-
Should we blame the media?
The NY Times using nearly all anecdotal evidence based on one child, says the media may be responsible for poor grades and lack of focus. Don Tapscott rebutes this argument and cites much research. This is such an interesting example of how even a respected newspaper like the NY Times can flame the fire. I…
-
Digital Media Are a Tool
A recent article by James Fallows in the Atlantic reminded me that digital media are a tool and not an entirely new state of being and behavior. The article says: “Technology, to them, is neither a sedative that dulls our alarm nor a rocket ship that will spirit us away from our problems; it is…
-
Texts, Sex, and Media Freakouts
As I spent a few minutes this morning updating my Twitter, I was alarmed to see a post that a friend of mine had retweeted from The Atlantic: What’s that? Texting no longer only represents a way for teens to ignore their parents at the dinner table and run up the phone bill, it now…
-
Can Video Games Transform Learning?
A lot of really smart people believe that video games are the key to engaging children in school. The question is can video games really teach useful, transferable subjects? The NY Times magazine just put out an issue discussing this very subject. They profiled a school called Quest to Learn that has a curriculum around…
-
A Virtual Audience 24/7
Peggy Orenstein’s recent NY Times Magazine piece on Twittering brings to the forefront many of the issues that psychologists at the CDMC@LA are concerned about. Due to the myriad of self-presentation tools that digital media such as YouTube, twittering and social networking sites provide, people are often hyper aware of their audience. How will this…
-
Frontline’s Digital Nation – what’s the answer?
Frontline recently aired a documentary called Digital Nation which took a look at all the different ways we use media. And at recent research in the field. One of the scientists they interviewed is Dr Gary Small at UCLA. He looked at people’s brains while they read a book, and other people’s brain while they used Google;…
-
Media 24/7 in kid’s lives
A new study came out from Kaiser that talks about the astonishing amount of time that children spend with media today. Media is defined as tv, music, video games, print, computer and movies. Today’s kids 8-18 spend 7 1/2 hours using media, almost as long as an adult work day! Before parents stress too much,…