Technology is Changing your Brain

I'm currently reading a book called Mind Change, by Susan Greenfield. It's a fascinating exploration of how the brain becomes a mind and how it is being transformed by social media and our obsession with technology.

But first i'll let Louis CK set the stage...

http://www.cnet.com/news/louis-c-k-why-i-wont-let-my-kids-have-cell-phones/

Here's are some facts from Mind Change:

• Oxytocin is a hormone that enhances feelings of well being and increases in production in teenage years
• Dopamine is a neurotransmitter system in the brain that is linked to feelings of pleasure. . Dopamine production reaches its lifetime peak in adolescence.
• Human beings are social creatures. Loneliness is bad for your health. Women with fewer social relationships experience strokes at 2x the rate of those with more. Can increase the incidence of cardiovascular disease through reduced levels of Oxytocin, which surges during close physical contact and is associated with well-being 
• 62% of smartphone users check their phones as soon as they wake up. 79% within the first 15 minutes
• Since 1970 the radius of play, namely the amount of space surrounding the home in which a child freely wanders has shrunk by 90%
• In 2012 24% of users of US adult social networking sites reported missing out on a key event or moment in their lives because they were so absorbed in updating their profile 
• 52% of Facebook users visit daily, 33% Twitter
• Average smartphone Facebook user checks their profile 14 times a day 
• In 1987 humans spent an average of 6 hours a day in face to face social interaction and 4 hours via electronic. In 2007 the proportion had reversed to almost 8 hours a day electronically and only 2.5 hours face to face
• People who report feeling lonely also apparently are more strongly emotionally attached to Facebook

So for this post:

1. What conclusions can you draw from the facts given above? 
2. Do you agree with Louis CK? Should parents be more careful around their children's cell phone use? We're your parent's? 

Does privacy matter?

Before the ubiquitous adoption of technology, information about you was hard to come by. It seems now more companies are demanding that customers relinquish private information in order to use their products or services. Why does Staples need my email address?

Please read the following, offer your opinion on the article and support your findings with one statistic about people your age and their views on privacy.

http://www.salon.com/2014/10/30/im_terrified_of_my_new_tv_why_im_scared_to_turn_this_thing_on_and_youd_be_too/

Election 2016

I'm not sure how many of you are following politics these days but for those that are it is an interesting time. For some of you this may be the first time you get a chance to participate in the political process. For our first blog post of Q4, I thought we would open up our blog to discuss real world issues that young people face today.

So here are some questions to ponder.

1. Are you following the political campaign closely? 
2. If the election were held today who would you vote for? Why?
3. What issues are important to you and your peers? Are they being discussed by the candidates? 

Do some research and find out what issues people your age around the country are concerned about and then give us your opinion on the questions above. 

How to survive the craziness of college admissions.

It's that time of year again. Panic begins to set in as you wait to hear about acceptances. Why? So what if you don't get into the college of your choice? Does that mean the end of your future as you know it?

1) Please read: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/opinion/sunday/frank-bruni-how-to-survive-the-college-admissions-madness.html?_r=0 and discuss what is your experience like.
2) Reference something from the article that you relate to or disagree with and why. 

Power Posing

Our last post focused on risk and how it is often uncomfortable for many of us to take them. What if I told you I have the solution. Would you be interested?

Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power posing” -- standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident -- can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success.

https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?language=en

What is your impression of "power posing"? Try "Power Posing" next time and see if it works.

Risk

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.

To place our ideas, our dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss.

To live is to risk dying.

To hope is to risk despair. To try is to risk failure.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing.

Only a person who risks is free.

Anonymous

For our first post of Q3 I thought we'd take a chance. Are you a "risk taker"? Describe a time in your life when you took a risk or could have but didn't. What happened? Were the results what you expected? If you didn't take a risk do you regret it?  

Know thyself

For our final blog post of Q2, I thought we would reflect on our personality and on how unique we all are. At the beginning of this quarter we took a series of creativity tests and discussed the importance of bringing your own uniqueness to a complex task such as the numerous tasks you've all been exploring.

A central theme in the psychologist Carl Yung's infamous theory of individuation is that the integration of opposites while maintaining autonomy is central to human development. What I think this means is that we grow stronger together by being exposed to different personalities while holding onto who we are.

Take this Carl Yung inspired quiz and share your results on our blog and share whether you agree or not with the results.

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp

Ted Talks

For our next blog post you are in control. For this post I want you to choose a video from the site below and summarize it for us in a paragraph or two.

First give us the title of the one you watched. Then describe in detail what it was about, why you chose to watch it and why you would recommend it for your classmates to watch.

http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2011/11/28/20-incredible-ted-talks-you-should-show-your-high-school-students/