http://www.theatlantic.

com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-
stupid/306868/

- Searching on Google makes our life easier
- The internet is becoming a universal medium
- With the internet, it changes the way on how you read
o We are seeking convenience
- Bruce Friedman described the Internet as having changed his mental habits
o Takes a staccato quality reflecting that he quickly scans for short
passages of text from many sources
- There are signs of new forms of reading as emerging as users power
browse horizontally through titles, contents pages and abstracts going for
quick wins
- Thanks to texting and internet, we may be reading more than we did in the
70s or 80s
- Process of adapting to new intellectual technologies is reflected in the
changing metaphors we use to explain ourselves to ourselves
o Thanks to brains plasticity, the adaptation occurs also at a biological
level
- In 1936, Alan Turing proved that a digital computer (at that time existed as a
theoretical machine) could be programmed to perform the function of any
other information-processing device
- Technology is becoming our clocks, typewriter, calculation, telephone, radio
and TV
- When the net absorbs a medium, that medium is re-created in the nets image
o Injects the mediums content with hyperlinks, blinking ads, and other
digital gewgaws
- Traditional media have to adapt to the audiences new expectations
o Television programs add text crawls and pop-up ads
o Articles and magazine have shorten their length
- Frederick Winslow Taylor carried a stopwatch into the Midvale Steel plant in
Phillie and began a historic series of experiments aimed at improving the
efficiency of the plants machinists
o Came to become known as an algorithm

- Googles headquarter is the internets high church and the religion practiced
inside its walls is Taylorism
o Chief executive, Eric Schmidt said the company is founded around the
science of measurement
- Company has declared that its mission is to organize the worlds
information and make it universally accessible and useful
- Googles founder said that their desire was to turn their search engine into an
artificial intelligence (a HAL-like machine that might be connected directly to
our brains)
- Google is motivated by a desire to use technology
- Arrival of Gutenbergs printing press in the 15
th
century, makes Hieronimo
Squarciafico worried that the easy availability of books would lead to
intellectual laziness, making men less studious and weakening their minds
- We risk turning into pancake people spread wide and thin as we connect
wit that vast network of information accessed by the ere touch of a button

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/30/fashion/on-internet-slang-imho.html?_r=0

- Slang words are called fragments due to a universally agreed-upon term
o This includes single word names such as Beyonce, LOL, Paris etc.
- Even literate adults are intentionally simplifying their online language while
inflating their emotional response, all for public consumption
- Some technical reasons may help explain the ubiquity of the new shorthand
o Twitter users are limited to 140 characters
o Smartphones small keyboard (makes them more incline)
- The fact that we are linking to something else could play a role in the
proliferation of fragments as well
o When we post a link, we are outsourcing our interest and letting FB
and Twitter make revenue
o Could also be attached to a picture or video
- Emoji is the modern equivalent of the rebus
- Ms. Kyle viewed our use of these exuberant single words through a lean in
(and tongue-leaning-in-cheeks) lens of gender
- We talked to each other in fragments because of how short on time we are
now that were liberated

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-05/1/online-stubbornness

- Internet becomes more tailored to the individual
- Personalisation has had a positive effect on the way the internet worked for
both the advertisers who target products at us and for consumers who
enjoys the free content
o Netflix pushes films and shows based on our viewing habits
o Google will offer dramatically different search results based on a
bunch of factors
o Facebooks algorithm works overtime, tailoring your newsfeed based
on who you routinely interact with
- Echo-chamber effect is simple
o Its part od the social constructivism and how we shape the world
around us differently from others for all kinds of reasons
o Biased could be from anywhere




http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/relationships/digital-overload-how-we-are-
seduced-by-distraction/article17725778/?page=all#dashboard/follows/

- Software companies and app developers are desperate to grab our attention
o Scientists are studying how to capture it
- There is growing scientific evidence that sprinting through the day in a state
of super-charged distraction takes a serious toll on our mental and physical
health
- Almost all the data in the world has been created in the last 2 or 3 years
mostly by the lay denizens of the Internet
o About 12 billion devices connected to internet
o Canada is a world leader in internet consumption
- Checking facebook in the middle of the day or collecting twitter followers can
be energizing and mood-boosting
o Scientists have called it a dopamine squirt
- Visiting facebook has been linked to depression and eating disorders in
teenage girls
- Managing a stack of emails only to have them pile up again has been found to
raise heartbeats and blood pressure
o Stanfords Calming Technology lab researchers observed that simple
web searches can caused people to take shorter breaths or hold their
breath entirely
o Usually arent aware of it
o Called e-mail or screen apnea (flight-or-fight response kicks in)
o Can lead to a negative effect on your health
- Constant use of e-mail and other social media (what called unchecked
informania) leads to a temporary 10 point drop in IQ in the studys
participants
o Twice as much as pot smokers
- Economic cost of distraction both in lost productivity and employee stress
is now tallied well into the billions of dollars
o Few companies have quiet time where they restrict internal
communication
- There are technology/apps that encourages mediation and interactive bio-
sensor devices to check your heart rate or health
o There is evidence that devices are inching ever closer to linking
directly our brains (Ruggero Scorcioni created a headset that tracks
brainwaves and blocks incoming phone calls when the wearer is in a
state of concentration)
- There is a subscription service called Focus@Will that plays music while
people work and claims to help the average listener hold their attention for
400% longer than usually or about 100 minutes
- If we give permission to be advertised to, it can be more efficient especially
for people who analyse data points
- In Daniel Levys class on mindfulness and technology at University of
Washington, one of the assignments requires students to videotape
themselves while online to track their social media patterns
o The results are revealing, where students notice their facial
expressions, hunched shoulders and one student posting a message to
Facebook which he does not remember doing
o Students are realizing how important it is to set their attention

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669896/10-ways-that-mobile-learning-will-
revolutionize-education

- Smartphones and tablet computers are radically transforming how we access
our shared knowledge sources by keeping us constantly connected to near-
infinite volumes of raw data and information
- Recently frog has been researching how learning models are evolving and
how they can be improved via the influence of mobile technologies
o Education industry needs new models and fresh frameworks to avoid
losing touch with the radically evolving needs of its many current and
potential new constituencies
o WE have been focusing on the concept of mLearning
- 10 key themes that are likely to drive the development of mLearning
initiatives in innovative directions
o CONTINOUS LEARNING (learning things of interest regardless of age)
o EDUCATIONAL LEAPFROGGING (ability to interstitially access
educational content during pauses throughout their daily routine)
o A NEW CROP OF OLDER, LIFELONG LEARNERS (AND EDUCATORS)
(teaching courses online regardless of retiring or not being an
educator)
o BREAKING GENDER BOUNDARIES, REDUING PHYSICAL BURDENS
(allowing females in countries where females are second-class
citizens get a world-class education)
o A NEW LITERACY EMERGES: SOFTWARE LITERACY (such as
KhanAcademy or Codecademy)
o EDUCATIONS LONG TAIL (tutorials, know-how illustrate how the
power of mLearning lies in its ability to offer solutions for numerous
niche audience)
o TEACHERS AND PUPILS TRADE ROLES (a student teaching the
teacher something effectively)
o SYNERGIES WITH MOBILE BANKING AND MOBILE HEALTH
INITIATIVES (micro or macro scale, this virtous cycle has the potential
to become a very effective way to improve personal, regional, and
even national econimies)
o NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRADITIONAL EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS (such as Harvard and MIT joining up to offer free
online courses)
o A REVOLUTION LEADING TO CUSTOMIZED EDUCATION (real appeal
on allowing people to choose their own paths, leverage their talents
and follow their passions and calling)

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/apr/11/students-bring-tech-
device-uni

- BYOD is Bring Your Own Device
- Idea that technology can allow students to access online learning tools and
interactive resources
- Allows student to be use technology they are familiar with
- BYOD does have a number of flaws
o Encourages kids to use technology during teaching time as a majority
will use it to access social media
o Buying own technology will make a have and have not among student
population in university
o Some cannot afford it
o Capability issues with software
- Average user is 2.1 mobile devices on average
- Now encourage as it helps students take notes and learn better

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB100014240527023037596045790934008
34738972

- MOOC is Massive Open Online Course
- Heralded as the next great technological disruption in education
- Allows university to reach more students and allow for different styles of
learning
- Are free
- More schools to expand their student base and potentially reduce the cost of
an education, are building online courses that cost money but offer actually
college credit
- MOOC still have a lot of room for improvement
o Staring at a screen makes student feel isolated and disengaged (leads
to poor performance)
- Most important thing that helps students succeed in an online course is
interpersonal interaction and support
- Blended Learning or flipped classroom (where they learn at home and work
projects in school)
- Evidence shows that students who interact more on forums tend to perform
better in MOOC
- Most students watch edX videos between midnight and 2am
o Students stop watching videos longer than 6-9 minutes
o Median time spent watching a 12-15 minutes video is about 4.4
minutes
- Environmental background such as not having access to the internet could
affect the learning especially those at a disadvantaged
- Somme MOOCs are experimenting with peer grading and self-assessment but
results is mixed and plagiarism is an issue

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2014/02/20/more-than-
100000-people-are-taking-an-online-course-from-yale-heres-what-it-means-for-
the-future-of-education/?wprss=rss_technology

- First ever MOOC taught by Robert Shiller where over 100,000 people signed
up (making it successful)
- Lets students take courses of interest and not a 4 years degree

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/fashion/cyber-parents-accessing-perhaps-
tmi.html?pagewanted=all

- Children are more foul mouth and salty compared to parents when they were
at the childs age
- Parents want to protect their kids when they are using the internet
o Such as having a keylogging software or saving their conversation
among peers
o Some use the fly on the wall approach, just checking in periodically
- Known as Big Mother/Father
- There are apps that helps kids self-censor
- A majority of parents of teenagers have at least tried to maintain some
degree of control
- Asking their kids if they can be tagged in their own picture on social media
(sets tone)
- Cyperbullying and sexting is a major issue; even impersonation accounts
- Kids do not want to think their parents as cool

http://gigaom.com/2013/08/07/snooping-on-your-kids-if-the-nsas-tools-were-
available-i-probably-would-have-used-them/

- Is it an invasion of privacy or parental right for parents to access their kids
account on social media and read their conversation
- Could lead to a permanent loss of trust

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/04/the-touch-screen-
generation/309250/?single_page=true

- Young children, even toddlers are spending more and more time with digital
technology
- Kids are interacting with the screen at a very close distance and spends a lot
of time inside either isolated or in a group of 2/3
- In 1999, the American Academy of Paediatrics updated its policy where they
discouraged television viewing for children under 2
o Citing research on brain development as this age is a critical period
for learning
- In 2006, children under 2 are consuming some kind of electronic
- Some parents issue a strict policy on playing time with technology (such as
weekends only)
- Parents uses it to let kids be quiet in order to focus on something else
- The technology can help kids develop essential skills and learn another
language
- Digital natives is termed for first generations of children growing up to
technology, while the rest is digital immigrants
- Pass-back effect is a name that captures well the reluctant zone between
denying and giving
- In 1980s, Anderson put the zombie theory to test, testing children to a form
of TV hell
o Children aged 6-12 months seemed to unable to tell the difference, but
by 18 months they start to look away and by 24 months they were
turned off by programming that did not make sense
o Provided first clue that even young children can be discriminating
viewers and not brain-dead
- Certain rules to promote engagement
o Linear and easy to follow, cuts and time lapses have to be used very
sparingly and language gas to be pared down and repeated (Blues
Clues)
o There are educational apps that can help kids learn
Kids did not care what app they enter as long as they were
having fun

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/business/a-campaign-to-help-people-
learn-internet-skills.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1399226466-
rQtvTT6+KfVehBCR4PSvIQ

- Over half of todays job requires technological skills
- Nearly 80% of jobs in the next decade are projected to require digital skills
- Disadvantaged families are on the wrong side of the digital divide
- Advertisement are showing people using technology in order to promote
gaining knowledge and skills
o Advertisement are primarily targeted at adults who are not digitally
literate