The Caffeinated Carbivore

There has been a great deal of speculation of the years about how the Internet is effecting the next generation of students: does it shorten their attention spans? Do they expect different lesson plans ? While technlogy in the classroom offers new formats for education, not all students are more tech-savvy than their older counterparts , nor do they always prefer to use technology (this is a stereotype of their generation that teachers should avoid). The implications of technology may extend past new technique or preference, however. Recent studies presented by the BBC found a correlation between a persons' Facebook friends count and the size of the "social", "memory", and "emotional" areas of their brain. The social impacts of social media may not be suprising. Dr. Ryota Kanai of University College, London, states, "We have found some interesting brain regions that seem to link to the number of friends we have - both 'real' and 'vir...

First, let's look at the history of "intelligence" 1. We begin with Socrates: "I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing". Remember, "intelligence" is a thing gifted from one man to another rich man...aka exclusive to upper social class and males. Emphasis on reason and logic. 2. The Roman Catholic church maintains written knowledge during the dark ages...then chains all books (literally) to the church: knowledge maintained, and owned, by the Church. 2. Intelligence as divider between social classes: Eugenics, or maintaining intelligence by not allowing lower and higher classes to mi x genes. 3. Degree of intelligence obtained by specific skull measurements. 4. Clinical trials: nurture over nature (intelligence could be taught). 5. IQ test is born -intelligence is measured by standardized testing 6. Multiple intelligences : how well do you understand logic...and yourself. Birth of self-awareness as a form of intelligence, not ...

Despite my recent blog entry about Cyber Bullying , there is still so much more to say about the topic. As we educate our students on the benefits of social media, we should also alert them to the dangers. There are various approaches to cel phones in schools . As Wes points out , labeling is an important part of image. If the phone is to be used for education, it is called a "mobile learning device" to emphasize its educational importance. However, students, parents, and teachers should be aware of the technology's dark side. As exemplified in the case of the cel phone's educational name, "mobile learning device", parents should be aware of the differences between "bullies" and "Cyber bullies". The many phases of bullying. 1.Olden days: Size: large, often older or taller than the average kid. Skills: Cruel nicknames, stealing lunch money, extreme snowball accuracy. 2. New Wave Size: varied Skills: everything nice, note encoding 3. Cyb...