(1987). Supporting Each Other. Learning, v16 n4 p84 Nov-Dec. Writing and teaching networks provide a way for teachers to support each other by sharing their writing, by reflecting on teaching of writing, and by talking over problems and progress. Ways administrators can facilitate such groups and ways for teachers to organize meetings are suggested. (MT)…
(1999). The Right Badge of Courage. School Administrator, v56 n2 p14-16 Feb. Today's superintendents are unaccustomed to sharing significant power with others and are expected to educate all youngsters effectively. Superintendents' responses to differences with their boards can profoundly affect progress in school improvement. By stressing dialog over discussion, superintendents might keep their jobs without sacrificing their principles. (MLH)…
(2009). From One Generation to the Next: Teachers and Teaching in the German Colonies in South Russia 1804-1914. Paedagogica Historica: International Journal of the History of Education, v45 n3 p329-353 Jun. Among the ethnic groups that composed the population of the Russian Empire, one unique group was that of the Ethnic Germans ("Volksdeutschen") who had immigrated to Russia since the second half of the eighteenth century. Over the years, there had been a change in the process of the settlers' assimilation as an outcome of their geographical dispersion. This article focuses on Ethnic Germans who were living in the colonies along the coasts of the Black Sea and in Bessarabia. These settlers managed to preserve their ethnic uniqueness until First World War, in part because of the central role their teachers and schools played in their communities. The teachers were not only agents of knowledge, but also had spiritual-religious roles and were in charge of imparting their unique heritage. An examination of the social origins of the teachers reveals that many of them followed in their fathers' footsteps when choosing an occupation. Hence, it was common that teachers who taught in… [Direct]
(2009). Twittering about Learning: Using Twitter in an Elementary School Classroom. Horace, v25 n1 Sum. Many years ago, when the author first started teaching, a colleague showed him a great technique for communicating with families: At the end of the day, she used a 24- by 16-inch chart tablet to produce daily news in shared writing with her students. She, and then the author, chose one student each day to take the tablet home. That student illustrated the news from that day. The student's family read the news, along with all of the previous news reports. The students took turns, so families saw it about once a month. Over the years, the author has gotten away from that tablet technique, but he has never stopped looking for ways to get kids to write about real things with a real audience in mind. One year he ended each day by writing a blog with his class. They discussed the events of the day, chose one to focus on, and brainstormed details. They wrote and published on the spot. This year, the author decided to try using Twitter, and the more they use it, the more power he has found… [PDF]
(2009). What Does the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) Have to Do with Learning?. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, v33 n8 p615-617. In 2004, West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) in Paducah, Kentucky committed to participating in the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) for a period of three consecutive years. The decision to participate in CCSSE was made at the administrative level to provide benchmarking data for the institution's upcoming 2008 reaffirmation of accreditation. Results from the initial survey administered in 2005 were unremarkable. Data were presented to the full faculty and staff in August 2005. Once again, faculty and staff were encouraged to support student engagement, but specific opportunities for discussing and sharing ideas related to engaging students were not provided. Results from the 2005 CCSSE survey were largely ignored. As planned, the college administered CCSSE again in 2006. The institution's 2006 results were anything but unremarkable. Appalled with the results, in fall 2006 the Institutional Effectiveness Office launched a campaign, What Does… [Direct]
(2012). Essays on the Economic Impacts of Mobile Phones in Sub-Saharan Africa. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley. As mobile phones reach the remote corners of the world, they bring with them a sense of great optimism. Hailed as a technology that "can transform the lives of the people who are able to access them," mobile phones have the potential to play a positive role in the lives of many of the world's poor. Such claims are often reported alongside striking statistics on the uptake of mobile phones in the developing world. Already, over two thirds of the world's mobile phones are in developing countries. In Nigeria, new subscribers are signing up for mobile phone services at a rate of almost one every second, and Nokia estimates that by the end of 2012 over 90 percent of sub-Saharan Africa will have mobile coverage. This dissertation presents an empirical investigation of the role of mobile phones in Rwandan society and economy. The material draws on two summers of field work in sub-Saharan Africa, several thousand interviews with mobile phone owners, and roughly ten terabytes of… [Direct]
(2008). Why and How Do Universities Work for Sustainability in Higher Education (HE)?. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, v9 n4 p469-478. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to open up a discussion about the roles and responsibilities of universities in society. Design/methodology/approach: The vision of the Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Skane a leading example on how to develop new knowledge about education for sustainable development (ESD) at all levels. The paper poses the question "Why do universities involve in this process?". Lund University as the old, traditional university and the ten-year old university of Malmo on the other hand was formed on the bases of a vision about a university for all people. Findings: The paper finds that two universities have been active in creating RCE Skane, together with three political organizations. The vision has developed to include issues like capacity for cross-boundary action, knowledge-sharing and civic education, all important parts in learning for a sustainable future. Practical implications: The paper discusses the processes at these universities that… [Direct]
(2008). What If You Ran Your Bookstore Like a Library? The Troubled Book Business Can Learn from Libraries' Willingness to Share. Library Journal, v133 n7 p30 Apr. Ten years ago, stories like \B&N: The New College Library\ (LJ 2/1/98) and \What If You Ran Your Library Like a Bookstore?\ (American Libraries, 3/98) kicked up a controversy about the viability of libraries. Ironically, these days it's the book business that has an aura of crisis and gloom, while visits to libraries are surging. Over two billion items are checked out annually, and nearly all libraries offer free Internet access along with many of the amenities of a bookstore. Truth be told, the book business has always had an aura of crisis and gloom. It's the Eeyore of industries. Lately, it's become clear that the book industry really does need to be saved: from itself. It might start by looking more closely at what libraries do. After all, libraries know that developing a strong book culture involves making it easy for people to discover and sample new books, to acquire books quickly even if they are not on the local library's shelves, and to share their reading experiences with… [Direct]
(2008). Patient-Staff Interactions and Mental Health in Chronic Dialysis Patients. Health & Social Work, v33 n2 p87-92. Chronic dialysis imposes ongoing stress on patients and staff and engenders recurring contact and long-term relationships. Thus, chronic dialysis units are opportune settings in which to investigate the impact of patients' relationships with staff on patient well-being. The authors designed the present study to examine the degree to which perceptions of open communication between patients and staff affect patient mental health. A one-year, two-wave longitudinal survey assessed patient (N = 109) perceptions of the interpersonal environment and mental health. Assessments included sharing personal information (open disclosure), assisting one another (helping), staff respect for patients (respect), and hierarchical patient-staff relations (formal staff authority). Cross-sectional and longitudinal regression analyses examined how these characteristics of the interpersonal environment relate to depression and subjective well-being among patients. Multivariate analysis showed that open… [Direct]
(1995). Professional Development. Always Growing and Learning: There Is Always One More Thing. Day Care & Early Education, v22 n3 p38-39 Spr. Examines the debate over what early care and education personnel need to know and how to go about getting that information. Lists and categorizes professional development activities as formal/informal information gathering; information sharing; self-assessment; experimentation; and organization. Emphasizes professional development as a dynamic, ongoing process. (BAC)…
(2000). Mentoring New Teachers. Principal, v79 n3 p26-28 Jan. First-year teachers experience five phases: anticipation, survival, disillusionment, rejuvenation, and reflection. A Mundelein Illinois mentoring program supports beginning teachers with informal socializing opportunities and information-sharing meetings with district staff and principals. Over a 4-year period, only one of 23 mentored teachers has left the profession. (MLH)…
(2007). Pointing Out New News, Old News, and Absent Referents at 12 Months of Age. Developmental Science, v10 n2 pF1-F7 Mar. There is currently controversy over the nature of 1-year-olds' social-cognitive understanding and motives. In this study we investigated whether 12-month-old infants point for others with an understanding of their knowledge states and with a prosocial motive for sharing experiences with them. Declarative pointing was elicited in four conditions created by crossing two factors: an adult partner (1) was already attending to the target event or not, and (2) emoted positively or neutrally. Pointing was also coded after the event had ceased. The findings suggest that 12-month-olds point to inform others of events they do not know about, that they point to share an attitude about mutually attended events others already know about, and that they can point (already prelinguistically) to absent referents. These findings provide strong support for a mentalistic and prosocial interpretation of infants' prelinguistic communication…. [Direct]
(1984). Some Thoughts on the Future of the Center for Research Libraries. Journal of Academic Librarianship, v10 n3 p148-50 Jul. Sketches author's views of the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), a cooperative library owned by over 100 academic and research libraries, and considers possible future directions. Growth and expansion, center services and collections, challenges to be met (commitment, resource sharing, goals), and CRL as model for academic world are discussed. (EJS)…
(2003). Exploring the Impact of Role Models on Older Employees. Career Development International, v8 n4 p198-209. A sample of 182 engineering managers over age 40 were able to identify multiple role models in their organization. The degree to which they perceived having access to role models and sharing similar attitudes, values, and goals with them was associated with organizational commitment and job satisfaction. (Contains 62 references.) (SK)…
(1975). Computerized Networks Among Libraries and Universities: An Administrator's Overview. This monograph is an overview of the present and possible future trends in networking, the use of computer communications technology to facilitate the sharing of information and computer resources over great distances. The text reviews networks already being used by universities to share instructional resources and computing ability, and by libraries to facilitate systematic acquisition, serial control, and retrospective bibliographic searches. Networking implies problems of uniformity of users, unused capacity, fee sharing, and financial support; each problem is discussed in depth. With an awareness of possible budgetary and political constraints, the present state of network technology is discussed and predictions are made for the future. (EMH)… [PDF]