Book Reviews
“A sophisticated treatise on the multidimensional nature of empathy and its connections to depression. Firmly grounded in empirical research, Dr. Chambliss deftly weaves together the biological, psychological, interpersonal, and cultural variables shaping both empathy and depression, as well as the relationship between the two. The result is a comprehensive exploration of the human experience as embedded in the context of today’s complex and rapidly changing world.” – Robin Knoblach, Ph.D., Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, Private Practice, Herndon, VA
“If you are interested in what experts from the around the world have to share about up-to-date advances in educational technology, then Educational Technologies by Lijia Lin and Bob Atkinson belongs on your bookshelf.” – Richard E. Mayer, Distinguished Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara, and editor of The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning.
“This volume is an ambitious undertaking addressing a persistent problem in getting the findings of educational technology research into large-scale practice. The focus is primarily on new technologies and innovative use of those technologies. Authors come from around the world and include many international scholars. Hopefully their efforts as reported in this book will have a large-scale, sustained and systemic impact on practices and policies pertaining to effective use of educational technology.” – J. Michael Spector, PhD, Professor, Learning Technologies, University of North Texas.
“Educational technology has progressed substantially from the days when any new technology that potentially might be used in education immediately attracted supporters advocating its use. Today, the critical factor in the uptake of technology is the manner in which it interacts with human cognitive, motivational, social and emotional systems. Educational Technologies: Challenges, Applications and Learning Outcomes, is edited by Lijia Lin and Bob Atkinson, both expert in the area of educational psychology. It collects the work of global leaders concerned with the interaction between human attributes and educational technology. The result is a book wide in its scope and deep in its analyses. I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone with an interest in this important, rapidly expanding field.” – John Sweller, Emeritus Professor of Educational Psychology, School of Education, University of New South Wales, Australia.
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“This book covers a cutting edge topic in education with strong theoretical ties to work in cognition, metacognition, and emotion, with chapters written by leading researchers in the field. Researchers and practitioners interested in the impact of digital technologies in learning will find this volume to be informative, comprehensive, and thought-provoking.” – Anne E. Cook, Professor and Chair, Educational Psychology Department, Director for Student and Faculty Affairs, College of Education, University of Utah, USA
“This edited book provides excellent resources for researchers and academic professionals about the connections between deep learning (involving critical and creative thinking, reasoning performance, making inferences and knowledge transfer) and the use of digital technologies (such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, 3D visualization, e-portfolios, and a network-based approach). Authors examine theories relevant to deep learning and provide research results regarding the cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies, self-regulated learning, reasoning performance, along with many other themes. This book offers the valuable support to graduate students and teachers aiming at their professional development, and a must for a library.” – Anna Ursyn, Professor of Digital Media Digital Media Area Head, School of Art and Design, College of Performing and Visual Arts, University of Northern Colorado, USA
““Deep learning” is the holy grail of teaching and learning, particularly for the solving of complicated and real-world challenges. The editor defines deep learning as “learners’ engagement in critical and creative thinking, making inferences and transferring knowledge” (Zheng, 2018, p. xiii). While defined in different ways, “deep learning” involves complex understandings of the target subject domain (and related areas) that are transferable and that enable real-life problem solving and innovating in various contexts.” READ MORE… – Reviewed by Shalin Hai-Jew, instructional designer at Kansas State University, USA. Published in C2C Digital Magazine
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“This short collection of seven chapters explores some ways that statistical and computational analyses may be applied to law enforcement (writ large). The work is not about “cyberspace” per se. Also, the work seems largely theoretical and abstract, without much in the way of insight about either cybercrime or cybersecurity and little in the way of applied real-world cases.” READ MORE… – Reviewed by Shalin Hai-Jew, instructional designer at Kansas State University, USA. Published in C2C Digital Magazine
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“The book provides information of the state of art concerning the latest developments in the field of high-Tc Superconductors. The book consists of 19 chapters summarizing the recent advances in materials science of high-Tc superconductors, including their physical properties, novel processing routes, and applications. The special emphasis was placed on recent upcoming superconducting applications, especially their importance for transport, health care, automobile etc. In addition to the primary processing for the large grain bulk RE-123 and the flux pinning properties, several different approaches on a large variety of materials like nanowire network fabrics, bulk C-doped MgB2, silver-added, bulk FeSe, and (BiPb)SrCaCuO systems showed progress towards novel applications. The book also covered the new developments concerning the large scale applications of bulk materials, including magnetic bearings, superconducting electric motors and their design layouts, hybrid-type superconducting magnetic bearings for rotating machinery, compact magnetic field generators, refrigerators, and recent developments in the application of superconducting super-magnets in the medical field etc. In this way, the book provides vignettes from a broad range of the most recent developments. So, worldwide updates to the field of superconductivity are focused in single book form, which provides very important information for the superconductivity community” – Masato Murakami, President of Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan
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“It is easy to forget to be amazed at the enablements of the WWW and Internet! After all, their integration with modern life is so seamless. Savilla I. Banister’s “Impacting the Digital Divide on a Global Scale: Case Studies of Mobile Technology Integration in Schools around the World” (2017) reminds readers of the just how potent such technologies may be, particularly in developing countries.” READ MORE… – Shalin Hai-Jew, Instructional Designer, Kansas State University, USA. Published in C2C Digital Magazine
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“This is essential reading for anyone wanting to find an easily accessible, yet critical and comprehensive information about autoethnographic approaches. It fills an important gap in qualitative consumer research and provides authoritative guidance that both students and seasoned scholars will find useful.” – Richard Kedzior, Bucknell University
“This book provides an important resource in the development of autoethnography within the academy. Drawing on a range of perspectives, styles and disciplinary contexts, the authors demonstrate the diversity and flexibility of autoethnography for exploring a range of complex issues. This collection will prove invaluable to those considering taking up the challenge of autoethnography.” – Katherine Dashper, Leeds Beckett University
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“The book is designed to help international social work students learn and practice the basics of social work profession in reference to culture competency as espoused by the Council of Social Work Education’s most recent Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS).This is the first book of its kind focusing on international social work elements in relation to culture competency. The book, in fact, conceives ‘social work without walls.’ Modern social work values focus on universal virtues, genuine goodness and human compassion. The book demonstrates that basic pillars of social work (solidarity, equality and goodwill) are not confined within walls or cultures. The book conveys the message that international social work values embody a boundary less community where mutual differences end up in a common universal goal of peace and prosperity. I recommend that this volume which is concerned with universal culture competence be placed in every library and every school of social work must incorporate it in their curriculum.” – Jitendra Kapoor, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Social Work, Alabama A & M University, USA
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“The book Abdul Aziz Said: The Mualim, The Inspiration is, without a doubt, properly titled. Dr. Said served as an inspiration and a teacher (Mualim) for thousands of individuals in the larger American University community and beyond to the world of policy throughout his more than 50 years of association with that institution. His dedication to peaceful emphatic engagement with all humans without regard to belief, race, ethnicity, age, and gender set a high standard. This dedication is detailed with great affection by the contributions in this book, which his colleagues Abdul Karim Bangura and Mohammed Abu-Nimer have so respectfully edited.” – Louis Goodman, Professor and Emeritus Dean, School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC, USA
“Professor Abdul Aziz Said’s intellectual and spiritual contributions to peace studies and conflict resolution extend beyond academic circles into the actual practice of peace. His passion for and commitment to peace-making is extraordinary and has touched many people in the United States and abroad. His many published papers and books are a testament not only to his dedication but also to his unique knowledge of and effectiveness in peace-making and conflict resolution. We are proud and honored that Professor Said is a trustee of the El-Hibri Foundation. He certainly is a fountain of information on this subject and his guidance is always wise and balanced.” – Fuad El-Hibri, Trustee of the El-Hibri Foundation, Washington, DC, USA
“Professor Abdul Aziz Said, through scholarly articles, conferences and courses, developed the need for the dominant paradigms of International Relations to embrace non-Western approaches that include Islamic and Traditional paradigms. He cultivated through policy advocacy a new generation of scholars who would pursue peace by exploring the links among culture, ethnicity, identity and international conflicts. According to the maxim bonum diffusifum sui i.e. “goodness diffuses itself,” this scholarly multi-disciplinary festschrift by former students and colleagues of Said celebrates the inclusion of those concerns in the contemporary paradigms of International Relations.” – Emmanuel Babatunde, Professor and Chair of Sociology & Criminal Justice, Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, USA
“Wherever I travel I encounter Professor Abdul Aziz Said’s former students whose life work has been influenced by his teaching. Each student was a testament to Professor Said’s ability to see the best in everyone and to recognize and nurture each person’s gift in promoting peace-principles seen in his writing and in this book. The book shows the constant light of Said’s life as a professor and as Mualim (teacher) in a world of constant changes. Each chapter adds to his ideas of promoting a culture of peace. For those who know Professor Said, this book will remind them of his wealth of knowledge, and for those who will be introduced to him by this book, it will be an inspiration.” – Mubarak Awad, Professor and Founder and National President of the Youth Advocate Program, Washington, DC, USA
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“Despite the noteworthy accomplishments of feminist theory and practice, it’s easy to see how much still has to change. Reminders of structural sexism, implicit bias, and outright abuse abound, from the Everyday Sexism project to #MeToo. In her new book Five Scarves: Doing the Impossible, Rana Dajani interrogates how our conceptions of success and gender equality relate to each other.” READ MORE… – Reviewed by Sedeer el-Showk, M.Sc., PhD., full-time freelance writer. Published on the website: Nature Middle East
“An absolutely wonderful read about the aspirations and achievements of a modern woman scientist in contemporary Islam. Dajani uses her own experience to try to forge a cosmopolitan and global approach to the problems of inequality that women everywhere continue to face.” – Evelyn Fox Keller, Professor Emeritus, MIT, Program in Science, Technology and Society, author of Reflections on Gender and Science
“This snapshot of the life, work and thoughts of a remarkable scientist and social advocate at once challenges the reader to rethink basic assumptions and accompanies him or her in revisiting familiar tropes in new settings. With simple prose and confident strides, Dajani introduces topics as different as the challenge of creating world class scientific discovery in the Middle East, the egalitarian organization of domestic responsibilities between parents and children in quotidian family life, the long history of female scientific brilliance in the Arab world, and the extraordinary creation of a global social movement to promote the love of reading among all children. For inspiring millennials to take the world in their hands and insist on realizing their dreams, this book is a must.” – Jacqueline Bhabha, Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Director of Research François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard University; Jeremiah Smith Jr. Lecturer, Harvard Law School
“This is a wonderful book, the personal story of a warm and brilliant Jordanian cell biologist. She is passionate about her pioneering scientific work and her vision of how science should be taught to inspire young people and promote new ideas – innovation happens on the margins in all fields. She describes how she gets her students to bring art into thinking about and communicating science. She challenges many stereotypes that Westerners tend to have about Islam, the history of science, and the role of women in the Muslim professional world. She advocates for wide-ranging, worldwide policy and practice that will undermine sexism and enhance women’s opportunities – issues on which the USA is remarkably backward compared to many other countries. She is also founder of We Love Reading, an extremely successful program to involve children in community experiences of reading and listening, a culture-changing experience that is personally empowering. This vivid book is a beautifully written inspiration to women, to scientists, to educators and to social activists everywhere.” – Helen Haste, Emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Bath, England; Visiting professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education
“Rana Dajani rightly rejects the label of “Islamic feminist.” She is a global feminist with a tale to tell that will be surprising to many. Reading her story is like a warm embrace from a close friend.” – Anne-Marie Slaughter, President & CEO, New America
“Account of an incredible and inspiring life journey – how a Jordanian biologist navigated her many worlds deftly, a role model for women with big dreams that transcends geography.” – Priyamvada Natarajan, Professor, Departments of Astronomy & Physics, Yale, author of Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos
“This book provides a to-be-cherished insight into the complicated life of a wonderful person as a scientist and a woman, a life that is bursting with intellect, humanity and humility in equal measures. Indeed, Rana Dajani shows that doing the impossible is possible.” – Co-founder, 2011 Global Coordinator of Gender Summit.
“Can a breakthrough in stem-cell research revolutionize feminism? Can a scientist apply the scientific method to her own life to find solutions to social problems? In Five Scarves, Jordanian molecular biologist Rana Dajani reveals with passion and cogency how she has explored those possibilities.” READ MORE… – Reviewed by Malak Abedalthagafi, physician-scientist, chair of genomics research at King Fahad Medical City and assistant research professor in molecular genetics and neuropathology King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. Published in the Nature International Journal of Science
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“In this book the editors have compiled a wide variety of models in the social sciences and economics. The social sciences and economy cover a large number of study areas and topics that are very diverse. The topics covered in this book are, of course, not comprehensive and closely related to the research interests of the editors. The word model is also used in its most general sense which is a simplified vision of reality. The chapters in the book give a good introduction to the topics they covered and show to how use modeling techniques to further the understanding of the subject. In some cases, the models can be used to make predictions. I will only mention some of the subjects covered:
Study of the perceived factors affecting happiness, a population based model of bullying, how to rank universities, modeling social behavior in organizations, a constructive capitalization model, and an analysis of data of twitter use.
The models covered go from mathematical models with equations used to represent the simplified reality to statistical models with correlation and data analysis and fitting to others which reduce all the possible factors involved to a few considered the most relevant.
All the chapters used real data to validate the model, have a description of the methods used and have a good set of references. The book is a very useful introduction to a wide range of topics and the interested reader can then use the references provided to get a deeper insight into the topic and adapt the methods and ideas presented to other subjects.”
– Benito Chen-Charpentier, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics, Department of Mathematics, University of Texas at Arlington, USA
For more information about this book, please click here.