Social websites harm children’s brains: Chilling warning to parents from top neuroscientist (from Daily Mail)
Social networking websites are causing alarming changes in the brains of young users, an eminent scientist has warned.
Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Bebo are said to shorten attention spans, encourage instant gratification and make young people more self-centred.
The claims from neuroscientist Susan Greenfield will make disturbing reading for the millions whose social lives depend on logging on to their favourite websites each day. Full story here.
The value of teaching 21st-century skills (from The Boston Globe)
THINK strategically. Use technology wisely. Work collaboratively. Communicate effectively. Recognize how the world around you connects to everything you do. Employees are expected to be steeped in these and other skills their first day on the job. In today’s weak economy, the resumes of those who don’t speak the language of the 21st century are quickly passed over. Full story here.
Students tap into technology (from Pittsburgh Tribune Review)
Since 2003, Penzera has invested a great deal into technological advances for her classroom, including “smart” whiteboards to remote-control quizzes and videoconferencing.
English teacher Diane Penzera rarely uses books these days.
Instead, her students at Greater Latrobe High School use their laptops to read “Don Quixote” and Dante’s “Divine Comedy” on the Internet, then organize their notes with a computer program. Full story here.
If you received a new Mac for Christmas, or have been using a Mac for a while now, MacLife Magazine has a feature entitled Setting Up Your New Mac: The First 25 Things You Need To Do. It offers some good advice and seasoned users may wish to visit it as well to check out iPhoto Library Manager and AppTrap.
