Product Description
In this report, noted scholar James Paul Gee discusses the evolution of digital media and learning (DMAL) from its infancy as an "academic area" into a more organized field or coherent discipline. Distinguishing among academic areas, fields, disciplinary specializations, and thematic disciplines, Gee describes other academic areas that have fallen into these categories or developed into established disciplines. He argues that DMAL will not evolve until a real coherence develops through collaboration and the accumulation of shared knowledge. Gee offers a concrete proposal of one way scholars in DMAL could move the area forward to a more cohesive, integrated, and collaborative enterprise: the production of what he terms "worked examples."

In Gee's sense of a worked example, scholars attempting to build the new area of DMAL would publicly display their methods of valuing and thinking about a specific problem, proposing them as examples of "good work" in order to engender debate about what such work in DMAL might come to look like and what shape the area itself might take. The goal would not be for the proposed approach to become the accepted one but for it to become fodder for new work and collaboration. Gee concludes by offering a sample worked example that illustrates his proposal.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Tough Reading, Not Yet Proved
I would divide this paper, for reading purposes, into two main sections.In the first, comprising well over half the book, Gee defines his terms, contextualizes his discourse community, and provides a thumbnail history of how we came to need the concepts he considers.This section is well-nigh unreadable, for multiple reasons.First, Gee's language is opaque.Pause for a minute to look at his paper title, which is so grammatically convoluted that, even after reading the whole paper, I can't affirm exactly what the title says.

Similarly, Gee often doesn't so much state his points as cite references where others already said what he means.Many of his points simply name an idea, then drop parenthetical notes, sometimes running to eight or ten citations, and let you decide whether you can bother to look them up.Then he relies on a constant barrage of acronyms and undefined buzzwords, trusting that you'll know what he means, or that you'll find out.That's a lot more trust than I'd rely on as a scholar.

In the second, sorter section, Gee explains his real proposal, a learning system based on "worked examples," a concept he adapts from the sciences.Not to give anything away, but this system relies on proposals tested by claims and counterclaims, collaboratively refining an idea until it withstands scrutiny.The finished form is the product of not one individual or team, but a collaborative group accrued for the purpose, sharing burdens and accomplishments together.He makes it sound more like artistic workshopping than conventional scientific research.

On the one hand, as a learning model, this really excites me.It proposes a method by which students and teachers share the educational process, and students own their learning, rather than sitting as passive recipients.Graff and other educational scholars have attested for decades that students learn best when engaged in meaningful discourses that touch their spirits.I hope to test this concept in my own classes.

On the other hand, as Gee demonstrates it herein, it seems to remain fairly doctrinaire and parochial.Gee proposes, then defends, that playing Yu-Gi-Oh! and such fantasy card games helps students master complex multivalent vocabularies.Though Gee demonstrates that proposal to my satisfaction, he does not demonstrate that the learned skills travel outside the game or will ever apply to professional or academic discourse.Essentially, he proves that game players learn the language of game play; he does not prove that skills are portable without the mentorship of a good teacher.

Gee offers food for thought, and I've recorded several of his points in my idea book for further pedagogical research.But this paper calls to be fleshed out, because it reads like the wordy prologue to a book-length study Gee hasn't yet written.At this stage, I have to return a verdict of "not proved." ... Read more

Product Description
Social networking, blogging, vlogging, gaming, instant messaging, downloading music and other content, uploading and sharing their own creative work: these activities made possible by the new digital media are rich with opportunities and risks for young people. This report, part of the GoodPlay Project, undertaken by researchers at Harvard Graduate School of Education's Project Zero, investigates the ethical fault lines of such digital pursuits.

The authors argue that five key issues are at stake in the new media: identity, privacy, ownership and authorship, credibility, and participation. Drawing on evidence from informant interviews, emerging scholarship on new media, and theoretical insights from psychology, sociology, political science, and cultural studies, the report explores the ways in which youth may be redefining these concepts as they engage with new digital media. The authors propose a model of "good play" that involves the unique affordances of the new digital media; related technical and new media literacies; cognitive and moral development and values; online and offline peer culture; and ethical supports, including the absence or presence of adult mentors and relevant educational curricula. This proposed model for ethical play sets the stage for the next part of the GoodPlay project, an empirical study that will invite young people to share their stories of engagement with the new digital media.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Lite Intro
The increased freedoms and means of communicating and interacting with others that has been brought about due to the technological revolution of recent decades has had an enormous impact on society. Among those who have been most affected are the young, as they tend to be predominantly the first adopters of new technologies, as well as the ones who are least rooted into the "old ways" of doing things. This state of affairs has raised a new set of challenges for all those who are concerned with that young people's well being and safety. Just recently there have been several highly publicized cases of "cyber bullying" - instances where young people have done harm to themselves due to actions of others online. However, online involvement for the most part can be a very positive experience for young people, as they are able to interact meaningfully with their peers, and safely explore social circumstances that may not be otherwise accessible to them.

This short report brings up several of the issues mentioned above, as well as many others. Most of them are already familiar to people who have been following the latest "digital" trends, and in that regard there will be very little new and path breaking material in this document. I was hoping to get some new insights from the latest research in this field, but there are hardly any new empirical findings that are presented here. Most of the "case studies" that are dealt with are actually just hypothetical situations that are used to highlight certain points or potential sources of problem in the digital world. They may have been based on actual real-world experiences, but that is nowhere clearly spelled out. This report is good in that it highlights and brings to one's attention some important issues, but otherwise it is rather thin on substance.

Intro to a Book They Haven't Written Yet
This prologue to a impending study has its virtues: it emphasizes what we still have to learn, it presages important research, and it collates the knowledge and speculation we already have at hand on contemporary digital ethics.But it tells us little we don't already know.It mainly lays out the hypotheses Carrie James and her research team intend to investigate in the near future.

James, et al., turn the bulk of their attention to new digital media's ethical implications for "identity, privacy, ownership and authorship, credibility, and participation"--a list they repeat with mantra-like regularity.I applaud this as a focus of research, because these concerns have remained controversial since Tim Berners-Lee wrote HTML code twenty years ago.James and her team elucidate well both the promises and perils of these issues, but mainly focus on information and speculation that I have seen treated at great length elsewhere.This white paper primarily offers unaccustomed depth to this length.

Perhaps it reflects my prejudices, but I would prefer to see this eye for detail applied to work the researchers have already done, not what they purpose to do.Since they admit the research will require three years before they can offer meaningful conclusions, it seems premature to announce what they hope to find.I appreciate their attempt to lay out the parameters of what we still stand to learn, and perhaps this will prompt even more research and greater diversity of opinion.But in the final summation, this feels like the early chapters of a book that hasn't been written yet. ... Read more

Product Description
In this collection, twenty-four leading researchers analyze the middle years of the lifespan, paying close attention to the many different facets of adult development. They study the various changes that middle-aged adults experience--from children moving in and out to going back to work and dealing with promotions, firing, and topping out. This work explains how these different experiences interrelate and how a better understanding of them can foster successful midlife development.

Much of the past work on midlife has been limited by its use of cross-sectional data, its focus on clinical populations, and the analysis of only one target group. Using a diverse set of longitudinal data, this volume provides a broader perspective by examining the similarities and differences in the midlife experience as a function of gender, social class, and birth cohort.

Of interest to scholars as well as to those interested in the midlife period for clinical or personal reasons, this volume informs us of the enormous potential and promise amid the gains and losses of the middle years. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Competence and character are at the heart of our notions of a mature and successful adult, yet many questions about their nature and development remain unanswered.

In this collection, leading psychologists, sociologists, and criminologists highlight the potential for positive development in different domains. By positing the possibility of multiple pathways of development rather than a single universal sequence, the contributors view the individual as potentially advancing in a wide range of interrelated and overlapping competencies. The nine essays in the book cover the years from youth to middle age, and they examine a range of social, political, and moral components of "competence and character" from teenage pregnancy and life-planning skills to voting records and educational attainment in low income households. Unlike comparable studies, this original and comprehensive volume frames issues, events, and longitudinal data through the lens of possibility rather than the pathology of defeat, stressing a positive approach to our conception of human potential. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Nothing Unifying Here
I bought this book with the hope of reading how top contemporary Protestant scholars address the issue of ecclesiology espoused by Rome and the Orthodox. It left me sadly disappointed. The chapter that addresses thefour marks of the church defined in the nicene creed did not attempt toreconcile Protestant perceptions of those terms with the historicalunderstanding of the council fathers. None dealt substantially with Eph5:32. I was further saddened that one author criticized the piety ofCatholics on the basis of his understanding rather than taking the time tojust ask some of them why they were doing it. All guns trained againstCatholicism while the Eastern Orthodox hold nearly identical views onecclesiology. Perhaps someday a book with less rhetoric and polemic willattempt to address issues that build understanding rather than polarizingdivisiveness. ... Read more

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Is Biblical Preaching Doomed to Extinction?

In the Old Testament, God decried the fact that His people were perishing for lack of knowledge about Him. The same seems to be occurring today. There is sharing, suggesting, plenty of storytelling, and lots of preaching to felt needs in modern pulpits. But the authoritative, expositional opening of the Word of God is becoming scarcer all the time.

Jesus told Peter, Feed my sheep (John 21:17). Such is the mission for all Christ's shepherds. But when preaching is neglected, those who have been called to feed the sheep do little more than pet them.

In this book, eleven pastors and scholars issue a fervent plea for preachers to preach the Word. Here is encouragement for pastors to persevere in their calling and wisdom to guide congregations in holding their shepherds to the biblical standards. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

A Useful Pulpit
Introduction:

The voices from the American pulpit are louder than ever. Pulpits are displayed on television and on the internet, yet is what the preachers are saying really relevant? Is the message of the gospel being delivered to fallen men? Do Christians need one more message or do we need action instead? FeedMy Sheep was written to answer those questions.

Feed my Sheep is a book about getting the church back into a proper perspective of what preaching is all about. It is so needed as the primacy of preaching fades to that of projects, and programs, rather than careful expounding of the Word of God. Churches tend to be fad driven and goal orientated, which causes them to drink deeply from a well other than the scriptures. Feed my Sheep points us back to where our faith originates and how important reminding ourselves of the very Words of God from the pulpit.


Body:

Mohler had the most important message to be heard for my generation of churches. He highlighted the essential need for preaching in a church. He created an excellent kick start to the rest of the book.

"Preaching is the most vital part of the Protestant faith unlike any other religion. The reason why is because preaching is composed of speaking God given words to others."

Thoughts worth considering:

"Wouldn't we like to have an assembly line of maturing Christians going out the
door of the church, wherein we could at least see something and note some progress?
Perhaps we could even statistically mark what kind of impact one sermon had over
against another.
But we do not have that sight; the pulpit ministry is largely a hidden
work in the human heart. Such a work will bear good fruit, but it will take time to
show." (2007, p. 5)

Mohler gives the American pulpits not enough credit by inferring there is no way to figure out how one message does against another-- it is called an invitation. The pastor may call upon the group of listeners and ask them by show of hands if the spirit spoke to them during the service. The amount of hands would indicate how well the sermon did. No hands the sermon was a dud and the pastor is upset because his congregation has a hard heart.

"If there is no controversy in your ministry, there is probably very little content to your
preaching."

"there is one central, non-negotiable, immovable, essential priority,
and that is the preaching of the Word of God." (p. 8)

"If you want to grow a huge congregation do not preach. Preaching does not make people feel good. Preaching hurts feelings. Great music and a wonderful atmosphere bring people in, but preaching offends."

R.C. Sproul Jr.

"In the church where I serve, it is precisely for this reason that we first hear the
call to worship. This is not the pastor or worship leader gathering the people and
instructing them to grab one more quick cup of coffee. This is God commanding that
we appear. Next, we confess our sins. When God calls you for inspection, and you
know you cannot pass, it's a good thing to tell Him so. It is wise to confess our failures
up front, and so we do. Next in the order of worship we hear the assurance of pardon,
a passage of Scripture wherein we are reminded that God saves sinners, that He will
not despise a broken and contrite heart.

From there, continuing in a process by which God speaks to us and we speak
our "amens" back to him, we move through a psalm or hymn, a confession of faith,
and a time of corporate prayer. Then we come to the preaching of His Word. We as a
congregation stand to hear the reading of God's Word. The pastor prays the prayer of
illumination, asking that God would be pleased to change us through the preaching
of His Word, that we might be remade into the image of His Son. Then, finally, the
Word is preached."

Even the temptation to wow the people with our superior intellect fades away when we remember our
simple calling to tell the truth. "Tell the truth" is to the preacher what "First, do no
harm" is to the physician."

R. C. Sproul Jr's article on preaching to the mind was a gem. Especially beneficial was the few paragraphs he shared in the text of how his church services are organized. It was an extremely Christ centerred approach to the liturgy. Conscious thought concerning the liturgy of a church service bears thoughtful considerationthis kind of thought is sadly lacking in fundamental Baptist churches. Church leaders should take heed to Sproul's message.

Critique: One article that could have been included or possibly needs to be written is an exploration of Rob Bell's idea that preaching is art. This concept intrigued me while reading through Velvet Elvis a few years ago. Preaching is an art form isa key concept in the emergent church and I would be interested in how it is viewed from a reformed perspective.

Conclusion:

Feed My Sheep is an excellent collection of articles that would be a great tool for any pastor. Each article was composed on the anvil of experience from these pastor's hearts. In a pastoral library it would sit nicely next to the writings of Richard Baxter on a Reformed Pastor.

Yah, Yah, Yah I love likemindedness
Judging by the title you can probably tell what the book is about. If you know anything about the contributors you also could probably guess as to the quality of the book. This book is awesome. If you are one who thinks that much of the seeker friendly approach and is no big deal or you find yourself often not understanding what much of the controversies are within the church. This book is for you. We can often receive things that we need and therefore don't realize that though we have gotten what we need it is only partial and there may be much missing. Think of the attributes of god. Many churches teach about gods love but not his hate of sin. Therefore you have received a distortion and harm may very well have been done. This book does a great job of adressing the very subject which is in the title. What kind of diet should we be on and who should be our chef!

To be called a sheep in today's world is an insult. But if there are no sheep, what need is there for the shepherd?
To be called a sheep in today's world is an insult. But if there are no sheep, what need is there for the shepherd? "Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching" is a discussion of the recent surge of individuality, to the point that many preachers no longer feel they are having any positive effect on society. Eleven pastors urge church leaders to continue to preach the word, and offer much advice in inspiring them to do so in spite of it all. "Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching" is well recommended for any preacher who needs motivating.

Excellent Reminder For Minister On How To Preach.
Every minister should have a copy of this book close by when they prepare their sermons.Expository Preaching is what you are called to do.Teach and preach not become an expert at delivering a 20 minute sermon illustration.

Wonderful Concise Treatise for Today's Pulpit Ministry
While not exhaustive in its content, A Passionate Plea for Preaching provides an excellent introduction to 11 important aspects of preaching. Being that the book is quite short, it would make an excellent gift for a congregant to give to his pastor in any evangelical tradition. In an age where many pastors are neglecting pulpit ministry and deferring to other forms of communication, this book provides a sober reminder of the primacy of preaching. It is not very detailed, and as such may not provide much for the pastor who is already convinced of and practicing regular exposition of the Scriptures; however I do not believe that this population is this book's target audience. (Though the chapters by Beeke, Ferguson and Piper are challenging to all, and worth the price of the book alone).

Though all of the authors are Reformed, this is not a matter of contention in this book, so it would make a wonderful gift for the more broad evangelical pastor who does not normally have a lot of time to read. It is my prayer that this book might be used to open up the eyes of many such pastors to return to the imperative to preach the Word. ... Read more

Product Description
Sola Scriptura, the formal principle of the Protestant Reformation, is essential to genuine Christianity, for it declares that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, the church's only rule of faith and practice. Yet this doctrine is under assault today as never before, both from outside and and inside the church. In manifold ways, both blatant and subtle, the idea is being put forth that the Bible is inadequate for the needs of modern man. Such suggestions represent an attack on the very foundations of the Christian faith.

In this book, several leading Reformed pastors and scholars, including Joel Beeke, Sinclair Ferguson, Robert Godfrey, Ray Lanning, John MacArthur, R. C. Sproul, Derek W. H. Thomas, and James White, unpack the meaning of the doctrine of Sola Scriptura ("Scripture alone"). They also explain where the attacks on the Bible are coming from and show how those who accept the Bible as God's inspired Word should respond. Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible is a treasure trove of information and a comfort to those who grieve to see the twenty-first-century church wandering away from the safe harbor of the Bible. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Not what it could have been
Featuring a collection of essays from some of the more prominent figures of the conservative end of Reformed Christianity, Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible attempts to lay out the Biblical, historical, and theological underpinnings of one of the Reformation's central tenants.

The book is written as a response to the many ways the authority of Scripture alone has been contested and neglected. A response to, as Michael Horton puts it in the introduction "a new famine of hearing God's word".


I must confess to feeling quite torn while reading this book. In many ways I very much wanted, due to the subject matter, to be on the authors' side.

In their affirmation of the Bible as the authoritative word for the people of God, I offer no disagreement. Yet again and again I felt myself frustrated by the methodology through which conclusions were made, by the tenor, and by what I felt was in the end a short-changing of a beautiful reality of God's actions in the world.

Because of the authors involved, including Sproul, Beek, and MacArthur, I had rather expected their foil to be either postmodernism or classical liberalism. This would have intrigued me because I live in a geographical context that is largely Reformed, while I take a position that, though not expressly emergent and surely not liberal, is certainly more progressive.

Such a focus would have helped me to better engage in dialogue and see how the Reformed community perceives other Protestant views.

Both postmodernism and liberalism received passing mentions, but in fact all seven essays set their sights firmly on Rome.


Unfortunately in doing so the essays relied heavily on quotes from the council of Trent, and the ostentatious tone of Vatican I, and largely ignored the dramatic changes the Catholic Church has undergone since Vatican II.

Now, I am Protestant for a number of reasons, and I don't fully agree with the contemporary Roman Catholic doctrine of Scripture, but it is neither fair nor helpful to frame the debate as if Vatican II never happened.

I think it could have been very useful to my own thinking through of these questions if I could have seen a clear contrast between contemporary Roman Catholic thought and a Protestant alternative. As it was, I felt that the essays sadly lost that opportunity by spending their time arguing with a straw man.

No doubt the authors involved in this book were writing with the best of intentions. They clearly are passionate about God's Word and want the people of God to preserve the gains of the Reformation. But the way they use and understand the Scriptures betrays that behind the words lays a very different foundational Story. A foundation that begins with the Scriptures as a reference work, a massive (albeit disorganized) encyclopedia, from which facts are to be drawn and commands followed - see as evidence consistent use of context free proof texting in the essays.

We've tried the "my list of verses beats your list of verses" approach; it gets us nowhere and when that foundation begins to show through the project as a whole loses its luster.

Declaring you have a high view of Scripture isn't enough - and let the implications of this quote speak to how high a view these authors have,

"It is a great blasphemy to exalt the Spirit at the expense of God's Word, for God has magnified His Word above His name (Ps. 138:2). Rather, God transforms through a combination of these two great powers, each indispensable to the other, and both inseparably joined together, so as to accomplish all of God's purposes for His people." Pg 113

A "high" view is just rhetoric if it is not at the same time a Scriptural view. And for all the good intentions in these essays, I did not finish the book convinced that it placed the Bible properly within the mission of God, or fit it to what the Bible says about itself.


I don't think that diminishes the deep truths and power contained in the Reformation's call of Sola Scriptura, but it may signal much work is to be done before our call (same words or not) has the profound effect theirs did.


*I received a gratis copy of Sola Scriptura from Reformation Trust for the express purpose of reviewing it at New Ways Forward, though no stipulations were put on the content of said review.

The Important View
Sola Scriptura, is it important? The short answer is yes but you ask "why?" and in order to answer that I would refer you to a book by the same title put out by Reformation Trust. The book is a compilation which I find greatly encouraging since it shows unity among believers and this in such an important topic. I highly recommend this book especially to those that think church is church and the stance one takes on an issue such as this is not all that important. The authors do a fabulous job of showing its importance and implications of adhering to such doctrine as well as the alternative of which Roman Catholicism adheres. The book is relatively short just over 150 pages and perhaps for that reason you may consider it a book for the new Christian. Nevertheless the reader will leave understanding the issue at its core as well as the implications and importance. I highly recommend it.

Authority and Tradition
R.C. Sproul's Ligonier Ministries (and publishing arm, Reformation Trust) has a justly deserved reputation for talking about the same things over and over. We appreciate that because those "same things" include the holiness of God, the Gospel of Christ, the power and inerrancy of Scripture, the intellectual heritage of Christianity, etc.--in other words, the things that desperately need to be repeated, as loudly and as often as possible.

In Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible, the latest book from the "Ligonier Gang" (a group of pastors and theologians including Sproul, John MacArthur, Sinclair Ferguson, Derek W.H. Thomas, and others who routinely speak at Ligonier events and publish books through RT), the contributors articulate for today's generation the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation: that the Bible is our only authority and source of our knowledge of God and His redemption of the world.

At times, it feels as though the writers are simply re-hashing the Reformation, fighting an old battle against Roman Catholic doctrine. However, it becomes clear that this is intentional for two reasons: 1) they obviously consider the work of the Reformation incomplete, owing to the fact that there are still over 1 billion Roman Catholics in the world, the vast majority of which hold a distorted view of Scripture that prevents them from grasping the truth, and 2) they wisely perceive the trend within Evangelicalism of Christians holding their personal, emotional experiences of faith on par with revealed truth (though few would admit it), leading to a rise in the reliance on "tradition" over Scripture that is just as destructive to the faith as that of the Pharisees and Roman Catholics.

Overall, Sola Scriptura is a winsome declaration of why Protestants believe what they do, the authority of Scripture, its power to transform, and the completeness and sufficiency of God's Word written. They explore these issues from Scripture itself, the writings of the Church fathers, and the testimony of the Word's power through the centuries. The book asks the vital question, "do you treat Scripture the same way Jesus did?," reminding readers that how we view Scripture is indicative of how we treat Christ (as He is the Word made flesh) and that the Church truly does rise and fall on the truth of the Bible.

A Must Have Reference Book
This book is a compilation of several authors.Those I am most familiar with are James White, R. C. Sproul, and John MacArthur.
For the most part, this book is very understandable.Sproul's chapter is a little more gray cell stretching, but the rest is relatively easy to follow.
I think this is a better book to have than a book on the same subject by a single author, because you get a broader perspective of adherants of this important teaching.The best part, too, is the final chapter, which focuses on why Sola Scriptura is so important, which is the transforming nature of Scripture.

Weak
Very weak. Engages straw men. Flawed, filled with scriptural eisegesis. ... Read more

Product Description
2 hardcover volumes (of a three volume set). ... Read more