Month: October 2011

Need help studying?

Everyone’s study habits can be improved, and it’s a bit different moving to college from high school. Alternately, if you’re a non-traditional student at JCCC, you may not have had to study for years.

That’s why there are so many resources for you on campus. We offer things like the Writing Center, the Student Success Center, and of course our favorite, the mighty Billington Library.

In addition to the resources like LibGuides and our different reference options, we provide books like today’s featured item: How to Study in College. Inside, there are sets of proven skills that have helped plenty of students. Though you could adapt every recommendation in the book, the authors have compiled a number of individual techniques that prove useful on their own as well. So check it out. It should be on our New Book Shelf up near the 2nd floor entrance.

Tricked out BMWs in today’s book

Customizing motorcycles. People do it. Customizing BMW motorcycles.  It would seem less people do it. But behold, BMW Custom Motorcycles: Choppers, Cruisers, Bobbers, Trikes & Quads was assembled by author Uli Cloesen, and claims to be the only book of its kind, highlighting the BMW modding scene. It’s fully illustrated, showing off what modifiers around the world have been doing to Beemers in their garages, or even requesting straight from the factory. So if bike customization or repair are things you’re curious about, it might be worth taking a look at.

This book can currently be found on our new book shelf (2nd floor)

We’re scannin’ your retinas…

… in today’s book, that is. (We know: cheap, baiting headline. Sorry!)

If you’re like us, you’re torn between thinking it’s a little Big Brother-ish and thinking it’s really really cool. Today’s book, America Identified: Biometric Technology and Society by Lisa S. Nelson discusses how the government, companies, and individuals use fingerprinting, retina scanning, x-rays, handwriting analysis, and other means to keep things secure. Not just a look at the different technologies, Lisa looks into its impact on American society, and examines the area where privacy, technology, and ethics intersect. A pretty sweet read, and currently sitting on our New Book shelves!

 

Using technology to change classroom learning

Cathy Davidson’s argument for using technology to change learning environments is the Book of the Day. Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn argues that studying something she calls “attention blindness” in the brain shows how developments in technology being under utilized in learning spaces designed for the last century can be detrimental, and she’s got a good reason to think that. What started as her experiment of giving college freshman iPods (before they supported apps, and were just music players) lead to teachers and students turning them into learning tools.

The book follows that research to a compelling end, and a strong case for modern technology in the classroom, all centered upon how our brains react to it.

Can your speech be silenced?

Muzzled book cover

Not too long ago, a liberal radio personality on NPR was fired for discussing his own social prejudices, saying those in Muslim garb on airplanes trigger something in him that makes him uncomfortable (“worried” and “nervous,” he states).

Was this an inappropriate firing? He was, after all, sharing his opinion on another network. And, also, in the full context of the interview (view a discussion on CNN of it here), his argument included a discussion of the dangers of using religion to label someone as dangerous?

You won’t get an argument from us about if it was right or wrong, but you can read Juan’s take on it. His book, Muzzled: The Assault on Honest Debate, discusses his firing and the effect it had on his career. He also discusses what it implied to the modern media and the implications it has towards others who wish to express opinions and/or honest feelings that might not be of the most popular opinion.

So check it out, currently on our new books shelf, and see for yourself.