Maggie Murphy – författare

Visual literacy is an interconnected set of practices, habits, and values for participating in visual culture that can be developed through critical, ethical, reflective, and creative engagement with visual media. Approaches to teaching visual literacy in higher education must include a focus on context and not just content, process and not just product, impact and not just intent. Unframing is an approach to visual literacy pedagogy that acknowledges that visuals are a pervasive part of everyday life, as well as embedded into every scholarly discipline.  In four parts, Unframing the Visual: Visual Literacy Pedagogy in Academic Libraries and Information Spaces explores:   Participating in a Changing Visual Information Landscape Perceiving Visuals as Communicating Information Practicing Visual Discernment and Criticality Pursuing Social Justice through Visual Practice  Twenty-four full color chapters present a range of theoretical and practical approaches to visual literacy pedagogy that illustrate, connect with, extend, and criticize concepts from the Framework for Visual Literacy in Higher Education: Companion Document to the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Topics include using TikTok to begin a conversation on academic honesty and marginalization; supporting disciplines to move to multimodal public communication assignments; critical data visualization; and exclusionary practices in visual media.  In exploring the discussions and engaging with the activities in Unframing the Visual, you will find new inspiration for how to unframe, adapt, and apply visual literacy pedagogy and praxis in your work.

This engaging biography about rising star Kristen Stewart will capture the imaginations of reluctant students. Approachable text and vivacious photographs will make her life accessible to all readers.

This engaging biography about rising star Taylor Lautner will capture the imaginations of both recreational and reluctant readers. Approachable text and vivacious photographs relay the interesting life of this captivating performer.

Readers will learn all about television star and musician Miley Cyrus in this engaging book. Visually dazzling photographs and simple text make this a must-read. A pronunciation guide helps with new words and readers can use the further reading list to continue exploration of this rising starlet.

Rising stars are a high-interest topic, especially when the star is Zac Efron. This book is filled with fun facts about this young star. Compelling photographs and accessible text will inspire low-level readers to enjoy the biographical genre and nonfiction reading.

Readers will love learning about country music star Taylor Swift’s life in this simple and attractive book. Straightforward text and mesmerizing photographs are sure to grab young readers’ attention while a pronunciation guide helps with new words.

The Jonas Brothers are one of the most popular musical acts among young readers. Through this book’s lively, introductory vocabulary and bright photographs, students will learn all about these talented stars.

Shia LaBeouf is famous as the star of the Transformers movies. However, this movie superstar has been acting since childhood. This book traces LaBeouf''s life and career from his humble beginnings as a child comic through his latest smash blockbuster movie. Along the way, readers will learn fun facts about the actor’s life and what he does for fun when he isn’t on set.

Taylor Lautner skyrocketed to fame as the werewolf Jacob in the extremely popular Twilight movie series. This book follows the young star’s life from his childhood in Michigan to his latest hit movies. Fans will learn about Lautner''s life and hobbies through informative text and fun fact boxes.

With smash hit films like Avatar and Star Trek under her belt, it’s no wonder that Zoe Saldana is one of today’s hottest celebrities. This book traces Saldana’s life and career from childhood to blockbuster stardom. Saldana’s many fans won’t be disappointed with the fun facts they’ll learn about her in this exciting book.

Johnny Depp started out as a teen heartthrob, but he has earned respect as a serious actor during his decades-long career. This book follows the Pirates of the Caribbean star from his early days as an actor through his latest projects. Along the way, readers will learn about his life, his iconic roles, as well as his lifelong interest in music.

Megan Fox is one of today''s most popular young stars thanks to her amazing success in the Transformers movies. This book delves into her life and her career from her earliest roles when she was just a child through her latest movie projects. Readers will learn about her promising career, fun facts about her life, and her interests and hobbies outside of acting.

Reese Whitherspoon has made a highly successful career for herself in Hollywood, both as an Oscar-winning actress and as a producer. This book follows Witherspoon''s life from her childhood, through her start as a teen actor, to her career as a major Hollywood star. Readers will learn about her interests as well as her charity work for children''s and women''s causes.

Learning the ins and outs of robotics can take a lifetime, but learning the basics just takes reading one book! Different types of robots and their components, functions, and purposes are explored in a way that students will find helpful and encouraging when they begin working on their own projects. More than just a beginner’s guide, this may be the spark to ignite limitless possibility for kids who love to use their minds and hands.

The possibilities of what can be made with a 3D printer are endless. This guide presents the basics of 3D printing, beginner’s projects, and additional resources to set young makers on their way to becoming masters. With up-to-the-minute information, simple language, and hands-on projects, this is the prefect launching point into the exciting world of 3D printing.

Microcontrollers are small computers embedded in many everyday devices. The average person interacts with several of them each day without even thinking about it. But why have microcontrollers become so ubiquitous, in what devices are they found, and—most importantly—how does one go about making one? All this and more is explained in the engaging text. It will turn even the technologically illiterate into budding tech wizards.

Electronic gadgets are fun to play with, but they’re even more fun to build! Students will unlock the mysteries of electronics, sensors, and LEDs with this book as it provides both technical information and step-by-step projects. Clubs, online communities, and additional resources are also discussed to help ambitious makers progress to the next level in their newfound hobby.

Humans have been obsessed with conquering the skies for millennia. This book documents that journey from the earliest days of projectiles to modern-day rockets. Armed with this crucial background information, students will then be directed through a step-by-step project to make their own rocket. Additional high-tech projects will keep their hands busy and their imaginations soaring.

Music has been a powerful tool for self-expression for thousands of years. And while modern instruments are often very expensive, the truth is that anyone can make their own! With the information, projects, and resources found within these pages, young musicians will quickly be making and playing their own instruments.

The “first-year experience” is an emerging hot topic in academic libraries, and many librarians who work with first-year students are interested in best practices for engaging and retaining them. Professional discussion and interest groups, conferences, and vendor-sponsored awards for librarians working with first-year students are popping up left and right. A critical aspect of libraries in the first-year experience is effective information literacy instruction for first-year students. Research shows that, despite growing up in a world rife with technology and information, students entering college rarely bring with them the conceptual understandings and critical habits of thinking needed for finding, evaluating, and ethically using information in both academic and real-world contexts. Faculty in upper-level courses expect students to learn about the research process in their first year of college, and instructors in the first-year curriculum expect librarians to teach this to their students. Despite all this, designing, teaching, and evaluating effective information literacy instruction specifically for first-year students is not necessarily intuitive for instruction librarians. That is why Teaching First-Year College Students: A Practical Guide for Librarians is a comprehensive, how-to guide for both new and experienced librarians interested in planning, teaching, and assessing library instruction for first-year students. The book:Examines the related histories of library instruction and first-year experience initiativesSummarizes and synthesizes empirical research and educational theory about first-year students as learners and novice researchersEstablishes best practices for engaging first-year students through active learning and inclusive teachingFeatures excerpts from interviews with a number of instruction librarians who work with first-year students in a range of positions and instructional contextsIncludes examples of activities, lesson plans, and assessment ideas for first-year library instruction for common first-year course scenariosIncludes a template to use for library instruction lesson planningWritten by a library instruction coordinator with a graduate degree in First-Year Studies and a first-year instruction librarian, Teaching First-Year College Students: A Practical Guide for Librarians is the first comprehensive, how-to guide for both new and experienced librarians interested in planning, coordinating, teaching, and assessing library instruction for first-year students.