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Showing posts from December, 2013

Recommendations on Learning, Education and Academia Books

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Given that I work in higher education, have accumulated a handful of degrees, and have taught about 100 college courses, I've spend a good amount of time about learning, education, and academia (yes, those are largely different things with overlapping commonalities) and having just finished a Master's in Education , I thought I'd take a walk down book memory lane to see what are those different books that impacted my thoughts on learning, education, and academia. Like I warned in this post on social media books , I don't necessarily agree with everything said within these books, but they build an interesting conversation around ideas on learning, education, and academia.  Again, feel free to ask questions or leave comments about your favorites or those you really dislike. Recommended Books for Learning, Education, and Academia Anderson, Chris.   Free: The Future of a Radical Price . New York: Hyperion, 2009. Print. Anderson, Chris.   The Long Tail: Why the

The Hat Trick: 3 Masters Degrees

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I just submitted my final project for my last class for my third (and probably not final) master's degree.  Funny enough, it is just under ten years ago that I started my first Master's Degree.  Having accomplished the aforementioned hat trick, I thought I would discuss a bit about the experiences and kernels of wisdom gleaned about the process. Degree Breakdown First, I should clarify what I have gotten.  Mostly because the first issue I'll be talking about is that not all Master's Degrees are equal in a variety of ways and it's important to note that my experience is not likely the same as other people who are pursuing degrees that are substantively different from the ones I've earned (e.g. biology, geography, etc).  Here they are: Masters of American Studies at University of Massachusetts in Boston with a focus on gender and sexuality and popular culture. Masters of Public Administration at Suffolk University with a focus on nonprofit organizations. M

Tales of Running: What's in My Tool bag?

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It's time to go for a run and you're thinking that about going for a long one.  What do you pack?  What's a must for you to have on any run?  Not just the physical goods but what's in that toolbox (ok, probably a bag since who runs with a box, right?)?  Well, I was thinking about what I need to pack both physically and mentally and here's what I came up with for my tool bag: Physical Tools for Running Vibrams five-finger shoes They're a must for any run as I've said many a times here .  I find it hard to run otherwise.   Content Belt For lack of a better phrase, it is essentially a fanny pack.  But short of a backpack, there's not any other ways to carry extra items without weighing down your shorts/pants.  The belt holds tight to the waist and largely doesn't bother your form.  I've found that the one I have and sometimes also provide some back support depending on where I position the pack part and how tight I have the belt clip. iPad

Recommendations on Social Media Books

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I do a lot of reading as we all know and I'm quite interested in social media and its relevance to modern society.  I regularly get asked for recommendations for books to help get a grasp on social media.  I often find it hard to recommend just one book.  It's like asking who is your favorite pet or child.  Well, here is my list of books on social media that I've read and found useful.  It's a list of books I both like (Jeff Jarvis, I'm looking at you) and dislike (Nicholas Carr, this one's for you), but all of which are relevant in the discussion.  This list was composed in November, 2013.  I anticipate that I will need to update it again in another year as I continue to devour books on the subject.  All that being said, if there's any that strike your fancy, that you've read, or that you're interested in knowing more about, don't hesitate to let me know. The cumulative knowledge that I have culled from reading all of these has been that socia