The Caffeinated Carbivore

A few studies have begun to research the positive affects of students using social media. For example... From Mashable: Four sections (70 students) were given assignments and discussions that incorporated Twitter, such as tweeting about their experiences on a job shadow day or commenting on class readings. Three sections (55 students) did the same assignments and had access to the same information, but didn’t use Twitter. In addition to showing more than twice the improvement in engagement than the control group, the students who used Twitter also achieved on average a .5 point increase in their overall GPA for the semester. My original thoughts: Awesome-Positive correlation (as social media use goes up, grades go up). After a more critical glance, I noticed that the sample size was a bit small. Further, the study does not explicitly describe the terms it was trying to study, which minimizes the possibility that someone could accurately replicate the study. As if to answer t...

Sometimes I find myself more pleased with these starters than with the whole meal! Try this simple copycat recipe to have these carbalicious biscuits at home. Cooking Time: 10 min Ingredients • 2 cups Bisquick • 2/3 cup milk • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese • 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 2. Mix Bisquick, milk and cheese until a soft dough forms. 3. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cooking sheet. 4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. 5. Mix butter and garlic powder. Brush mixture over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Find more copycat recipes at http://www.RecipeLion.com/.

What place do politicians have on Twitter? The primary one (pun intended haha). We've heard a lot of complaints about the costs of campaigns, specifically where the politicians are getting their money from. A politician likes social media for two reasons: 1. It's cheap 2. With the help of your Facebook fan list, Facebook offers a highly targeted ad to a highly targeted audience. Recent research shows that Facebook users may become resentful of the presence of big business on Facebook. The degree to which a politician is considered a big business or a representative thereof has yet to be seen. However, the study did find that young users in particular were open to brands which they felt represented themselves. The takeaway? A politician's ad on Facebook is more likely to be accepted by young users if they seem to be "one of the in crowd"...aka youthful, earthy, and not corporately oriented. A great example of politics, via social media is Comedy Central...

I find it interesting that, of all the campaigns, support for the New York City libraries is by far the smallest. I believe this is for a few reasons. 1. Many Americans are taught "rich guilt", or that we should feel guilty for having while others have not. This mentality is supported, and fostered, by charities looking to support children in other countries. They create the image that the suffering in other countries is greater than the suffering in our own country. Children in America need to read just as much as children in Africa. 2. The American Dream. Our American culture teaches us that if we work hard enough we can achieve anything. Thus, we assume that those who have not achieved have not worked hard. The truth is the American Dream is still not equal. Our nation's poverty, homelessness, and hunger are often similar to those countries we seek to help, and yet the support Americans give to other countries far outnumbers the support given to our own citizen...

Penguin Books has begun its "Read a book, Give a book" campaign this month. How can you give books to needy children? By reading a book to your children. Log on and read a book online with your child. Then, you can donate that book to children in New York City, Haiti, or Africa. There are many separate campaigns this year: 1. Jumpstart Reading Libraries . This campaign helps create libraries in preschools across the USA. 2. The Million Word Challenge. 3. Tinga Tinga Tales: East Africa: 4. Conspiracy for Good: A teacher in Zambia reaches out to seek books for her students. 5. Books for Asia. 6. Family Story Power: Books for New York City libraries: All of these campaigns offer you the chance to share literacy with children across the world, while also sharing a story with your child!

Were you a fan of Pillars of the Earth? This Ken Follett novel took history, religion, and architecture to a whole new fictional level. Readers were able to experience the lives of the cathedral builders. You can get it on your Kindle In the car Or on your TV as a mini series I recently read Cathedral of the Sea, which was similar in all the good ways. Stories of architects, the Catholic church, feudal lords, and arranged marriages, all set in Spain. Beautifully written with characters I actually missed when the book was done! it reminded me of Pillars of the Earth because of its original focus on architecture, but it soon took a turn of its own, focusing on wars and the Inquisition. Totally worth the read! You can also get this book in its original Spanish format

What child would understand this? None. But all of their parents do. I often find myself being taught new things (or reminded of the things I forgot) by children. I also often find that I enjoy children's movies more than children do. Like the original Shrek, and all of its references to music and yes, to brawdy humor.