By making so much information so accessible, social media has drastically changed the way we consume information and form opinions in the modern era. The danger, however, is that social media creates an “echo chamber” that filters the information people receive so that it largely supports their existing opinions.
A recent study published in PNAS examines this phenomenon and finds that social-media users show marked focus in the types of news that interests them. These social-media participants tend to develop strong and well-defined communities around the news outlets they support, and they tend to make connections with like-minded people regardless of the geographic distance between them.
Kids, and adults, can certainly learn stuff from watching videos of the type Green produces (and I have). But those topics exist in isolation. And connecting them into something actually useful is a far more difficult process. One that requires teachers. Source: Video Will Not Fix Education – Assorted Stuff Skills in isolation is never a…
Can we safely conclude that the cell phone battle between educators and kids is over – and that the kids won? Source: The horse is out of the barn: cell phones – Home – Doug Johnson’s Blue Skunk Blog Schools need to research and implement a sane cellphone policy now, before one is forced on them.
How you view math and shown math relationships can affect your understanding of math. What does mathematics look like to you? Do you see a wondrous landscape filled with connected ideas, or a sprawling mess of symbols? The distinction matters a great deal, because your mathematical worldview is inextricably tied to your success in the…
There is apparently a bug on 64-bit iPhones (5s and newer) where setting the date to January 1, 1970 will put it into a boot loop where it won’t boot. In fact, iTunes will not be able to see it to do any type of restore, essentially bricking the device. (Bricking is a term used…
A great deal has been written about the future and the importance of preparing students with the skills, mindset, and attributes necessary for success in a rapidly evolving world. Truth be told, this is quite the harrowing task and one that should compel us all to pause and critically reflect on not only where schools…
Even an internationally recognized futurist is no match for the inertia and entrenchment of the legal profession. That was my sense after the opening day keynote last week at ILTACON, the annual conference of the International Legal Technology Association. Futurist Lisa Bodell is founder and CEO of futurethink, which teaches companies to “become award-winning…