Friday, April 25, 2014

Today Tonight - Pros and cons of social media




I wanted to share this video on how social media makes everyone a news reporter.
The constant use of phones and shared videos friends and peers makes it really easy to spread events around the world.

Social Media Isn't so bad after all?

  Source: Wallace, K. (2013, November 22). The upside of selfies: Social media isn't all bad for kids.CNN. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://www.cnn.com    
   
    CNN news reporter, Kelly Wallace did an interview with a couple of teens to find out the upsides of social media. As a mother Wallace disagrees with what comes along with it like the bullying and the social standards to be accepted. The article " The Upside Of Selfies: Social Media Isn't All Bad For Kids" goes into her discovery by looking into her daughter's Instagram and seeing the positive comments she's getting her photos. Wallace asks her children what it is about Instagram that makes it so relevant their reply was it gives them a sense of confidence because of the positive feedback they are receiving. In a survey of about 1,000 teens around the ages of 13-17 shared their opinion of social media, 28% of the participants said social media has boosted their confidence, 5% said it made them feel less( Wallace, 2013). However, this doesn't explain the reason for cyber bullying but, it does have a bit of a positive impact on the younger teens. They're is a website called Kidzvuz where they can post videos of themselves singing and why theatre is important to them. Kidzvuz encouraged kids to be more outgoing. Even if some of the kids weren't that good at singing, they were given positive comments and encouraged to follow their dreams by their peers(Wallace, 2013)
 http://www.bubblews.com/news/2247514-is-social-media-becoming-less-social

E-Books or Print Books?





This video above is an interviewing individuals that work at bookstores and customers on what they think

about e-books. Some of their opinion are interesting.



Hope you enjoy!

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Is There A Price To Reading On The Internet?

Source:Szalavitz, M. (2012, March 14). Do E-Books Make It Harder to Remember What You Just Read? | TIME.com. TIME. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://healthland.time.com/2012/03/14/do-e-books-impair-memory/

     A recent study on whether reading on the computer interferes with your memory makes me wander if Nicholas Carr author of "Is Goggle Making Us Stupid" was actually right about his ideas on how the internet alters your way in thinking or concentrating. This article " Do E-Books Make It Harder to Remember What You Just Read?" from Time Magazine goes into detail about an experiment led by Kate Garland, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Leicester in England tested on a few psychology students. They were presented with economic information they didn't know. First group of students had to read the information on the computer and the second group read  print. What was discovered is the students who read the digital version had to read the text repeatedly and the students reading print understood the material without repetition(Szalavitz,2012). In addition, Szalavitz includes the more connections the brain serves as memory the more frequently it will be remembered. For example, reading from top to bottom, or where the image was placed on the left or right of the text helps the brain contain better memory. It depends on the type of reader that was part of the experiment, typically a frequent reader would have much of a problem with either one.

WELCOME TO MY BLOG!!!

      Greetings and Salutations to my blog Open Mind Daily! The main topic of my blog is digital education and the opinion on the use of print books. The issues of print books or kindles, nooks, and iPads is losing the importance of a traditional book. The change is unfamiliar to most people since it has  been a way of learning for so many years. The adaptation to such an advanced tool is scary because it is so complex and is much faster to retrieve information for everyday task but, does only relying on technology come with a price? I believe in having print and digital at a balance for use however, having  children use it for their development gets me a bit on edge. I'll be writing about authors like Nicholas Carr, Charles Simic and others on their view of the matter.

Charles Simic " A Reunion With Boredom "

Source: Simic, C. (2014). "A Reunion With Boredom". 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology (4th ed., ). Boston: Bedford/St.Martin's.
   
This essay has " A Reunion With Boredom " by Charles Simic is interesting on how he describes the  
the boredom in rural areas. For instance he says " We sit with our heads bowed as if trying to summon spirits, while in truth struggling to see what's on our dinner plates." Makes me think of college students that depend so much on they're devices for their homework and everyday lives. They can't last a day without they're devices. It's pretty shocking that our electronic tools would be so important. Simic's shared experience of no electricity due to natural disasters, makes me think of what it will be like if major cities were to have no electricity for one month. Would they become addicted to books as a few people he knew? Or total wrecks without the box with the light-up screen? The tone the Author is putting across seems a bit like pity of our dependance of technology. Simic's experience of boredom of how he thought time stood still or when he become too aware of his existence because of the boredom. In a way, it seems like Simic is devising being completely alone and having time to think to yourself. It almost sounds dangerous, as though if he were to be alone any longer in that quite room, eventually it would drive him crazy.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Is The Demand For E-Books That High For Students In College?

    Source: Novack, J. (2012, May 18). " Should College Students Be Forced To Buy E- Books ". Forbes. Retrieved , from http://www.forbes.com

  " Should College Students Be Forced To Buy E-Books " by Janet Novack states that college students are paying a bit too much for textbooks and there is a better way to save money on the required material.  E-books for example are a way in saving money and easier to travel with. However, in a study it shows that students prefer print other than digital. The reason is the students have been acquainted with most their educational experience(Novack,2012). Textbooks are expensive for the fact of the making of it such as paper, printing and warehousing. The schools have found a way to help support students by partnering with McGraw-Hill to make the cost of buying books affordable. How the schools make sure the books are affordable is by insuring that particular textbooks for class, the professor requires or the school has selected are affordable through e-books. It allows publishers to give  major discounts(Novack,2012).
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Nicholas Carr " Is Google Making Us Stupid"

   Carr, N. (2014). "Is Google Making Us Stupid?". 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology (4 ed., ). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.

 Nicholas Carr's essay "Is Google Making Us Stupid" claims that we have become too dependent on the internet and in some ways affects our thinking and attention span. Carr supports his ideas by pointing out his difficulty with concentrating while reading a book. Also his friends and certain bloggers he follows expressing the same difficulty. In defense to his claims, Carr quotes James Old a neuroscience professor, who directs the Krasnow Institution for Advanced study of George Mason University about how the brain changes it's old connections to new ones. It can adjust the way it functions(Carr, 2008). Through this information Carr makes the connection of Google's motivation to turn their search engine into artificial intelligence. Also including that Google takes away the ability to engage in reading a text.
In result making a quick skim of a text more of a habit. In addition, Carr's ideas all surrounded the issue of not being able to concentrate. Also how we evolve mentally to new inventions that have to do with our minds efficiency. I agree with Nicholas Carr's opinion about the adaptation we've made to Google and other changes to researching and literacy. Furthermore, I am impressed of how he doubts himself that he just might be over reacting.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/5/20/1305902186335/Google-007.jpg

Monday, April 21, 2014

The Livelihood Of Books: The Effect On Young Readers

         There has been an on and off debate whether children, (particularly in Pres-school and Kindergarten) to use tablets as a reading tool. The article " E-Books vs. Print: what parents need to know" by Jenny Deam explains the experts such as Jim Taylor, Ph.D has concerns that electronic devices disconnect children from the real world. The assumption is if children only using e-books will forget how to handle a traditional book. As in flipping the pages and sharing favorites with friends. Also since the devices are touch screen, it is easy to concentrate on which buttons to press on then focusing on the assessment(Deam, J). E-books are not necessarily too damaging to the young mind. After awhile the child will get tired of he device. It's just a sense of balance of electronic reading and print, according to Kim Floyd a Kindergarten teacher. Floyd has found it beneficial to some of her struggling students. She says it makes them feel less embarrassed and helps them find books interest then and read at their level with privacy. The debate of e-books and print can be resolved through balance of the two. However, besides balance it is very important that the parents and educators interact with the children. I Think what sets people on guard about it is, it is not so much of the technology that is the problem, it is how it is used.
 







Deam, J. (n.d.). E-Books vs. Print: What Parents Should Know. Scholastic Publishes Literacy Resources and Children's Books for Kids of All Ages. Retrieved , from http://www.scholastic.com



Monday, April 14, 2014

What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains


I found this video on YouTube, I think it's a little something to think about.
It also has a few things on Nicholas Carr and his Theory!
Enjoy!!!

 Print Media Going Extinct!


I read an article how media print is dead and come to think of it;it is. It's pretty sad that people would rather quickly look on the internet for information than a newspaper.Seems like the concentration isn't the same but, print media seems to stand it's ground and not ready to back down yet against it's biggest competitor " The Internet". I guess it's a good, less tress will be cut down.



print media is dying










http://allthingsfulfilling.com/category/newspaper-publishing/





    Self-worth Through The Social Media


 Consider this ladies, what if the way you viewed yourself was because of social media. What if the insecurities you had wasn't because you were bullied as kid for having big ears but, was the fact that the social media said it was weird. This article  "Is Social Media Destroying your Self-Esteem", by the Forbeswomen and constributor J. Maureen Henderson on the Forbes website explains how Pinterest could be one of the causes for low self-esteem. Since women are the larger percentage of users on Pinterest , it enables woman to create an image of their ideal life through collected imagery according to Jezebal a blogger who addresses sexism mainly towards woman. It had been said that Pinterest has been abusing the users' image by the dietary post such as thinspiration or "thinspo". Members would have images, post, and links to dieting and extreme weight loss. which where requested to be banned. Also research ay the University of Buffalo say that women who see their self-worth through their image are most likely going to post more images of themselves online for confirmation and to have larger social networks. (Forbes,2012)



 https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmAqOegjnNidIsIJAFDQYy7ih_NN4D9ErD82kZmqokbPk9Pu_yPXnrMHIvWtVvwKXkFzc3BgsbwvmnhnZUjv1JwvUyhSAHd7IUe0STEdBj8pyczYbqHxghScDZJfgYKD2vqC_dgnIjOo/s400/MiniPostersMarilynMonroeLove728284.jpg

Henderson, J. M. (2012, August 11). "Is Social Media Destroying Your self-Esteem". Forbes. Retrieved , from http://www.forbes.com