This is my form of a grassroots effort to rename all those 'for DUMMIES' books ... We are not dummies!
This is a new grassroots effort to rename those 'for DUMMIES' books on the market today. There is such a glut of these types of books popular with students and teachers alike. I think it's time to take a stand about the negativity of this title. I personally have never liked this type of title on a how to book and, for the most part, avoided buying any of those books. Heck, I don't want to be thought of as a dummy because I need to buy an instructional manual ... Do you?
Just recently, I was trying to find an answer to how to incorporate a sub-report into a report layout in Microsoft Access ... and that was an occasion for buying my first dummies book. Would you believe? I never did find a solution to my problem.
Do you agree or not?
No more DUMMIES ... Rename those 'for Dummies' books!!
These are some of the 'for dummies' books we are talking about here!
Show your support for the grassroots effort -- do not buy these ...
Please rename these for dummies books!
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byFor DUMMIES FAQs
Holy moly, would you believe there is a Wikipedia entry for them ...
For Dummies is an extensive series of instructional books which are intended to present non-intimidating guides for readers new to the various topics covered. Despite the title, their publisher takes pains to emphasize that the books are not literally for dummies. The subtitle for every book is "A Reference for the Rest of Us." To date, over 1,500 For Dummies titles have been published.
The books are an example of a media franchise, consistently sporting a distinctive cover ? usually yellow and black with a triangular-headed cartoon figure known as "Dummies Man", and an informal, hand-writing style logo. Prose is simple and direct; bold icons, such as a piece of string tied around an index finger, are placed in the margin to indicate particularly important passages, so "the rest of us" can find where the writing on the page is.
Almost all Dummies books are organized around sections called "parts," which are groups of related chapters. Parts are almost always preceded by a Rich Tennant comic that refers to some part of the subject under discussion. Sometimes the same Tennant drawing reappears in another Dummies book with a new caption, but based on the group of readers, it is not expected to be noticed.
Another constant in the Dummies series is "The Part of Tens", a section at the end of the book where lists of ten items are published. They are usually resources for further study and sometimes also include amusing bits of information that don't fit readily elsewhere.
No more for DUMMIES books ... rename these!
Perhaps rename for dummies books for NEWBIES ?
We are not DUMMIES
Rename for Dummies books now!
Why this lens?
Seth and Megan have been telling us now for quite a while that if we see something that doesn't make sense -- that needs to be changed -- that we should be writing a lens to let that company know.
Honestly, it makes no sense to me to have an instructional manual to tell someone how to do something and then tell them the book is 'for DUMMIES.' Hey, isn't that an oxymoron? You want me to learn something from the book, yet you are suggesting that I may be from a class of dummies?
Surely there is a better way to get the point across.
It requires a mind-shift ...
No more 'for dummies'
...
How about 'for newbies'
Dummies conveys a negativity ...
- A person who does not talk.
- An unintelligent person.
- A figure used by a ventriloquist.
- Something constructed like a person, to be used in place of a person.
- A nonfunctional device or tool used in place of a functional one.
What would be your suggestion for a new title?
How would you rename 'for dummies'
1
'for newbies'
9 points
2
for non-experts
4 points
3
'for wannabees'
3 points
4
teach like your hair's on fire
3 points
5
simplified
3 points
6
introducing
2 points
7
'for freshmen'
2 points
8
Basic Guide for extraordinary human beings who might have been sick when this subject came up in school
2 points
9
learning the ropes
1 point
10
how to be an effective teacher
1 point
11
teaching outside the box
1 point
12
the art and practice
1 point
13
the best instruction book
1 point
14
a handbook of techniques
1 point
Suggestion :: Learning the ropes
Learning the Ropes: An Apprentice on the Last of the Windjammers
Learning the Ropes: An Apprentice on the Last of the Windjammers
Amazon Price: (as of 07/11/2009)
List Price: $35.00
In 1938, Eric Newby signed on as an apprentice on the Finnish four-masted barque Moshulu for a 'round-the-world' voyage transiting between Europe and Australia. It was the toughest imaginable introduction to the sailor's life. Few of the crew spoke English, and he was ordered atop the rigging -- 200 feet above deck -- before he could get out of his best jacket and shoes.
More extraordinary still, between his shifts he managed to photograph day-to-day life aboard the antique vessel, and on others like her in various ports of call. Though he did not realize it then, these pictures soon became historic, for with a world war brewing, there would never again be a cavalcade of square riggers such as made the circuit that year. Remarkably, the Moshulu is still afloat and is now a restaurant ship, moored in Philadelphia.
Suggestion :: How to be an effective teacher
The First Days Of School: How To Be An Effective Teacher
The First Days Of School: How To Be An Effective Teacher
Amazon Price: (as of 07/11/2009)
Over 3 million copies have been sold of the preeminent book on classroom management and teaching for lesson achievement. The book walks a teacher, either novice or veteran, through the most effective ways to begin a school year and continue to become an effective teacher. This is the most basic book on how to teach. Every teacher and administrator needs to have a copy.
The book is used in thousands of school districts, in over 65 countries, and in over 1000 college classrooms. It works and it s inspiring.
Suggestion :: Teaching outside the box
Teaching Outside the Box: How to Grab Your Students By Their Brains
Amazon Price: $15.72 (as of 07/11/2009)
From seating plans to Shakespeare, Teaching Outside the Box offers practical strategies that will help both new teachers and seasoned veterans create dynamic classroom environments where students enjoy learning and teachers enjoy teaching. This indispensable book is filled with no-nonsense advice, checklists, and handouts as well as
* A step-by-step plan to make the first week of school a success
* Approaches for creating a positive discipline plan
* Methods for motivating students, especially reluctant readers
* Strategies for successful classroom management
* Suggestions for creating and grading student portfolios
Suggestion :: The art and practice
The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization
The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 07/11/2009)
The Fifth Discipline, is based on fifteen years of experience in putting the book's ideas into practice. As Senge makes clear, in the long run the only sustainable competitive advantage is your organization's ability to learn faster than the competition. The leadership stories in the book demonstrate the many ways that the core ideas in The Fifth Discipline, many of which seemed radical when first published in 1990, have become deeply integrated into people's ways of seeing the world and their managerial practices.
In The Fifth Discipline, Senge describes how companies can rid themselves of the learning "disabilities" that threaten their productivity and success by adopting the strategies of learning organizations-ones in which new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, collective aspiration is set free, and people are continually learning how to create results they truly desire.
Suggestion :: The best instruction book
Golf:: The Best Instruction Book Ever!
Golf:: The Best Instruction Book Ever!
Amazon Price: $18.87 (as of 07/11/2009)
Want simple tips to help smash it past your pals? Want to know how to generate the most power from your swing, put it close with irons, and stop three-putting? GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Teachers combine their knowledge to help you get your game back in shape with their first book, "The Best Instruction Book Ever!"
This book would include the simple, direct and helpful tips that make the YOUR GAME section in GOLF Magazine the most popular part of the magazine. The book will be concentrated into different key areas: Driving, Iron Play, Chipping, Putting, Fault Fixes, Trouble Shots. Stunning photography from the world's best golf instruction photographers would give the book an extra edge in the marketplace as well as three dimensional diagrams which take instruction to a new level.
Suggestion :: Introducing
Introducing Microsoft Windows Vista
Introducing Microsoft Windows Vista
Amazon Price: $22.49 (as of 07/11/2009)
Popular author and MVP William Stanek offers expert insights in this first look into the latest generation of Windows operating systems. Discover the new features and tools for deploying Windows Vista, help secure PCs and user accounts, migrate user settings and data, manage application compatibility, improve reliability, reduce support costs, develop applications, and help users achieve new levels of productivity and success at home or on the job. Its the guided preview for IT professionals, business decision makers, early adopters, users, and developersand anyone else who wants to start planning and hit the ground running with Windows Vista.
Suggestion :: Teach like your hair's on fire
Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56
Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 07/11/2009)
In a Los Angeles neighborhood plagued by guns, gangs, and drugs, there is an exceptional classroom known as Room 56. The fifth graders inside are first-generation immigrants who live in poverty and speak English as a second language. They also play Vivaldi, perform Shakespeare, score in the top 1 percent on standardized tests, and go on to attend Ivy League universities.
Rafe Esquith is the teacher responsible for these accomplishments. From the man whom The New York Times calls "a genius and a saint" comes a revelatory program for educating today's youth. In Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire!, Rafe Esquith reveals the techniques that have made him one of the most acclaimed educators of our time. The two mottoes in Esquith's classroom are "Be Nice, Work Hard" and "There Are No Shortcuts."
His students voluntarily come to school at 6:30 in the morning and work until 5:00 in the afternoon. They learn to handle money responsibly, tackle algebra, and travel the country to study history. They pair Hamlet with rock and roll, and read the American classics. Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire! is a brilliant and inspiring road map for parents, teachers, and anyone who cares about the future success of our nation's children.
Suggestion :: A handbook of techniques
Active Training: A Handbook of Techniques, Designs, Case Examples, and Tips
Active Training: A Handbook of Techniques, Designs, Case Examples, and Tips (Active Training Series)
Amazon Price: $40.00 (as of 07/11/2009)
Since 1990, Mel Silberman's classic book, Active Training, has been a runaway best-seller for trainers at all levels and a popular text for university level courses in adult education and training. The active training method-which turns the spotlight away from the instructor and put the emphasis on the learner-has emerged over time as a proven and reliable method for enhancing involvement, learning, and change.
Which do you prefer?
Does one seem more positive than the other?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byIntroducing Windows Vista
ElizabethJeanAllen says:
Introducing Window's Vista is more postive but I have to admit, the Dummies books, whatever the topic, make it simple and easy to understand.
Posted October 24, 2008
aj2008 says:
In the UK, the word Dummy is used for what I think you call a "pacifier" in the States and is something you basically put into a baby or toddler's mouth to make it be quiet! I don't like Dummies, whichever way the term is used!
Posted October 22, 2008
Windows Vista for Dummies
Oosquid says:
Me? I'm a Dummy, always have been, so the titles don't put me off. But that's me, I can see your point that some folks could be repelled by the titles.
Posted October 15, 2008
The_Homeopath says:
For Dummies automatically seems more user-friendly and simplified to me.
Posted August 10, 2008
Well, what will they think of next? YouTube Videos for Dummies!
YouTube for Dummies
YouTube for Dummies! Yes, there really is a "YouTube for Dummies" Book! Sorry for the quality... YouTube was eing dumb and didn't want to upload my video in .mov format, even though I always use .mov... UGH! http://www.twitter.com/infused08 http://www.myspace.com/infused08 http://www.blogtv.com/people/infused08 CHECK OUT BAKITWHY.com 4 Pilipino Stuff! http://www.bakitwhy.com
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10 Comments:
What does Flickr consider to be dummies when it comes to pictures?
I was wondering about this -- and there ya go ...
Dummies
Tailor's Dummies
Nightmare Mannequin
Terminal Beauty 41
dummies
Terminal Beauty 40
Lou and Andy
Terminal Beauty 39
Saucy Trio
Hot Dummies
Terminal Beauty 29
Terminal Beauty 30
The buzz on 'for dummies' ...
- Google Blogging For Dummies - Have You Read It? ~ The Blade by Ron ...
- Google Blogging For Dummies, written by Susan Gunelius, is described by reviewers as a beginning guide for newbies who want to blog. But is it enough to get a person who hasn't blogged before started in the right direction? ...
- Autocad And Autocad Lt All-in-one Desk Reference For Dummies
- Autocad And Autocad Lt All-in-one Desk Reference For Dummies About the Book: AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies shows first-time and experienced AutoCAD users how to use the complex AutoCAD technical drawing ...
- PID for Dummies? - Caswell Inc. Metal Finishing Forums
- OK, so I have never used a PID before. I have the oven built and is working well, thanks to ED. I am using a JLD612 PID by ColdfusionX (almost.
- C for Dummies 2nd Edition - Rapidshare WarezForum
- [HTTP] Product Description Find out how to tell your computer what to do Design and develop programs, compile and link code, fix problems, and more.
Drop me a line ...
Does it bother you too?
How do you feel about all the 'for Dummies' books out there? Have you bought any? Would you like to see the name changed?
Astrieanna wrote...
They are good books -- they break things up into sections and cover the topics thoroughly. I think part of the reason they chose that title is that it's catching -- being controversial makes it more memorable the just "Introducing..."
There's really not much chance they'll change the title -- it would seriously injure their brand recognition. I mean, even if I saw the same cover, but with "For Newbies", my first thought would be "Oh, hey look -- a knock off!" (if I hadn't read this lens, anyway).
Even though I tend to disagree, I do like this lens -- I wouldn't have thought of this topic (or known that there was a grass-roots movement) and I like the selection of alternatives.
Posted June 03, 2009
MichelleDiane wrote...
I see your point about the Dummies books, but the ones that I really don't like are "The Complete Idiot's Guide to..." Is it a complete guide, or are we complete idiots? Can we add those in here? ;-)
Posted December 05, 2008
In Memoriam :: Those crash test dummies
May these RIP
"Incredible Crash Dummies" Crash Cars commercial
A 1992 commercial for Tyco's "Incredible Crash Dummies" action figure line, featuring the two original Crash Car vehicles.
Runtime: 0:31
4154 views
5 Comments:
About the Author, JaguarJulie
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