Online Books

This is quite simply one the best books on distance learning that I have read. Palloff and Pratt provide a well researched investigation into developing communities online.

The first part of the book goes to great length in defining distance learning and community. The authors provide both empirical and anecdotal evidence to support their claim that community building online is critical to distance learning success. They do a wonderful job stepping the reader through the psychological process of developing an online community and detailing the impact it can have on learning.

Their approach to instructional design moves the instructor into a collaborative and transformative learning model that places students at the center. Instructors become facilitators guiding student discussion and exploration. This stands in stark contrast to the chalk and talk lecture model that many instructors attempt to replicate in distance learning.

Part two of the book is a hands-on guide to best practices for building online learning communities. It covers everything from initial course design and maintaining a collaborative environment to student and course evaluation.

If you are involved in distance learning and online training... I would strongly recommend this book. It was published in July 2007 and is very up-to-date with references to blogging, wikis and social networks like Facebook and My Space. It's a great read a wonderful reference.

I saved over $400 on two airline tickets to Europe this summer by contacting a source cited in this book.

Caesar's Tribune
John Timbers
Authors On Line Ltd
19 The Cinques, Gamlingay, Sandy
Bedfordshire SG19 3NU, England
[...]Genre: Historical Military Novel
ISBN: 0755210336, [..], 248 pp, 2006

This is a novelized version of Caesar's Gallic Wars as witnessed by the main protagonist, Marcus Rutilius Robura, a military tribune. Marcus was a young Roman officer of junior rank in the Tenth Legion . . . the Tenth being sort of a `boot camp' for young members of the upper classes.

John Timbers has taken Caesar's Commentaries-difficult reading-and turned this historical, exciting period into a richly textured, contemporary, intriguing military novel. Not only is our protagonist a Roman officer, he is also Michael Oakwood, a British Army officer on international anti-terrorist duties in the Balkans who wakes up in the year 60 BC. Somehow the spirits of these two men have switched bodies during a battle in which they are both injured. Mike, however, is aware of this double identity and writes in a journal to stay in touch with himself as he lives the life of Marcus. To complicate the matter, Marcus has a twin sister, Rutilia, who is extremely sensitive to him and has dreams of his other identity.

Through this novel we can see and experience Rome at this time . . . what it looked like, how the aristocracy lived, the social structure, the political arena and power politics. And more intimately, we experience Marcus's family, friends and love life . . . his marriage to Marcia and his sister's marriage to his friend, Quintus. And then there's the intrigue of another woman, Sylvia, and her connection in the dream to Mike.

The author conveys very clearly the developing power structure (Caesar, Crassus and Pompey vs the Optimates), the popularity of the amazing Gaius Julius Caesar and what he wanted to accomplish. We also get a feel for some of the other key players at that time such as Cicero, and I quote:

"Poor Cicero - fine legal brain and great philosopher that he is, is clearly the dupe of whoever flatters him most. He seems to have spent his lifetime trying to score points off people with his cruel wit, either orally in the courts or the Senate or in his letters and political tracts. In these he is prone to recall things in the light of his political leaning at the time of writing, especially when matters don't pan out as he hopes."

From the back cover of the book:

"This is the first in a series of five books that set out to tell the action-packed story of Julius Caesar's protracted battles in Gaul-modern France and Belgium-and his struggle to force the Roman Republic to abandon its obsession with ancient and superstitious traditions, a system of government that favoured only its racist, corrupt and all-powerful nobility. Caesar, a man way a head of his time, was determined to change the Republic into a multi-cultural meritocracy, fit to govern its growing empire for the good of all its disparate peoples. Caesar's Tribune is a fictional character who is also way ahead of his time but in a very different way..."

I would certainly recommend this book to history buffs and to readers who enjoy military strategy and intrigue. The battles on land and sea are vivid, exciting encounters, and the sexual thread in Marcus's life adds a very intimate element.

John Timbers is an accomplished writer, and this story is well written. You will not be disappointed as it entertains while it educates. My kind of book!

Reviewed by Kaye Trout - April 4, 2006 - Copyright

"A fascinating book on the ever-increasing role of the online campaign. Bimber and Davis provide valuable insights for students of the 2000 election cycle."
--Senator Harry Reid, Nevada

"This remarkable book resolves the debate about the nature of the Internet's role in election campaigns. Davis and Bimber's evidence is impeccable, and their analysis is faultless. Campaigning Online belongs on the bookshelves of election analysts and practitioners and on the required reading lists of courses on the media and campaigns."
--Thomas E. Patterson, Bradlee Professor of Government & the Press, Harvard University

"This empirically grounded and theoretically sophisticated analysis of the web-based American political campaign of 2000 avoids the anecdotal and typically breathless speculation about how the net will change human political behavior. Instead, this path breaking study documents how the web is becoming an integral part of the campaign process."
--W. Russell Neuman, Evans Professor of Media Technology, University of Michigan

"A much-needed, richly-textured empirical investigation of a key feature of online campaigning - candidate Web sites. Bimber and Davis provide a host of insights into how candidates are incorporating the Internet into their campaigns and what impact this is having on voters."
--Thomas E. Mann, W. Averell Harriman Chair and Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

This is probably one of the most useful books I have ever bought.

Bourque guided me step-by-step through the process of buying a car online.

My experience was excellent. I got the vehicle I wanted at a price no other "offline" dealer was prepared to touch. I even managed to get them to throw in hundreds of dollars in extras.

I wish everything was this easy. Good job Pierre.

An informative, and comprehensive review on the problems and solutions of hebrew cataloging on the Internet.

I always felt a little uncomfortable downloading music, wondering not only about the legalities, but also about what I'd heard about opening up my PC to others in the sharing networks. I then picked up this book. It covers all of the major file-sharing and music purchasing services, with clear pointers on the technical limitations and legalities (sometimes questionable) of all of them. Now I know where to go legally, and also how to reduce the amount of time to locate and download media. I'm also comfortable in knowing that nobody's going to hack into my computer, thanks to the security tips in this book. Highly recommended.

This study guide has it all! It meets every heading on the Oklahoma testing webpage (as project manager I checked twice). It also includes a great exam with sample questions to test your knowledge. I truly believe this is a great manual that will serve you well.

Any prospective teacher will say that studying for your teacher certification exam is nerve wracking. We have taken the pain out of the equation. Our team includes a textbook editor, college professors, and a biochemist. We have done all of the research, all you need to do is learn the material we generated. We even included problems within the chapters and a test at the back so you can check on your learning. Good luck!

The best part about this publisher is that they make a different study guide for each test available within each state. In addition, they include sample tests so you can see how you are progressing. This is a great study tool.