Week 8

• How might technology be used to enhance cognition?

For our last blog I will revert back to our first lesson on cognition.  I will forever think differently about thinking because of one little word... neurons.  Which sounds an awful lot like nerdons.  Which would be a cool word for a group of smart people coming together into communities and exchanging information.  Oh wait, that's called a Star Trek Convention and I'm proud to say that I would go to a Star Trek convention but I haven't yet.  I'm a proud nerdon.  

Anyway.  I bring up neurons because every time we experience or think our brain develops or strengthens those neurons.  They form together, making connections, and shape our mind.  Our mind, however, is flexible and can reshape itself through new thinking.  How then can technology enhance cognition?  It can through several thought out lessons that take higher order thinking skills.  In this digital age, technology will be used to enhance the school and work place.  It's unavoidable.  Through its use we can cause our minds to solve complex problems, situations, and lessons with various technologies.  Anytime we use higher order thinking skills, we are enhancing our cognition.  

So long as our frontal lobe is engaged through the process of learning, the technology we implement with it will enhance cognition.  

Week #7

How do public policies impact the use of technology.

Please allow me to get into my zen mode for a moment before addressing the complexity of this question...
...humming birds... ...meditation... ...peacefulness...  ha ha.  Okay, can you tell I am getting much more relaxed with my writing.  I want to speak from my own experience.  Which, I am completely calm about. Although I can get frustrated at times with policies for a variety of reasons.  One of the biggest complexities with policies is getting them out and understood.  Policies in technology are constantly changing.  Not only that, there are gray areas in these policies and so it becomes unclear.

In my professional experience I have been a stickler with policy.  I have worked with co-workers who say, if I don't know, it can't hurt me.  Yet, this is very risky and dangerous.  Accidental misuse of policy could cause someone to lose their job.  I realized the complexity of policy when it came to showing the movie my class was reading.  My boss had to get a movie license, then we had to purchase the video with educational funds, keep it at the school, and finally get parent permission.  I then had to tie the video into the curriculum so it very specifically had educational purposes.  I understand why we have policies, they are important.  Yet, can we relax a little now.

I have gotten to the point where I am almost scared to use anything because I could be copyrighting without realizing it.  I have attempted to understand the Fair Use Act of education but still find it complex to.  The interesting thing about copyright is that if you go to YouTube its all over the place, but do you see anyone doing anything about it? No. Companies would be wasting time and money.  The big copyright issues tend to be when someone is making big money off another's work without permission.  It seems like for the most part the copyright issue is labeled gray and circumstantial.  In fact it is so complex that not even the government can put a definitive label.  Not to long ago a woman was asked to take down a home video from YouTube because it had a song in the background.  Yet, look at the millions of videos with songs and no permission.  Why just pick on her?  

The fact is, it's very complex, which makes policies complex and all of this confusing.  Although, I believe understanding it is very important so that policy is still being followed.  I have most certainly given one hundred percent attention to this.  

By the way... Now this is copyrighted.  That's the policy. I'm glad I have protection of rights, but the internet is also a free exchange of information.  The truth is, once something is online, it's out of your hands.  

(Week 6) Blooms Taxonomy

• What types of skills and thought processes are considered higher-order?

This last week in class we began to discuss what type of higher-order thinking skills happen when dealing with technology.  

We discussed many types of thoughts on this.  One of my favorites was Blooms Taxonomy.  Blooms taxonomy deals with steps.  There are six steps, they are: 

1. Remembering  
2. Understanding  
3. Applying  
4. Analyzing  
5. Evaluating  
6. Creating

In each of these categories we begin to find ways in which technology plays a role within each verb.  If we look at remembering we can use several means to help kids remember facts.  For example, in creating, we may ask them to create a video or PowerPoint about their favorite book.  We may have them type up a compare and contrast or even create one on Google docs for all to share.  Each stage helps us to step up the challenges we give to students.  

What I really like about it was that it reminded me of the activities we learned in my ESL endorsement courses this previous year.  Each stage of Blooms Taxonomy matched a stage for teaching a lesson to ESL students.  I thought it would be great to look at those old lessons and now introduce technology into them.  

Week 5

How might technology be used to encourage students of all ages to explore identity?

In class we reviewed Erik Erikson's 8 stages of human development.  We created projects on how students can explore their identity in a technological way.  I remember exploring my identity a lot through high school by playing, "The Sims," video game.  The Sims video game was an opportunity to create relationships through a virtual reality storyline.  I loved to create these fun cities and friendships that I could deal with simple to complex situations.  I can't really remember learning anything from the game about life, mostly I discovered possibilities of life and relationships in a make believe way.  Most secondary students are discovering this identity and exploring what it means to be them.  The challenge is when a teenager feels out of place in reality.  This often leads to many outlets of expression.  Some are healthy, some can become unhealthy.  I found it healthy for me to play 'The Sims,' because it was an outlet of creativity and exploration in a fun way.  Again, I don't think that it made my life or relationships in reality better or worse, but it was an outlet of discovery and entertainment. 

There are a lot of technological tools now for kids to express themselves.  Even something as simple as PowerPoint could be a tool of creation.  Students can create educational or personal narratives to express themselves.  They could explore some of their identity through podcasts, creating slideshows, movies, or recording music.  Technology has many tools that foster creativity and talent.  The sky is not the limits in technology. 

Essential Question #4

How does technology impact social skills?

Technology plays a large role in social skills.  Children that are constantly exposed to media often mimic what they are watching on television.  For example, I have a nephew who has, for a time, been obsessed with the Power Rangers.  Through their example he's learned how to get along with other children who watch Power Rangers.  These kids get together and pretend to fight each other and against imaginary enemies.  He is currently nine years old.  I realize he has the capacity to know that physical contact play fighting is not appropriate. Although, in his lack of brain development the frontal lobe reasoning hasn't set in.  I witnessed this as he was walking out of the Olive Garden one day, My nephew put his fists out like a Power Ranger and popped a random man in the chest while he was walking down the side walk.  I was surprised by my nephews outburst but I realize he was just playing, being a kid, a Power Ranger.  I think my sister was so embarrassed she didn't say anything to the man but just yelled at my nephew instead.  I know my sister raised him to not be violent.  My sister taught him well, but media and lack of reasoning had a stronger impact at that moment  Look at the socializing of children and the media that creates the ideas that violence is okay on the streets.  I suppose this goes into the last question...

How do modern children and adolescents differ from their predecessors?

My nephews learning was horizontal.  Through social interaction and media observation he realized that being a Power Ranger was cool.  This meant that he would take on the play aspect of karate.  In his developing mind he doesn't quite understand the impact of punching a random stranger on the street.  It wasn't too long ago while working at the Olive Garden when a child around his age randomly hit me while I was working.  His mother didn't say anything to me.  Now I have a better understanding of development.  Perhaps this kid was socialized by more violent cartoons.  Perhaps his mother was too embarrassed to say anything despite the fact that she saw it.

Digital Nation Wordle

Essential Questions W3

How do we define our “modern society?”

In class we discussed "modern society" in several ways.  We discussed how we see American culture by researching websites that defined how others view us.  Some of the discussions that I appreciated was the fact that American's love their Independence and are inherently born with the right to question authority.  I believe to question authority is at times wise, however, it seems that along that line we often fail to teach what respect looks like.  I heard a student say that they only respected someone who could give them something.  I silently disagreed because respect, to me, is an inherent birthright of our humanity.  No one deserves to be disrespected but to be treated with fairness, justice, and kindness even if that person does not give it to others.  We attempt to teach others not to return a slap for a slap unless one is in self defense.  We teach our kids to stand up to bullies but not bully them back.  We look up to individuals like Gandhi who gave respect to Europeans through non violent demonstrations of civil right rallies.  Gandhi taught that respect was inherent even to those individuals persecuting you.  Yet, one can stand up and say, this treatment is not respectful to me and therefore should be stopped. Respect should be the inherent basis of all cultural exchange and understanding.  So I pose the question, does "modern society" media show and teach respect to all sides, issues, and individuals?  If not, and media is becoming the horizontal shift of learning, then it goes to say, monkey see, monkey do.  Will technology become a greater influence on children's learning of respect or will the vertical shift continue to impact them stronger on issues of respect?  Perhaps, as you modeled for us the human being amongst the circles of external influences, the entire combination of influences will be modern societies view on what respect is.  In my opinion I often see disrespect than respect in the media, especially when looking at opposing views. 

We also discussed how technology was influencing modern society in Utah Culture.  I would like to point out a current issue in Utah Culture that is going viral due to media coverage.  The LDS member, Kate Kelly, founder of "Ordain Woman" has been approached by the church to stop her group following as they fear it is leading others away from the church.  There was a previous case in 1979 of another woman named, Sonia Johnson, a feminist LDS follower who was excommunicated from the religion for posing her views about woman in the church.  I wondered if she would have gotten more attention if the internet and media sites like Facebook or Twitter would have been accessible.  It seems that my Facebook account has an article or update about this current issue every other day.

I would have to wrap up my thoughts by stating that "modern society" is our current beliefs, attitudes, morals, taboos, and issues that are being vertically and horizontally taught to us. 

Media Tracking Blog

Friday Schedule

7-9

• 15 minutes of phone music
• 10 minutes computer checking email
• 70 minutes of computer music
• 10 minutes texting

9-11

• 49 minutes of computer music
• 5 minutes texting
• 105 minutes of video editing

11-1

• 105 minutes of video editing, typing, and scripting
• 10 minutes of cell phone talk

1-3

• 90 minutes of video editing/homework/Facebook
• 10 minutes of music on computer

3-5

• 90 minutes of video editing
• 10 minutes on cell phone

5-7

• 90 minutes of video editing
• 10 minutes text

7-9

• No technology

9-11

• 90 minutes movie
• 15 minutes text

Saturday Schedule (I'll sum it all up)

• 400 minutes video editing
• 300 minutes music
• 70 minutes phone

Were your findings surprising? Why?

Was I surprised? No. Not at all.  This is a highly unusual amount of computer/music time for me.  It's not surprising for a couple of reasons. I'm using the computer a lot for school right now and every summer I create an Archer Blockbuster hit.  I am making a movie about my "twin" and I who have these adventures in a mysterious forest called the Sahara.  I took a lot of film in California and am using a green screen to create a movie.  It's going to be about forty minutes.  A typical twenty minute video can take me over a hundred hours to complete.  This film will probably take me 200 to 300 hours this summer. 

How do you feel when using various media?

If I am using media, such as movies or video games, my brain feels mushy and tired afterwards.  When I am creating a film, typing a script,  or editing a video my brain feels exercised.  I am using a lot of critical thinking in the process of creating.  There is a lot that goes into the how, where, why, and when.  Yet, there are moments in editing that are more mindless, like connecting the dots to cut out pictures.

How much of your time is spent using passive v. active media?

I spent about 25% of my time doing passive media and 75% active. This isn't usually the case when I am not editing films.

• Did media consumption replace any other life activity?

When I have a video to edit it absolutely can take over my life activities.  It's because I am on a time line and because I LOVE IT!  I am proud of the work I do and my friends/family are sweetly and genuinely interested audience members of my films.  People say, love me love my dog... I say, love me watch my films.  Which of course, I would add a (lol) (laugh out loud) to the end of it because it is not a real requirement, but it means a lot to me when someone does watch them.   

Essential Questions Week Two

What role does the environment play in the development of cognition?

I remember asking a similar question in class recently.  I wanted to understand how our genetic makeup affected the development of cognition.  I've grown to understand that genetics plays a definite role in how we are shaped.  We also go through stages of development.  The other half of this, (which I consider a stronger influence on cognition) is environment.  For example.  Let's say that someone is born crippled.  In a welcoming environment, in which self worth is not dictated by this disability, a person can still thrive in their environment. There is going to be a greater sense of possibility and positive feeling developing inside the child.  They will be told that they are full of worth.  I recently posted this thought on Facebook today. "The mind is a fascinating tool.  During our childhood we were taught to believe many things.  Not having our frontal lobes developed (the front of the brain responsible for reasoning and critical thinking) we believed what others said about us.  In any thought or experience our mind creates a neural pathway.  The more experiences or thoughts we have the more those neural pathways connect and tell us what to believe, even subconsciously.  Many of us were taught to believe our very lives were not good enough.  Who can fit into the same mold as their neighbor or a celebrity.  There is no norm, every life and brain is unique. Somewhere in any, "societal norm" we taught others who to be to be acceptable. No wonder we suffer so much from our thinking, we can't live up to expectations that are not possible and we were taught to feel bad for it.  Our brains have been wired to believe what we told them. One of the problems we face as adults now is to overcome beliefs that were formed at ages we can barely recall.  The amazing fact is that our minds are pliable and we are able to challenge our thinking and change it.  Today I can tell myself that I am lovable, acceptable, and have value no matter what anyone says. I can create happy and healing thoughts.  I can think myself into a new person.  I can also create new thoughts to love and accept others that think differently then me." :)
Yes, our environment shapes cognition.

Essential Questions W1

How do we think?

Let's begin with the basics.  All thoughts arise from our brains which then sends information around the body.  The various parts of the body communicate information back to the brain.  This is made possible by the billions of neurons throughout the mind.  When we think, our thoughts arrive from the external stimuli around us.  Once a new thought or experience enters from our senses it travels to our mind which creates a new neuron.  Neurons are incredible microcellular messengers that are like a telephone wire/Wi-Fi communication system in our body.  As a new thought or experience is created new neuron pathways are branched.  As more information is fed to us the pathways increase in numbers.  The greater the number of Neurons the stronger the beliefs we come to have about certain thoughts and experiences.  All of this is fascinating.  In fact, our experiences coupled with emotions creates stronger neural pathways.  This explains a lot to me right now about human behavior.  An example of this is in my friend who won't date.  The experiences he had dating led to powerful strong emotions of a negative type.  Now when he thinks of dating, those neurons send him the message that dating is bad.  He's convinced himself that love doesn't exist, those neurons agree until a new thought is placed into his mind.  In fact, new neurons can arise from new thoughts and old neurons can detach from their networks with new information.  Our minds are unique and constantly changing with new thinking.

How do we learn?

Learning is much like thinking.  Let's go back to the example of my friend who is jaded.  Throughout the experiences of life we create Neural pathways that formulate strong beliefs about life.  These pathways are founded in the experiences and thoughts we think.  Strong emotional attachments create stronger neural pathways and thus lessons are created in life.  One element of learning is in concentrating.  Let's look at our digital age.  As our famous profess Suzy Cox explained to a class of high school children, social media is making us nervous and full of anxiety.  This is slowing the development of the frontal lobes in children.  With this bombardment of information our minds are slower to process and develop.  I refer to multi-tasking as a big problem with concentration.  A cell phone, a radio, and a TV in the background does not make a good environment for learning.  Now let's look at this through an elementary classroom.  What environment is going to make for good learning?  An environment in which kids have the opportunity to concentrate on their work which will allow them to be more successful.  One important thing to remember is to re-teach, re-teach, re-teach.  Why? This is because when we learn something new, new neurons are beginning to formulate into our minds.  These neurons are small in number at first and not completely connected in larger groups.  With enough exposure to learning those neurons have an opportunity to make strong connections and thus we learn quicker and more efficiently. 

How do we remember?

When we recall information it is because we have sufficiently created enough neurons and pathways to store information in our short term and long term memories.  There are several ways to pull from our short-term and long-term memories.  We can use various techniques to help us remember.  One way is to concentrate without distracting stimuli.  The more neurons we have sustained to help us remember the information the easier it will be to recall it.  I will add a disclaimer that certain lifestyle choices could detriment our ability to retain information.  Such unhealthy practices like drugs, alcohol, and unhealthy eating can stifle the bodies ability to remember.  Exercise and correct diet aide in our ability to pull information out of storage.