Book blogging (mostly)
Archive for December, 2009
What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy
Dec 21st
When I first received this book as a gift, I looked at the cover and thought “Cool, a book that will show how good and noble video games are!” However, if I had read even the title a little more closely I would have realized that this isn’t an apologist’s book on video games. It isn’t meant to show how video games are good for us, and therefore should be played by everyone all the time (though they should).
So what is it? Just as the title says, it’s a book that looks at what video games can teach educators about learning. After all, Gee argues, good video games are complicated, difficult, long, frustrating endeavors that children and adults will spend hours mastering. Obviously they are doing something right to produce this type of effort. The question then becomes, what we can we take from video games and apply to the current education process? How can we apply the principles of learning so obviously evident in video games to schools?
Throughout the book, Gee goes into detail on 36 different principles of learning, how they are exemplified in video games, and why they are so important to learning. I may not be an educator, but in my personal experience as a learner, I will say that these principals appear to be accurate. Many of them were things that great teachers helped me do, or that I discovered on my own. Ultimately this isn’t a book about video games, but a book about education and teaching. Video games just provide a surprisingly useful context.
I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in the field of education, regardless of their interest in video games. However, if you love video games, but don’t care about learning and literacy, this is not for you. There isn’t much I can spoil in this book, so if you are curious about reading more, follow the link to the full database entry below.
“[G]ood video games build into their very designs good learning principles and … we should use these principles, with our without games, in schools, workplaces, and other learning sites” (215).
Chart: Measuring Genre Transitions
Dec 18th
On my last chart post, I asked if there were any suggestions for other data graphics and Shawn mentioned the idea of showing the transitions between genres. In other words, do I typically read Fantasy or Sci-Fi after Juvenile Fiction?
In order to present this graphically, I thought a step line graph might work best. You will notice that each “step” is a single instance of a book being read. There are scenarios where two books of the same genre are read in a row, but the first Sci-Fi instance should give you an idea of the size of a single step.
I also ordered it such that genres were near those that are most similar. Thus, more wildly different genres would be further apart, and would be represented by longer steps in the chart.
As you can see, there are not any obvious patterns that emerge, but that in and of itself is interesting. It appears that I am pretty varied in my choice of genres and the order in which I read them. There are some interesting things, though, such as the fact that I always read Fiction after Nonfiction, and seem to enjoy going from something weird (sci-fi or fantasy) to something normal (fiction/non fiction).
However, it should be clear that there are some flaws in presenting the data this way. For example, this does not consider the degrees to which a book could deal with weird subject matter in fiction, or relatively normal subject matter in sci-fi or fantasy. This is especially problematic with a genre like juvenile fiction which can, in terms of content, be pretty much any genre.
Fortunately, I have been attempting to quantify certain aspects of books to make comparisons easier and more objective. The two categories that are most relevant to this discussion are realism (which measures to extent to which the book deviates from accepted scientific facts) and world (the extent to which the world is unlike the real world in which we live). Both categories are out of 10, with 10 being the most unrealistic and the world must unlike our own. Thus, by combining these two numbers we get what I am calling the geek quotient. This allows us to consider more fully the differences between books, regardless of genre. So, for example, both a nonfiction book, and a fiction book that is entirely realistic and set in our world, will register a geek quotient of 0. This is reasonable since the transition between such books is relatively natural.
Again, there are no obvious patterns (unless you see some I don’t?) but this graph is far more accurate than the last one. We see more zeroes, since both fiction and nonfiction can fill that role, and some more extreme transitions as we move from 0 to the high teens and back to 0. It also is interesting to see how much time is spent in the middle and bottom of the geek quotient, despite my geeky tendencies. In fact, if you take the time to observe this chart upside down (or note the “negative space” above the line) I pretty evenly split my time between geeky and non geeky reading.
So do you think the second or first chart is better? Are there any patterns that I’m overlooking? Any suggestions for improving the information these graphics reveal?
Recent books on CD (and why they aren’t in the database)
Dec 16th
I am constantly listening to books on cd in the car. Literally, all the time. I do not listen the news, music on the radio, or music on cd. I don’t sit it silence as I make my way to and from work. There is always a book on, and there is always at least one in queue. I didn’t start keeping track when this book on cd endeavor began (Thanksgiving of 2007, on a trip to Dallas) but if my memory is correct, I have listened to 68 books on cd since then, with 69 and 70 in the car at the moment. This does not include multiple listens to the same book (which has definitely occurred with books in the Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl series.)
So with that said, why don’t I have entries for all of these in the database since that is meant to be a repository of all the books I’ve read? This may seem ridiculous, as some have pointed out, but I don’t think it’s fair to these books to put them in the database. I don’t pay nearly as much attention to them as I do to the books I actually read (what with all the trying not to run my car into other cars). I don’t ever have a favorite quote recorded, I don’t tag important parts, or take notes while listening, and I don’t have anything to easily look over to confirm my synopsis is correct. I simply don’t give them the same attention as I do other books, and I think any write up I would do for them would reflect that.
However, that doesn’t mean I can’t at least share a brief bit about if they are good and worth listening to (or in some cases reading). The two most recent books I’ve finished are Ironhand and Stargazer. Both books are part of a larger series, and both are aimed at younger audiences (as are most of the books on cd I listen to).
The Stoneheart Trilogy
Ironhand (sequel to Stoneheart) follows George, a teenage boy who gets caught up in an adventure when all the statues in London suddenly come alive. He meets a few friends along the way (of both the flesh and bronze variety) and wreaks all sorts of trouble. The series is read by Jim Dale, who also narrated the Harry Potter audio books. He’s talented but, unfortunately, he is the best part about the series. They aren’t terrible, but they are only just good enough to keep reading and to make the drive to and from work more interesting. If they find their way on to your “to-read” list, I would recommend they stick towards the bottom. If you really want to be entertained by statues coming to life – just watch Gargoyles.
The Land of Elyon
Strargazer is actually the fourth in the Elyon series. They tell the story of Alexa Daily, a teenage girl who seeks adventure in the Land of Elyon, only to find more than she bargained for. I have enjoyed all four books, mostly because of the sense of adventure that Carman is able to capture. Still, they aren’t phenomenal, and the narrators have changed multiple times, which is always frustrating in a series. The unique world Carman has created for the series is consistent, but not very deep. I’ve recently started his Atherton series, however, it is seems to be a little better so far. I’ll let you know more once I finish it.
I’ll try to post more on the books on cd I read as I finish them, and at the end of the year (or more likely in January) I will do a post of the best books on cd I’ve read so far. (Special thanks to the Harris County Public Library, for providing me with all these books!)
Beyond the Blue Event Horizon (Heechee Saga)
Dec 10th
Beyond the Blue Event Horizon is a sequel to Gateway which I read (warning – spoilers) at the beginning of the year. Beyond follows the characters from the first but, if you haven’t read the first, that probably doesn’t help that much so I’ll give a brief outline of the universe in which these books are set.
Humans made their way into space, where they discovered the remnants of an ancient, super intelligent civilization. Gateway is an asteroid from which people can launch into space in hopes of finding even more technology and thus becoming extremely rich. Unfortunately, many people simply don’t return from these flights. In the first novel, Robinette Broadhead heads to Gateway to try his luck, and the sequel continues his story.
As I was adding this book to my “currently reading” section on Goodreads, I noticed a link to the author’s (Frederik Pohl) blog. I love the idea of authors blogging, especially if they have lead as interesting a life as Pohl has. Definitely check it out of you are a sci-fi fan.
Speaking of being a sci-fi fan, you really need to be one to even consider reading this series. While there are certainly elements that anyone could enjoy, such as the clever exposition in the first, it requires far more willingness to get into the geeky sci-fi realm than a book like Dune. Plus, it is the ideas of the book that make it worth reading, and if you aren’t into concepts such as faster than light space travel, black holes, and crazy theories about the creation of our universe, you simply won’t have a good time reading it. That isn’t to say the writing is bad, it’s quite good in fact, it just isn’t so earth shatteringly amazing that everyone who has the ability to read should pick up this book right now.
People who should pick up this book (or at least the first) are those who enjoy asking the question “what if there were aliens? what would that mean? How does our humanity change or become more evident when faced with creatures and ideas that are difficult to even imagine?” These are cool questions, and Pohl handles them with skill.
“All myths and deities are tolerable enough to believe in; but what if they become real?”(76)
Full database entry on Beyond the Blue Event Horizon. Beware spoilers.
Chart: Pages per Day by Genre
Dec 8th
One of the advantages of having a book database is that you can easily query statistical data in order to look at reading habits in a different way. It also allows for precision that would be extremely tedious otherwise.
After reading The Visual Display of Quantitative Information I realized that my existing selection of charts are, while not worthless, not as informative or useful as I would like them to be. Many of them have chart junk, they rely too heavily on pie charts, they are not focused on data-ink maximization and in some cases the information could be just as easily displayed and understood in a table. (I still think the charts have worth, so I want to keep them up, but I am also open to any suggestions for improvement.)
So, with that realization, I decided to try to make something that would be more interesting, offer more insight, and conform to the rules of building good data graphics that Visual Display lays out for us. Below is my first attempt. It shows, by genre, the average number of pages read for each entry in the database. Yellow diamonds are books I do not recommend, while blue squares are books that I do. The objects are slightly transparent to give a sense of density for when multiple books have a similar pages per day average.
Simple, yes, but I think there are some interesting things to draw from it. First of all, different genres lend themselves naturally to being read at different speeds (which is why this is broken out by genre). Juvenile fiction you can fly through compared to everything else on the list (except for the one comedy book I’ve read. Which may be an outlier, but it’s hard to say without reading other books in the genre). Also, though it is possible to read a book slowly that you are enjoying (and would recommend to others) it makes sense that we see ‘not recommended’ volumes falling near the bottom of the average pages per day for their respective genres.
Of course, since this is my database and my books, I could skew this to confirm or deny the theory that you read books you enjoy faster, but what’s the point? Why would I want to read a book I hate any faster than I already am? Or stop reading a book I love just to lower the pages per day? My reading time is limited as is, and I doubt I’m going to read more/less quickly just to alter my stats. Plus, this chart updates automatically with each new entry, so as the sample size increases, any outliers should become more obvious and easier to dismiss.
Anyone have any other ideas for what would make interesting graphical analysis when it comes to trends or tendencies when reading books?
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
Dec 4th
I had a dream about The Visual Display of Quantitative Information last night. This isn’t a normal occurrence. What was most surprising, however, was that in addition to telling a coworker the title and author of the book, I also proceeded to accurately explain the book’s main premise. I even had some visual aids to help sell the argument.
I took all of this as a sign that I should add it as a featured book, even though I read it back in September. Visual Display provides the reader with a clear, concise understanding of what it means to create high quality data graphics, and the best way to go about doing so. I understand you might want to fall asleep even reading this brief description but trust me, it’s fascinating. Not only does it provide you with an actual set of tools to use if you are creating your own data graphics but it also gives examples that range from fascinating and beautiful to, literally, life saving.
Every subject deserves a treatment as loving and engaging as data graphics receive in Visual Display, and you should read them. Since I don’t know of any other subjects that do receive this treatment, you should start with this one, even if you don’t care about data graphics (I can only assume such people exist, crazy as that sounds).
“Furthermore, of all the methods for analyzing and communicating statistical information, well-designed data graphics are usually the simplest and at the same time the most powerful” (9).
Olive Kitteridge
Dec 3rd
I knew nothing about Olive Kitteridge before reading it except that it was a Pulitzer Prize winner and that my sister-in-law enjoyed it when she read it for her book club. I enjoy going into books blind this way, and try to do it whenever possible. That’s part of the reason many of my descriptions and posts here will be pretty vague. I don’t want to give away anymore than is absolutely necessary to get you interested in the book.
With that said, I’m not going to tell you anything about Olive Kitteridge except that it is a Pulitzer prize winning novel and both my sister-in-law and I liked it.
Okay, that’s not all I’m going to tell you, but I won’t give away the plot. What I will say is that it is a refreshing novel that does interesting things with character development and narrative structure that make it worthy of all the praise it has received. Give it a shot, especially if you love small town American fiction, and I doubt you will be disappointed.
“Nobody knows everything – they shouldn’t think they do” (74).
Grip of the Shadow Plague
Dec 2nd
This is book three in the Fablehaven series. If you have read the first two, and are considering the third, it should come as no surprise that I recommend picking it up. So far each book has been exciting, imaginative, and non-stop entertainment.
If you haven’t read any of the Fablehaven books and are wondering if you should start, I say yes. From the very beginning, I have been captivated by Mull’s books. Plus, they are so quick and easy to read that, if you don’t like the first one, it will only take you a day or two to finish the book and realize it’s not for you.
They are each full of magic and wonder, and serve as an excellent palate cleanser between books that require more effort as the reader. That isn’t to say Grip isn’t good, or worthwhile, just that it serves to remind you how fun reading can be, like Harry Potter, and not how beautiful and heartbreaking a book can be the way I Am a Cat might.
Sorry, no quote on this one!
Full database entry on Grip of the Shadow Plague. Beware spoilers.
Dune
Dec 1st
The first time I read Dune (this is the second), I remember it made me really thirsty. It also made me want to conserve water, so I stopped showering. I was in college at the time, though, so it was okay, no one noticed.
I didn’t suffer the same level of obsession over water this time through, but I definitely still enjoyed it. I also had a theory, in college, that a connection could be drawn between Dune and Plato’s Republic, but it didn’t come through for me this time. It’s probably still there, I just don’t know my Plato as well anymore. If knowing I liked it enough to read it twice isn’t enough of a recommendation, I will continue.
Dune is a very good book that is as much political infighting and intrigue as it is science fiction. There are definitely strong sci-fi components, but if you are a non sci-fi reader and can accept them, you will probably really enjoy the political aspects of this book. It may not be perfect (so close, though!) but it still holds its own as an enjoyable literary work, that may show non sci-fi readers how good this genre can be.
“Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic” (373).
The River of Doubt
Dec 1st
I actually received this book as a gift over a year ago. At the time, the subject appeared interesting, but I just couldn’t bring myself to read it – there was always something else in my book queue that distracted me, or kept me from picking it up.
A few weeks ago, however, I was talking with a couple librarians (who are, by the way, always some of my favorite people to talk with) and they mentioned that I would be a good resource for recommending books, except for my lack of knowledge about nonfiction. I read widely on every other genre, but when it comes to nonfiction my experience is almost non-existent. With this motivation, coupled with actually owning this book already, I decided to finally give it a read. And am I glad that I did.
The River of Doubt tells the story of Theodore’s Roosevelt journey down an, up to this point, unexplored river in the Amazon shortly after losing his bid for a third term as president. The journey itself is fascinating, and exciting to read about, but what makes this book great is Candice Millard’s ability to bring each of the major players to life. It was enthralling to see how they struggled both against the wild and each others motivations.
For someone who has little experience in reading nonfiction, this was an excellent place to start. And if you are in the same boat, I would encourage you to do the same. Below, I’ve included the link to the database entry, with more detailed observations and spoilers. I’ve also included my favorite quote from the book.
“They were stealthy hunters, crack shots, and experienced survivalists, and, given the right tools, they believed that they would never find themselves in a situation in the wild that they could not control. But as they struggled to make their way along the shores of the River of Doubt, any basis for such confidence was quickly slipping away. Compared with the creatures of the Amazon, including the Indians whose territory they were invading, they were all – from the lowliest camarada to the former president of the United States – clumsy, conspicuous prey” (185).