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.
A friendly robot greets me on Facebook. He’s dressed like a doctor, stethoscope and all, here to do a security checkup. So for the next 5 to 10 seconds, I wait as he pokes and prods my account. “He’s really taking good care of me!” I think, when I start to wonder: Are Facebook’s servers…
Camp Kinda is a free online virtual camp that will run from June 1 through September 1st. Campers will receive activities every weekday that tie into the overall theme for the week. Nothing boring. We’re talking about exploring the art of graphic novels, unlocking the mysteries of history, or jumping into the world’s craziest sports….
If society learns to value motivation as much as intelligence or leadership skills, it could be an enormous boon for children. Source: Highly motivated kids have a greater advantage in life than kids with a high IQ Intrinsic motivation that is, it isn’t about external rewards such as stickers or money.
“All this time, I was doing it wrong.” Since Erin and I released Hacking Project Based Learning this past December, we have been happy to hear from teachers and students who are benefiting from what we wrote. At the same time, we have received several messages that look like the one above. These are messages…
You’ve been there. Open a new device and make a quick visit to the App Store. A simple search turns into download wheels spinning for lots of different apps. With thousands of free (and paid) apps to choose from, it’s hard to know where to start. During conferences and school visits, I’ve given plenty of…
The presentation is part of a new initiative at Smith, “Failing Well,” that aims to “destigmatize failure.” With workshops on impostor syndrome, discussions on perfectionism, as well as a campaign to remind students that 64 percent of their peers will get (gasp) a B-minus or lower, the program is part of a campuswide effort to…