Wired For Learning

Shows teachers how to make the most of the Internet as a tool for encouraging active learning and collaborative teamwork

Fully revised and expanded second edition! We are biologically wired to learn. It's the key to our survival and the path to fulfilling our potential. Wired to Grow helps unlock our fullest expression, giving you the keys to understand the neuroscience of learning and apply your natural wiring to transform lives, habits and organizations.

Wired Citizenship examines the evolving patterns of youth learning and activism in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In today’s digital age, in which formal schooling often competes with the peer-driven outlets provided by social media, youth all over the globe have forged new models of civic engagement, rewriting the script of what it means to live in a democratic society. As a result, state-society relationships have shifted—never more clearly than in the MENA region, where recent uprisings were spurred by the mobilization of tech-savvy and politicized youth. Combining original research with a thorough exploration of theories of democracy, communications, and critical pedagogy, this edited collection describes how youth are performing citizenship, innovating systems of learning, and re-imagining the practices of activism in the information age. Recent case studies illustrate the context-specific effects of these revolutionary new forms of learning and social engagement in the MENA region.

"Web 2.0" is a term used to describe an apparent second generation of the World Wide Web that emphasizes collaboration and sharing of knowledge and content among users. With the growing popularity of Web 2.0, there has been a burgeoning interest in education. Tools such as blogs, wikis, RSS, social networking sites, tag-based folksonomies, and peer-to-peer (P2P) media sharing applications have gained a prominence in teaching and learning. With Wired for Learning: An Educators Guide to Web 2.0 there is tremendous potential for addressing the needs student, teachers, researchers, and practitioners to enhance the teaching and learning experiences through customization, personalization, and rich opportunities for networking and collaboration. The purpose of this text is to clarify and present applications and practices of Web 2.0 for teaching and learning to meet the educational challenges of students in diverse learning setting. This text will bring teachers and university education into a bold new reality and cause them to move to think differently about technology’s potential for strengthening students' critical thinking, writing, reflection, and interactive learning.

In praise of the greatest job in the world... The right book at the right time: an impassioned defense of teachers and why we need them now more than ever. Teacher turned teacher’s advocate Taylor Mali inspired millions with his original poem “What Teachers Make,” a passionate and unforgettable response to a rich man at a dinner party who sneeringly asked him what teachers make. Mali’s sharp, funny, perceptive look at life in the classroom pays tribute to the joys of teaching…and explains why teachers are so vital to our society. What Teachers Make is a book that will be treasured and shared by every teacher in America—and everybody who’s ever loved or learned from one.

This guide reveals how writers can utilize cognitive storytelling strategies to craft stories that ignite readers’ brains and captivate them through each plot element. Imagine knowing what the brain craves from every tale it encounters, what fuels the success of any great story, and what keeps readers transfixed. Wired for Story reveals these cognitive secrets—and it’s a game-changer for anyone who has ever set pen to paper. The vast majority of writing advice focuses on “writing well” as if it were the same as telling a great story. This is exactly where many aspiring writers fail—they strive for beautiful metaphors, authentic dialogue, and interesting characters, losing sight of the one thing that every engaging story must do: ignite the brain’s hardwired desire to learn what happens next. When writers tap into the evolutionary purpose of story and electrify our curiosity, it triggers a delicious dopamine rush that tells us to pay attention. Without it, even the most perfect prose won’t hold anyone’s interest. Backed by recent breakthroughs in neuroscience as well as examples from novels, screenplays, and short stories, Wired for Story offers a revolutionary look at story as the brain experiences it. Each chapter zeroes in on an aspect of the brain, its corresponding revelation about story, and the way to apply it to your storytelling right now.

"Illustrated by real-life examples and evidence from renowned scholars and practitioners, Wired to Resist provides novel insights into understanding why efforts to change often fail and--more importantly--how they can succeed." Barry Posner, PhD, New York Times best-selling author of The Leadership Challenge "A must-read for business leaders and HR professionals. In this constantly changing world, it's critical to find leadership strategies that realistically address the human side of change. Dr. Andreatta offers a fresh look at the nature of resistance with a clear path to overcoming it. I couldn't put it down." Erin Earle, VP, HRBP for Engineering, LinkedIn "I've read many books on leading organizational change and I appreciate how Dr. Andreatta gives me insight into the 'whys' behind the 'hows.' Wired to Resist arrived just as I was launching a new change initiative in my organization--and it immediately showed me several things I needed to address to increase our chance of success." Kevin Goldsmith, Chief Technology Officer, Avvo "Making a simple change in our behavior can be the difference between success and failure, but so often we quickly go to our default position and don't know why. Dr. Andreatta unlocks the puzzle and guides us with proven scientific steps to help us shift to positive outcomes every time we tackle a new goal." Jacqui Burge, Founder, Desk Yogi Every year failed change costs billions of dollars. We are biologically wired to resist change: it's the key to our survival and the obstacle that often gets in the way of us fulfilling our potential. Wired to Resist provides a new understanding of our biology and why change fails, despite our best plans. Dr. Andreatta synthesizes the latest research into a new model for change that harnesses the power of neuroscience and shows you how to thrive and lead through all kinds of change. Drawing on her unique background in leadership, psychology, education, and the human sciences, Dr. Britt Andreatta has over 25 years of experience consulting with individuals, businesses, government agencies, universities, and nonprofit organizations. She creates powerful solutions to today's personal, organizational, and global workplace challenges.

It’s time to say NO to trying to fit square-peg kids into rounds holes, and YES to raising them from a place of acceptance and joy. Today millions of kids are stuck in a world that doesn’t embrace who they really are. They are the one in five “differently wired” children with ADHD, dyslexia, giftedness, autism, anxiety, or other neurodifferences, and their challenges are many. And for the parents who love them, the challenges are just as numerous, as they struggle to find the right school, the right support, the right path. But now there’s hope. Differently Wired is a revolutionary book—weaving together personal stories and a tool kit of expert advice from author Deborah Reber, it’s a how-to, a manifesto, and a reassuring companion for parents who can so often feel that they have no place to turn. At the heart of Differently Wired are 18 paradigm-shifting ideas—what the author calls “tilts,” which include how to accept and lean in to your role as a parent (#2: Get Out of Isolation and Connect). Deal with the challenges of parenting a differently wired child (#5: Parent from a Place of Possibility Instead of Fear). Support yourself (#11: Let Go of Your Impossible Expectations for Who You “Should” Be as a Parent). And seek community (#18: If It Doesn’t Exist, Create It). Taken together, it’s a lifesaving program to shift our thinking and actions in a way that not only improves the family dynamic, but also allows children to fully realize their best selves. “In this generous and urgent book, Deborah Reber lets the light in. She helps parents see that they’re not alone, and even better, delivers a positive action plan that will change lives.”—Seth Godin, author of Linchpin “Differently Wired will help parents of children who think differently to accept their child for who they are and facilitate their successful development.”—Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures and The Autistic Brain