins disagreeing with just about everyone else about what 2012 meant to the Maya and what it means to us. Treading the between academic scholar and new age theorist, he bases his beliefs on a variety of sources--including his own hallucinogenic experiences. I will give it to him that he has been at this a while and that he has energy and enthusiasm for the subject (well, for the Mayans anyway). But his book reads rather dryly and I can help but get the impression that, 1) he just wants to cash in on the 2012 hype and, 2) he likes to hear himself talk.

"...Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."
(Macbeth's soliloquy in act 5, scene 5 of William Shakespeare's Macbeth)

Am I being too hard on the author? Perhaps, but I've read more interesting books on the subject matter. I think Mr. Jenkins would have been better served by writing a focused book on the Mayan culture and how it could influence our world today, which he more or less has already done in his (better) previous book&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Maya-Cosmogenesis-2012-The-True-Meaning-of-the-Maya-Calendar-End-Date/dp/1879181487/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Maya Cosmogenesis 2012: The True Meaning of the Maya Calendar End-Date</a>.  My personal favorite recommended reading/reference for the 2012 subject matter is&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Beyond-2012-Catastrophe-or-Awakening-A-Complete-Guide-to-End-of-Time-Predictions/dp/1591430976/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Beyond 2012: Catastrophe or Awakening?: A Complete Guide to End-of-Time Predictions</a>.
1390459
Learn visually is a very creative idea. This new learning process would help thousands of people and hopefully more books come in this fashion.