You don't have time to read, but I do!
Although this book by Robert Hooke was written in 1983, it is still applicable today. It can help you avoid being persuaded against your will if you only look at the numbers spouted by the data pushers with a critical eye. This book and my summary were written for people who don’t especially like numbers, as well as those who do.
Click here to see my summary of How to Tell a Liar from a Statistician.
Posted in Book Summaries, Business Books, Education Books.
– July 27, 2010
The July 19, 2010 edition of the New York Times, features an article that tells the story of a Vermont principal who has been canned due to poor performance on standardized tests by students fresh off the boat from Africa. So if you have a hard working, respected female principal putting in 80-hour work weeks to help refugees from central Africa who score low because they can only randomly fill in bubbles on tests that drive federal funding, you have to dump her in order to still qualify for stimulus money. At the same time, principals in suburban districts full of smart white and Asian kids can mail it in. Take away – Life is officially unfair. This is a must read.
Click here for the New York Times article on this subject.
Posted in News that matters.
– July 19, 2010
This book by Chip Espinoza, Mick Ukleja, & Craig Rusch is subtitled Discover The Core Competencies for Managing Today’s Workforce. It draws on their extensive research to explain why members of the Millennial generation, (aka Gen Y) born between 1978 and 1996, behave they way they do. It also shares the secrets of effective Millennial manages. This book is important to educators, parents, and leaders in all walks of life.
Click here to see my summary of How to Manage a Millennial.
Posted in Book Summaries, Business Books, Education Books, Leadership Books.
– July 11, 2010
I am now visiting my niece in London after a week with my cousins in Sweden. Thanks to Facebook, I have been able to send some of my vacation pictures home before I get there. I already have replies from several people who were happy to see them. While I also sent some physical postcards to people who don’t do Facebook, my Facebook fans get way more content. While checking my Twitter feed, I also picked up on a book review by David Pogue of the New York Times on a book called “The Facebook Effect.” Check it out and don’t miss the last paragraph. Don’t worry, I am working on a new book summary about how to manage the millennial generation. It should be good.
Click here for a link to Pogue’s “Facebook Effect” review.
Posted in News that matters.
– July 4, 2010
Hello from Sweden where I am staying with my cousin and soaking up the culture. We recently stopped at a recycling center the size of a football field. There were a dozen or more bins the size of large construction dumpsters for different materials. In addition to the things we recycle, they have bins for things like hard plastic, wall board, and yard waste. There are containers for clear and colored glass and you can leave used appliances, TV’s and computers. This is unlike my town where we put everything in a small bin and a truck picks it up once a week. In order to get people to adapt to this system, the government indoctrinates school children. They count on children to badger parents to do “what is right for the environment,” and it seems to be working. In a way, we are doing this also in the US, but the Swedes are more direct about it. Keep in mind that there are only 9 million people in Sweden.
Posted in News that matters.
– June 30, 2010
This book by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons is essential for anyone who wants to understand the limitations and the potential of the thing inside of your head. They deal with the everyday illusions that profoundly influence our lives. They are the illusions of attention, memory, confidence, knowledge, cause, and potential. These are distorted beliefs we hold about our minds that are not just wrong, but wrong in dangerous ways. Once you know about these illusions, you will view the world differently and think about it more clearly. You will recognize when people are taking advantage of illusions in an attempt to obfuscate or persuade. Seeing through these veils will help connect you with reality.
Click here to see my review of this book.
Posted in Book Summaries, Business Books, Education Books, Leadership Books.
– June 22, 2010
This book by Kelly Gallagher tackles the notion that the way many schools teach reading results in students that are turned off to reading and who do not become active adult readers. Culprits include teaching to standardized tests and too many standards. If you teach reading or supervise teachers, you should get this book.
Click here to see my review of this book.
Posted in Book Summaries, Education Books.
– June 8, 2010
