Book Review #22: Alone Together

Well, I’ve finally finished it.

The book Alone Together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other by Sherry Turkle has been all over the twitterverse for several weeks now, and was put at the top of my “must read” list after I watched the following TED Talk by the author:

I was really looking forward to reading this book, but by the time it had finally arrived, I wasn’t so sure. Reading tweets and reviews from some SA colleagues gave me mixed feelings:

3 of 5 stars to Alone Together by Sherry Turkle http://t.co/aESqSMH2zb

— Kristen Abell (@Kristen_Abell) April 15, 2013

@MalloryBower @kristendom I stopped reading it after a few chapters. Writing style was hard for me to read. Redundant. #sareads #satech

— joe Sabado (@JoeSabado) April 7, 2013

All things considered, I decided to try and read it with an open mind.  I agree with Kristen and Joe in saying that part 1 was quite tedious (and a bit weird). I understand the point the author was trying to make with all the different robot references, but I feel as though she could have summed it all up in a chapter without losing too much meaning (and perhaps enticing more readers to “stick with it”).

Part 2 had some good points, and some rather sad examples of how we ( a societal “we”) have let technology “take over”. I felt that the author was jumping back and forth so much in her timeline that it was still a bit difficult to follow. Technology in the 1980s and 1990s was greatly different from what it is today (which is still different from what it was 5 years ago), so having her examples come from almost 3 decades of research made it seem a bit tedious.

All in all, the book wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great. I found the author’s TED Talk much more interesting, and feel that the main points of this book could have been successfully summarized in a research paper, rather than a 360 page volume.

Book Review #21: Learning is Not a Sprint

Last week, I saw this FB post from my friend and former colleague, Lisa Endersby:

Lisa Endersby shared a link.

April 8

Join me on April 25th for an hour long discussion about “Learning Is Not a Sprint” with authors Kathy Collins and Darby Roberts.I have questions to ask, but I know you have some too! Submit your questions for a chance to win a copy of NASPA’s newest book, “Decisions Matter.”Go here for more information and to RSVP: http://bit.ly/Zqgygu

NASPA | Learning is Not A Sprint – Discussion

bit.ly

NASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

I had previously seen the book mentioned on GoodReads and elsewhere, but hadn’t really thought anything of it at first (let’s be serious, I’ve read a lot of assessment books the past few months). Once I saw that post though, and knowing how totally awesome Lisa is, I decided to sign up for the webinar, and figured I should read the book before then.

Well, it was totally worth it! As I said, I’ve read more than a few assessment books since January, and was kinda feeling a bit assessed-out. This is something I am hoping to begin implementing in my Residence Life work; however since I haven’t actually started working on it yet it’s been difficult for me to figure out which questions I need to answer. The books I have read so far have offered me some ideas in terms of starting points, but I figured that once I actually get into the swing of it I would either re-read them, find other resources, or give Lisa a call.

This book does more than just offer ideas of where to begin, it asks reflection questions aimed at allowing the reader to determine what types of assessments would best work, what learning outcomes he/she is trying to achieve, as well as templates of assessment tools used at various institutions.

One suggestion I look forward to trying as soon as my new team begins training in August is:

Setting Expectations:

For use with individual students at the beginning of the year to establish rapport and set expectations

1- Student advisor distributes notecards

2- Students are asked to respond to the following questions:

a) What is one expectation you have of me [the advisor] this year?

b) What is one expectation you have of yourself this year?

3- Advisor collects the cards and does periodic check-ins with student leaders throughout the year.

This book has lots of other goodies which are making me excited to start reviewing our current practices.  I am also really looking forward to this webinar so that I can learn even more about the outcomes/assessment process.

Book Review #20: GridWorks

I have to do this GridWorks course for work. Didn’t really have any idea what it was about, only that my manager told me to sign up for it. Next thing I know, I receive a large package with a book and binder, and am told that I need to read them before I can do this training in May. Me being me, I figure I might as well read it now, that way I can enjoy reading for me later.

The book is called GridWorks: Maximizing Resources with Grid Solutions, and is based on the work ____________ by _________ (will insert this information once I’m in the office and can actually look at the book (snow days are fun).

In summary, the book talks about different individual styles (paternalistic, etc.) and how these translate in the workplace through Critique, Inquiry, Conflict Resolution, Decision Making, etc. and offers scenarios as examples of how these different individuals impact the teams with which they work.

I’m kind of looking forward to completing this two-day workshop, and will hopefully have more information to add to this review once I do.

Book Review #19: Outcomes-based Academic and Co-Curricular Program Review

As part of my latest order of books, I picked up Outcomes-Based Academic and Co-Curricular Program Review by Marilee J. Bresciani.  I know I’ve been reading lots of assessment-related books recently, and the reason for that is I am hoping to review many of the current residence life practices at my college over the summer to ensure that we are offering the best possible experience to our students.

This book begins with the following statement:

Rather than telling readers how to conduct assessment, I have focused on institutions that are actively engaged in systematic evaluation of student learning and development, gathering meaningful data about how to improve student learning.

This is something I appreciated, as I know that ‘one size fits all’ models typically do not work.  As promised, the author spends the majority of the book providing examples of different practices currently in place at various institutions. Unfortunately, there is quite a bit of “60% of schools do this” or “87% of schools agree that” which can become a bit tedious for readers.

One of the best parts of the book is the extensive Appendices at the end of the text, all providing examples and/or links to school/program websites to be used as resources for developing and implementing an outcomes-based assessment program.

Though reading the book cover-to-cover wasn’t necessarily that helpful (on the surface), I do look forward to coming back to this book later when I am in the process of conducting my own assessments in order to help guide my own practice. 

Book Review #18: Assessment Reconsidered

I have had the book Assessment Reconsidered: Institutional Effectiveness for Student Success by Richard P. Keeling, Andrew F. Wall, Ric Underhile and Gwendolyn J. Dungy (2008) for over a year now, and even referenced it in a paper I wrote as part of my Student Affairs and Services Certificate, but hadn’t actually read it in its entirety until this week. 

Having just finished reading We’re losing our minds by Keeling, I can say that many of the ideas are the same, though in this volume they are a bit more concise with more natural flow. 

The authors offer useful steps for beginning (or strengthening) an assessment process in higher education, and I look forward to using certain sections of this work in order to inform my own work in residence life.