The Effective Manager


Book Description

The how-to guide for exceptional management from the bottom up The Effective Manager is a hands-on practical guide to great management at every level. Written by the man behind Manager Tools, the world's number-one business podcast, this book distills the author's 25 years of management training expertise into clear, actionable steps to start taking today. First, you'll identify what "effective management" actually looks like: can you get the job done at a high level? Do you attract and retain top talent without burning them out? Then you'll dig into the four critical behaviors that make a manager great, and learn how to adjust your own behavior to be the leader your team needs. You'll learn the four major tools that should be a part of every manager's repertoire, how to use them, and even how to introduce them to the team in a productive, non-disruptive way. Most management books are written for CEOs and geared toward improving corporate management, but this book is expressly aimed at managers of any level—with a behavioral framework designed to be tailored to your team's specific needs. Understand your team's strengths, weaknesses, and goals in a meaningful way Stop limiting feedback to when something goes wrong Motivate your people to continuous improvement Spread the work around and let people stretch their skills Effective managers are good at the job and "good at people." The key is combining those skills to foster your team's development, get better and better results, and maintain a culture of positive productivity. The Effective Manager shows you how to turn good into great with clear, actionable, expert guidance.




Tools of the Mind


Book Description

Now in its third edition, this classic text remains the seminal resource for in-depth information about major concepts and principles of the cultural-historical theory developed by Lev Vygotsky, his students, and colleagues, as well as three generations of neo-Vygotskian scholars in Russia and the West. Featuring two new chapters on brain development and scaffolding in the zone of proximal development, as well as additional content on technology, dual language learners, and students with disabilities, this new edition provides the latest research evidence supporting the basics of the cultural-historical approach alongside Vygotskian-based practical implications. With concrete explanations and strategies on how to scaffold young children’s learning and development, this book is essential reading for students of early childhood theory and development.




The Right Tools


Book Description

Today, educators often find themselves facing a dizzying array of materials and resources, whether they are a box of dusty skills cards handed down from a retiring teacher, a professional book passed on by a colleague, a procedure recommended by a supervisor, a program required by a district, a book reviewed on a blog, a unit downloaded from a website, or a strategy highlighted in a brochure. But how do we know which of these will help the children in our classrooms? How do we find helpful resources without squandering funding or instructional time-not to mention our students' potential? In The Right Tools, Towanda Harris lays out a path that teachers and administrators can use to make informed decisions about what resources and practices they need for the students they teach. Rather than telling you what to buy or use, Towanda offers tools and guidance to help you to make that decision as you identify what you and your students need match resources with your goals for your students use the resource with a focus on your students assess how well the resource is working adjust how you are using the resource as necessary utilize one of the most powerful resources available to you as a teacher-your colleagues. Resources are only a piece of your teaching, alongside knowledge of best practices, and a deep understanding of your students. Yet each of these pieces can have powerful effects. By finding and using resources that are well matched to your students and their academic goals, you can keep working to help students reach their full potential.




Career Renewal


Book Description

This guide will help you find a satisfying career in today's market. It includes numerous assessment surveys, identifies career resources for professional networking, outlines how to write a winning resume, and features numerous personal case histories of those who have successfully made the transition from academia to the business world. The authors' step-by-step techniques have been field-tested on thousands and will help you to discover new career perspectives.







Technical Writing, Presentational Skills, and Online Communication: Professional Tools and Insights


Book Description

"This book is a collection of work to assist any professional who needs to deal with ethical issues, write up a technical project, give or develop a presentation, or write material for an online audience"--Provided by publisher.







Teacher Training and Professional Development: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications


Book Description

Regardless of the field or discipline, technology is rapidly advancing, and individuals are faced with the challenge of adapting to these new innovations. To remain up-to-date on the current practices, teachers and administrators alike must constantly stay informed of the latest advances in their fields. Teacher Training and Professional Development: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications contains a compendium of the latest academic material on the methods, skills, and techniques that are essential to lifelong learning and professional advancement. Including innovative studies on teaching quality, pre-service teacher preparation, and faculty enrichment, this multi-volume book is an ideal source for academics, professionals, students, practitioners, and researchers.




Instructional Technology Tools: a Professional Development Plan


Book Description

The use of instructional technology in twenty-first-century classrooms is not a subject to be debated. Rather, it needs to be embraced as a standard practice rather than an enriching activity. In Instructional Technology Tools: A Professional Development Plan, author L. Robert Furman presents a comprehensive guide to help educators embrace the use of instructional technology tools in the classroom. Answering the typical questions often posed by teachers and staff, Furman emphasizes the practical use of technology and introduces a breakthrough development called E-ProDev Days for offsite electronic professional development. He gives administrators the tools necessary to conduct fulfilling and meaningful professional development days, in-house or electronically, revolving around technology. Instructional Technology Tools: A Professional Development Plan also includes professional development lesson plans; tutorials for teachers and students; sample sites where examples of each e-tool are available to share; addresses to obtain the e-tools. Presenting a logical and practical approach to teaching a staff how to successfully use e-tools in their classroom, Instructional Technology Tools: A Professional Development Plan helps administrators help teachers to enhance their classrooms, manage time, organize themselves, and save money.




Professional Java Tools for Extreme Programming


Book Description

What is this book about? The Extreme Programming (XP) methodology enables you to build and test enterprise systems quickly without sacrificing quality. In the last few years, open source developers have created or significantly improved a host of Java XP tools, from XDoclet, Maven, AntHill, and Eclipse to Ant, JUnit, and Cactus. This practical, code-intensive guide shows you how to put these tools to work — and capitalize on the benefits of Extreme Programming. Using an example pet store application, our expert Java developers demonstrate how to harness the latest versions of Ant and XDoclet for automated building and continuous integration. They then explain how to automate the testing process using JUnit, Cactus, and other tools, and to enhance project management and continuous integration through Maven and AntHill. Finally, they show you how to work with XP tools in the new Eclipse IDE. Complete with real-world advice on how to implement the principles and practices of effective developers, this book delivers everything you need to harness the power of Extreme Programming in your own projects. What does this book cover? Here are some of the things you'll find out about in this book: How to automate the building of J2EE apps and components with Ant and XDoclet Techniques for automating Java testing using JUnit Procedures for automating servlet, JSP, and other J2EE testing using Cactus Ways to automate Swing testing with Jemmy, JFCUnit, and Abbot How to manage projects using Maven Techniques for automating continuous integration with AntHill and Cruise Control How to harness plugins for JUnit, Cactus, and Ant in the Eclipse IDE Ways to implement Extreme Programming best practices Who is this book for? This book is for enterprise Java developers who have a general familiarity with the XP methodology and want to put leading Java XP tools to work in the development process.