How does, what and how, infants learn affect them later in life?
or
What is the process of infant learning?
Book:
The Rational Infant: Learning in Infancy by: T.G.R. Bower
Peer-Reviewed Articles:
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=a84e7014-1d9a-40fb-ab6a-a1871d261a63%40sessionmgr10&vid=1&hid=10&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=nlebk&AN=242189
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=2&hid=10&sid=00ff06af-2b41-4344-a675-4b28ba3ec44d%40sessionmgr12&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=66695420 (need to get from library)
Other Sources:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/learnnewborn.html
http://www.janetlansbury.com/2011/08/the-secrets-of-infant-learning/
Monday, April 2, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Conclusion Now You See It
Summary:
This chapter sums up the entire book. In the beginning of this chapter Cathy talks about when a professor had his students shut their phones and laptops and to close their eyes. The professor encourages them to try to stay focused on one thing. This goes on for about 5 minutes. The students say that they had trouble staying focused on one thing and that their mind wondered to many different things. Cathy gives a fact to support this, "Neurologist Marcus Raichles's research at Washington University has recently determined that an astonishing 80% of our neural energy is taken up not by external distractions at all but by the mind talking to itself." She talks about how our era now is obsessed with attention, distraction, and multitasking.
Critical Commentary:
I liked this chapter probably the most out all the other chapters because it was shorter and more to the point. It made it easier to read. I think the idea of the book is a good idea, but I think it kind of went into too much detail and made it boring and hard to read. But Cathy does a very good job of supporting her argument with facts, stories, examples and more. The most convincing fact that supports her argument is in this chapter and its when she says that 80% of our distractions are internal not external. For me, this was the one fact that really proved her point. The others did as well, but I think this one was the best. I like how she ended the book with the title and saying that if we change the way we do things and see things, it will help us to "see it". "It", being how we need to change in order to keep up with technology and the way the real world is.
This chapter sums up the entire book. In the beginning of this chapter Cathy talks about when a professor had his students shut their phones and laptops and to close their eyes. The professor encourages them to try to stay focused on one thing. This goes on for about 5 minutes. The students say that they had trouble staying focused on one thing and that their mind wondered to many different things. Cathy gives a fact to support this, "Neurologist Marcus Raichles's research at Washington University has recently determined that an astonishing 80% of our neural energy is taken up not by external distractions at all but by the mind talking to itself." She talks about how our era now is obsessed with attention, distraction, and multitasking.
Critical Commentary:
I liked this chapter probably the most out all the other chapters because it was shorter and more to the point. It made it easier to read. I think the idea of the book is a good idea, but I think it kind of went into too much detail and made it boring and hard to read. But Cathy does a very good job of supporting her argument with facts, stories, examples and more. The most convincing fact that supports her argument is in this chapter and its when she says that 80% of our distractions are internal not external. For me, this was the one fact that really proved her point. The others did as well, but I think this one was the best. I like how she ended the book with the title and saying that if we change the way we do things and see things, it will help us to "see it". "It", being how we need to change in order to keep up with technology and the way the real world is.
Chapter 8 Now You See It
Summary:
The chapter starts out with Cathy Davidson telling a story about when she was on vacation and injured her arm. She talks about how she had to go through rehab for about 6 months. She would watch the students come into rehab and saw how they didn't give up and kept pushing themselves to get better and this inspired her. She also talks about the "phantom limb". Another person that inspired Cathy was Sadiik, a Somali taxi driver, who drove her to rehab everyday for those 6 months. Cathy says that Radonna said, "Age gets blamed a lot of the times when the operative word should be lazy." This chapter was basically about how people often are just lazy or give up too easily on things, when they should try harder and never give up.
Critical Commentary:
I thought that the way Cathy started this chapter out with a story about her injuring her arm made an interesting way to start the chapter and kind of got you reeled in, so that you want to read more. When she also talks about how she didn't give up on fixing her arm, this gives her good ethos because it shows determination. I also thought it was interesting when she brought up the VCR and how it was a "crappy technology" and how it separated young from old and male and female. Cathy provides many other good stories and examples in this chapter. One of the things I liked was when she quoted Radonna about how a lot of the time people use age as an excuse when its really because they are lazy. Cathy also provides a lot of facts in this chapter. For example, she says that now over 80% of Americans between 50 and 54 are now online.
The chapter starts out with Cathy Davidson telling a story about when she was on vacation and injured her arm. She talks about how she had to go through rehab for about 6 months. She would watch the students come into rehab and saw how they didn't give up and kept pushing themselves to get better and this inspired her. She also talks about the "phantom limb". Another person that inspired Cathy was Sadiik, a Somali taxi driver, who drove her to rehab everyday for those 6 months. Cathy says that Radonna said, "Age gets blamed a lot of the times when the operative word should be lazy." This chapter was basically about how people often are just lazy or give up too easily on things, when they should try harder and never give up.
Critical Commentary:
I thought that the way Cathy started this chapter out with a story about her injuring her arm made an interesting way to start the chapter and kind of got you reeled in, so that you want to read more. When she also talks about how she didn't give up on fixing her arm, this gives her good ethos because it shows determination. I also thought it was interesting when she brought up the VCR and how it was a "crappy technology" and how it separated young from old and male and female. Cathy provides many other good stories and examples in this chapter. One of the things I liked was when she quoted Radonna about how a lot of the time people use age as an excuse when its really because they are lazy. Cathy also provides a lot of facts in this chapter. For example, she says that now over 80% of Americans between 50 and 54 are now online.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Chapter 7 Now You See It
Summary:
This chapter is all about people changing themselves in order to be able to improve working skills. One of things we need to do is see ourselves as others see us. An example of this is when Tony/Lawanda O'Driscoll talks about how we usually don't see ourselves as others see us. If we change this and attempt to see what others see, then we could improve ourselves. Another things we should do is see talents where others see limits. This is basically saying to try to be more positive and see the bright side of something versus the negative. Also, we need to see work as a part of life. Something else we can do to improve ourselves, is to see how and when we can work best together. Other things we need to do are, see the possibilities of mass collaboration, and see the future of work by refusing its past.
Critical Commentary:
When Cathy gives the 6 tips in this chapter about how to improve ourselves when it comes to working, this gives her good ethos, because it kind of shows that she cares and that she is willing to share advice on how to improve ourselves. I like how she has this chapter set up. She gives a tip then some information and examples about it. She uses many good examples to prove her argument. All of them support her argument very well. It was a little confusing when Cathy was talking about Tony/Lawanda O'Discroll. She kept switching from she to he. I'm not quite sure what the point of that was. But even though that part was confusing, I still got the message of that example: We never know where our life is going to go. Things are constantly changing. We could be working in business one day and the next be in the armed forces, for example. I think that all of the tips Cathy gives are very good and will help improve workers.
This chapter is all about people changing themselves in order to be able to improve working skills. One of things we need to do is see ourselves as others see us. An example of this is when Tony/Lawanda O'Driscoll talks about how we usually don't see ourselves as others see us. If we change this and attempt to see what others see, then we could improve ourselves. Another things we should do is see talents where others see limits. This is basically saying to try to be more positive and see the bright side of something versus the negative. Also, we need to see work as a part of life. Something else we can do to improve ourselves, is to see how and when we can work best together. Other things we need to do are, see the possibilities of mass collaboration, and see the future of work by refusing its past.
Critical Commentary:
When Cathy gives the 6 tips in this chapter about how to improve ourselves when it comes to working, this gives her good ethos, because it kind of shows that she cares and that she is willing to share advice on how to improve ourselves. I like how she has this chapter set up. She gives a tip then some information and examples about it. She uses many good examples to prove her argument. All of them support her argument very well. It was a little confusing when Cathy was talking about Tony/Lawanda O'Discroll. She kept switching from she to he. I'm not quite sure what the point of that was. But even though that part was confusing, I still got the message of that example: We never know where our life is going to go. Things are constantly changing. We could be working in business one day and the next be in the armed forces, for example. I think that all of the tips Cathy gives are very good and will help improve workers.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Chapter 6 Now You See It
Summary:
This chapter talks about how the workplace has continued to change. Worker productivity has increased, and not decreased. Cathy also says that we need a workplace makeover just as bad as we need a classroom makeover. She says that most workplaces don't allow "distractions" like the internet, because they believe that it will cause workers to not get their work done as efficiently as they could be. Cathy Davidson thinks the opposite. She also talks about how in the twenty-first century, we need to be able to be able to solve problems in many ways, not just one. Classrooms and most workplaces don't prepare us to do this. Cathy talks about Gloria Mark, who studies multitasking and the mind. Mark says that almost half of our distractions are internal.
Critical Commentary:
I agree with Cathy Davidson when she disagrees that the internet would stop us from getting work done at work. I think that just knowing, I couldn't check my email or get on Facebook would distract me, because that would make me want it even more. Cathy provides many good examples in this chapter, as well as the others, to support her argument. When she talks about Gloria Mark and how she discovered that almost half of distractions are internal, this helps prove Cathy's argument, because it's saying that not all distractions are caused by the internet or technology, therefor it should be allowed in the workplace. I agree with Cathy when she says that the workplace needs a makeover just as bad as the classroom. It is very true. If the workplace doesn't allow "distractions" from the internet, then it makes it seem outdated. We use technology everyday, so it should never be banned. If it can be proven that distractions can help us learn or think better, then that should prove that it should be encouraged in the classroom and in the workplace. This is what Cathy is proving in this chapter and she does a good job of it by giving examples, showing good ethos and providing facts from specialists.
This chapter talks about how the workplace has continued to change. Worker productivity has increased, and not decreased. Cathy also says that we need a workplace makeover just as bad as we need a classroom makeover. She says that most workplaces don't allow "distractions" like the internet, because they believe that it will cause workers to not get their work done as efficiently as they could be. Cathy Davidson thinks the opposite. She also talks about how in the twenty-first century, we need to be able to be able to solve problems in many ways, not just one. Classrooms and most workplaces don't prepare us to do this. Cathy talks about Gloria Mark, who studies multitasking and the mind. Mark says that almost half of our distractions are internal.
Critical Commentary:
I agree with Cathy Davidson when she disagrees that the internet would stop us from getting work done at work. I think that just knowing, I couldn't check my email or get on Facebook would distract me, because that would make me want it even more. Cathy provides many good examples in this chapter, as well as the others, to support her argument. When she talks about Gloria Mark and how she discovered that almost half of distractions are internal, this helps prove Cathy's argument, because it's saying that not all distractions are caused by the internet or technology, therefor it should be allowed in the workplace. I agree with Cathy when she says that the workplace needs a makeover just as bad as the classroom. It is very true. If the workplace doesn't allow "distractions" from the internet, then it makes it seem outdated. We use technology everyday, so it should never be banned. If it can be proven that distractions can help us learn or think better, then that should prove that it should be encouraged in the classroom and in the workplace. This is what Cathy is proving in this chapter and she does a good job of it by giving examples, showing good ethos and providing facts from specialists.
Chapter 5 Now You See It
Summary:
This chapter starts out talking about Voyager Academy. It's a publicly funded charter school in North Carolina. This school allows kids to come up with their own ways to to work toward solutions to problems and relates them to real world situations. There is a huge waiting list to get into this school. One of the students at this school, a boy, who is very far behind in everything, succeeds in this class.Cathy also talks about how games provide an opportunity with a built-in safety net, a place where we aren't limited in options to explore and discover. Games provide distractions. Lots of people play games now. Games can teach us many lessons, like hand-eye coordination, precise fin motor skills and much more.
Critical Commentary:
When Cathy Davidson talks about Voyager Academy, it makes the introduction to the chapter interesting. Instead of going right into what the chapter is all about, she kind of tells a story to grab your attention. This story about the school helps her prove her argument by providing evidence about, how a school taught in a way that goes along with her argument, is successful, therefor all schools should be this way. By her saying that, even a student that was failing and so far behind, even succeeded in the class, tells you that it is a great class. Also, when Cathy talks about video games and how they can really teach us a lot, this helps prove her argument by giving an example of a distraction (video games) and discussing how they can improve our learning. I agree with this to an extent. I do believe video games are a distraction and can help us learn. Even if its an educational game, it can make learning fun and even though its a distraction, it still helps you learn.
This chapter starts out talking about Voyager Academy. It's a publicly funded charter school in North Carolina. This school allows kids to come up with their own ways to to work toward solutions to problems and relates them to real world situations. There is a huge waiting list to get into this school. One of the students at this school, a boy, who is very far behind in everything, succeeds in this class.Cathy also talks about how games provide an opportunity with a built-in safety net, a place where we aren't limited in options to explore and discover. Games provide distractions. Lots of people play games now. Games can teach us many lessons, like hand-eye coordination, precise fin motor skills and much more.
Critical Commentary:
When Cathy Davidson talks about Voyager Academy, it makes the introduction to the chapter interesting. Instead of going right into what the chapter is all about, she kind of tells a story to grab your attention. This story about the school helps her prove her argument by providing evidence about, how a school taught in a way that goes along with her argument, is successful, therefor all schools should be this way. By her saying that, even a student that was failing and so far behind, even succeeded in the class, tells you that it is a great class. Also, when Cathy talks about video games and how they can really teach us a lot, this helps prove her argument by giving an example of a distraction (video games) and discussing how they can improve our learning. I agree with this to an extent. I do believe video games are a distraction and can help us learn. Even if its an educational game, it can make learning fun and even though its a distraction, it still helps you learn.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Chapter 4 Now You See It
Summary:
This chapter talks about how students criticized Cathy for not changing her grading policy for her course. She talks about how everything else has changed or is changing; so should the grading and testing. So she decides to allow students to alternate weekly and grade each other's blog posts. Cathy says that the tests we use now are way outmoded, like we structure classrooms. She talks about how we "measure things" being not as effective as it should be. Cathy also talks about IQ tests in this chapter. She says that three features of how we measure things came together in the machine age. She is saying in this chapter that just because someone does "bad" on a test, doesn't mean they aren't "smart". Also, Cathy says that teachers are teaching students so that they will do good on tests, not so that they will learn.
Critical Commentary:
Cathy shows good ethos in this chapter by admitting that she made a mistake according to her students. The fact that she fixed the problem shows she has good character. I think that it would be a good idea to change how we measure things in school, because in high school, especially, it seems like all the teachers care about is us doing good on tests, not about learning so we will remember the material after the test. Teachers should be more focused on learning and not so much on "grading". I think Cathy's way of changing how she measures is a good idea, but it could also go wrong. If students don't like another student, they might give them a bad group, just because they don't like them. Or they might give someone a good grade because they are friends. But overall I think it is a good idea. Cathy provides many details and examples to help prove her argument. She also gives facts. This makes her writing more convincing and believable.
This chapter talks about how students criticized Cathy for not changing her grading policy for her course. She talks about how everything else has changed or is changing; so should the grading and testing. So she decides to allow students to alternate weekly and grade each other's blog posts. Cathy says that the tests we use now are way outmoded, like we structure classrooms. She talks about how we "measure things" being not as effective as it should be. Cathy also talks about IQ tests in this chapter. She says that three features of how we measure things came together in the machine age. She is saying in this chapter that just because someone does "bad" on a test, doesn't mean they aren't "smart". Also, Cathy says that teachers are teaching students so that they will do good on tests, not so that they will learn.
Critical Commentary:
Cathy shows good ethos in this chapter by admitting that she made a mistake according to her students. The fact that she fixed the problem shows she has good character. I think that it would be a good idea to change how we measure things in school, because in high school, especially, it seems like all the teachers care about is us doing good on tests, not about learning so we will remember the material after the test. Teachers should be more focused on learning and not so much on "grading". I think Cathy's way of changing how she measures is a good idea, but it could also go wrong. If students don't like another student, they might give them a bad group, just because they don't like them. Or they might give someone a good grade because they are friends. But overall I think it is a good idea. Cathy provides many details and examples to help prove her argument. She also gives facts. This makes her writing more convincing and believable.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Chapter 3 Now You See It
Summary:
This chapter is about how technology is advancing and classrooms are not. They are pretty much the same as they always have been. Cathy talks about how at Duke University, an experiment with iPods. They gave iPods to all the Duke students and had them create educational apps for it, to prove that iPods can, in fact, be educational and so can all technology. She also talks about how most students used to be treated all the same and that this is a mistake because everyone learns differently. Also, Cathy says that all of the technology is a great communication source. She also discusses that adults who grew up mostly without technology had to adjust to this new way of life, where technology is used constantly.
Critical Commentary:
Cathy uses a lot of logos in this chapter, as well as the others. She helps prove her argument with sharing the iPod experiment. This proves that something known as a distraction can be very educational and useful when it comes to learning. The fact that the students got to help create educational apps for the iPod allows them to invent and use creativity which is a way of learning. She also uses ethos to prove her argument when she says that when she was in school she didn't have the choice of an iPod or technology. But since she now she uses technology, it proves that she adjusted and so can others. She also shows ethos when she wants her students to use their knowledge to make Wikipedia better, instead of just banning it like most teachers would do. Cathy shows ethos and logos when she talks about how students writing was significantly better when it was in their blog than a traditional term papers. I agree with Cathy when she asks the question "What if bad writing is a product of the dorm of writing required in school...?" I agree with this because when I am being forced to write an essay about a certain topic in a certain way, I just don't enjoy doing it and I get writers block a lot, which can create bad writing.
This chapter is about how technology is advancing and classrooms are not. They are pretty much the same as they always have been. Cathy talks about how at Duke University, an experiment with iPods. They gave iPods to all the Duke students and had them create educational apps for it, to prove that iPods can, in fact, be educational and so can all technology. She also talks about how most students used to be treated all the same and that this is a mistake because everyone learns differently. Also, Cathy says that all of the technology is a great communication source. She also discusses that adults who grew up mostly without technology had to adjust to this new way of life, where technology is used constantly.
Critical Commentary:
Cathy uses a lot of logos in this chapter, as well as the others. She helps prove her argument with sharing the iPod experiment. This proves that something known as a distraction can be very educational and useful when it comes to learning. The fact that the students got to help create educational apps for the iPod allows them to invent and use creativity which is a way of learning. She also uses ethos to prove her argument when she says that when she was in school she didn't have the choice of an iPod or technology. But since she now she uses technology, it proves that she adjusted and so can others. She also shows ethos when she wants her students to use their knowledge to make Wikipedia better, instead of just banning it like most teachers would do. Cathy shows ethos and logos when she talks about how students writing was significantly better when it was in their blog than a traditional term papers. I agree with Cathy when she asks the question "What if bad writing is a product of the dorm of writing required in school...?" I agree with this because when I am being forced to write an essay about a certain topic in a certain way, I just don't enjoy doing it and I get writers block a lot, which can create bad writing.
Chapter 2 Now You See It
Summary:
This chapter is about the biology of our brain when we are learning something. It talks about how we have patterns of attention. It says that neurons are the most basic cells in our nervous system. She also says in this chapter about how just about everything we do requires multitasking. Most of the time we don't even realize this. She gave the example about driving a vehicle. We don't think, "that's a red light, I'm going to take my foot off the gas and put it on the brake so that I can stop". We think, "I see the red light, I'm going to stop". We don't think about all the steps as we do them; we just do them. Cathy also mentions the Hebbian principle: Neurons that fire together, wire together. She also talks about how we have to unlearn things in order to learn new things.
Critical Commentary:
In this chapter, Cathy uses a lot of logos. She provides a lot of facts and scientific information to help prove her argument. When she talks about the biology of our brain when we learn, this makes her argument more convincing by making it more believable because it has scientific evidence to back it up. When she uses the infant example, like she did in the previous chapter, it gives a simple way to understand what she is saying. When Cathy talks about how walking is a simple task that requires almost no thinking for us, but for a young baby just learning to walk it is very complex. This proves that we must unlearn things, because once the child is a little older and walking all of the time, they must unlearn to think about what they are doing when they walk and learn to not think about it and just do it. Cathy does a pretty good job or proving her point in this chapter, as well as the previous. She gives many examples to help you understand.
This chapter is about the biology of our brain when we are learning something. It talks about how we have patterns of attention. It says that neurons are the most basic cells in our nervous system. She also says in this chapter about how just about everything we do requires multitasking. Most of the time we don't even realize this. She gave the example about driving a vehicle. We don't think, "that's a red light, I'm going to take my foot off the gas and put it on the brake so that I can stop". We think, "I see the red light, I'm going to stop". We don't think about all the steps as we do them; we just do them. Cathy also mentions the Hebbian principle: Neurons that fire together, wire together. She also talks about how we have to unlearn things in order to learn new things.
Critical Commentary:
In this chapter, Cathy uses a lot of logos. She provides a lot of facts and scientific information to help prove her argument. When she talks about the biology of our brain when we learn, this makes her argument more convincing by making it more believable because it has scientific evidence to back it up. When she uses the infant example, like she did in the previous chapter, it gives a simple way to understand what she is saying. When Cathy talks about how walking is a simple task that requires almost no thinking for us, but for a young baby just learning to walk it is very complex. This proves that we must unlearn things, because once the child is a little older and walking all of the time, they must unlearn to think about what they are doing when they walk and learn to not think about it and just do it. Cathy does a pretty good job or proving her point in this chapter, as well as the previous. She gives many examples to help you understand.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Chapter 1 Now You See It
Summary:
In this chapter, Cathy talks about the Cymbalta ad. She talks about how the company who made and designed the ad, try to make it more appealing to the viewers. They do this by making sure to grab our attention in the first few seconds of the commercial. According to Draftfcb's motto (the company who produced the Cymbalta commercial), a typical viewer only pays attention to 6.5 seconds of an ad. She also talks about how they use distraction in the commercial. When they name off all of the dangerous side effects, they show happy images and music, to distract the viewer from noticing all the bad things about the product. She also mentions that we are more likely to remember positive things than negative things. Another thing Cathy talks about in this chapter is how we learn about distraction when we are infants and how differently, different cultures interact with their children and how it can affect how the child sees things when they are older.
Critical Commentary:
I think it is interesting about how companies who produce ads, plan everything out to make sure the viewer pays attention to the main point of the ad; the product they are trying to sell. I also think it's crazy, but somewhat believable, that most viewers only pay attention to 6.5 seconds of an ad. In this chapter, Cathy does a good job of grabbing your attention in the beginning of the chapter, so that you start out interested. She does this by describing what she is going to talk about in the chapter, without directly telling you at first. This makes you want to find out what it's about. It is very interesting when she talks about the differences of different cultures when they interact with their children. I never really realized how different it was. Cathy uses a lot of repetition, in her writing. This can be a good thing, but can also be bad. It can be good, because it makes her point or objective stand out. It can be bad because it can make the reading a little boring somethings and it seems to drag on. Cathy provides many interesting facts in her writing, which makes her argument seem more convincing. One of the interesting facts she uses is "A study conducted in 2009 revealed that newborns cry in the language patterns they hear in utero." Her argument in the book is that distraction is a good thing, but this chapter specifically talks about how we learn from distraction.
In this chapter, Cathy talks about the Cymbalta ad. She talks about how the company who made and designed the ad, try to make it more appealing to the viewers. They do this by making sure to grab our attention in the first few seconds of the commercial. According to Draftfcb's motto (the company who produced the Cymbalta commercial), a typical viewer only pays attention to 6.5 seconds of an ad. She also talks about how they use distraction in the commercial. When they name off all of the dangerous side effects, they show happy images and music, to distract the viewer from noticing all the bad things about the product. She also mentions that we are more likely to remember positive things than negative things. Another thing Cathy talks about in this chapter is how we learn about distraction when we are infants and how differently, different cultures interact with their children and how it can affect how the child sees things when they are older.
Critical Commentary:
I think it is interesting about how companies who produce ads, plan everything out to make sure the viewer pays attention to the main point of the ad; the product they are trying to sell. I also think it's crazy, but somewhat believable, that most viewers only pay attention to 6.5 seconds of an ad. In this chapter, Cathy does a good job of grabbing your attention in the beginning of the chapter, so that you start out interested. She does this by describing what she is going to talk about in the chapter, without directly telling you at first. This makes you want to find out what it's about. It is very interesting when she talks about the differences of different cultures when they interact with their children. I never really realized how different it was. Cathy uses a lot of repetition, in her writing. This can be a good thing, but can also be bad. It can be good, because it makes her point or objective stand out. It can be bad because it can make the reading a little boring somethings and it seems to drag on. Cathy provides many interesting facts in her writing, which makes her argument seem more convincing. One of the interesting facts she uses is "A study conducted in 2009 revealed that newborns cry in the language patterns they hear in utero." Her argument in the book is that distraction is a good thing, but this chapter specifically talks about how we learn from distraction.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Introduction to Now You See It
Summary:
In the introduction to Now You See It, by Cathy N. Davidson, she talks about an experiment she participated in with a philosopher. The philosopher had them watch a video of people tossing basketballs back and forth and to only keep track of how many times they tossed the ball back and forth. Davidson, was one of the few to notice a gorilla in the middle of the players. Most of the people didn't notice this because they were so focused on the task of counting. The whole point of the introduction to her book is to get you to realize that when we are so focused on something, we miss a lot of other things going on. This is called attention blindness. Davidson's opinion on distractions is that they are a good thing.
Critical Commentary:
I think that the author makes a very good point about attention blindness. It really made me think about all the times I would focus on just one thing, I was missing out on other things happening. The gorilla experiment was really interesting. It's crazy that most of the people didn't even notice the gorilla even though it was right in the middle of the screen. I also thought it was interesting when she mentioned the card trick where while everyone was focusing on something else, the magician puts the chosen card into a stack of different colored cards so he could easily find the chosen card and no one even noticed. I never really thought about how many things I miss because of trying to focus on a specific thing, until I read this. Also, when she talks about the digital revolution and how some people think that the internet is bad and that its a distraction, but she thinks that its a good thing. I agree with this. I don't think the internet is making us dumb. I think that it is causing us to read more and to learn more than we ever have been able to before.
In the introduction to Now You See It, by Cathy N. Davidson, she talks about an experiment she participated in with a philosopher. The philosopher had them watch a video of people tossing basketballs back and forth and to only keep track of how many times they tossed the ball back and forth. Davidson, was one of the few to notice a gorilla in the middle of the players. Most of the people didn't notice this because they were so focused on the task of counting. The whole point of the introduction to her book is to get you to realize that when we are so focused on something, we miss a lot of other things going on. This is called attention blindness. Davidson's opinion on distractions is that they are a good thing.
Critical Commentary:
I think that the author makes a very good point about attention blindness. It really made me think about all the times I would focus on just one thing, I was missing out on other things happening. The gorilla experiment was really interesting. It's crazy that most of the people didn't even notice the gorilla even though it was right in the middle of the screen. I also thought it was interesting when she mentioned the card trick where while everyone was focusing on something else, the magician puts the chosen card into a stack of different colored cards so he could easily find the chosen card and no one even noticed. I never really thought about how many things I miss because of trying to focus on a specific thing, until I read this. Also, when she talks about the digital revolution and how some people think that the internet is bad and that its a distraction, but she thinks that its a good thing. I agree with this. I don't think the internet is making us dumb. I think that it is causing us to read more and to learn more than we ever have been able to before.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Rhetorical Analysis: Research
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-al-sharpton/contraception-obama-administration_b_1265878.html
"Contraception Isn't a PR Game; It's a Woman's Right" By: Rev. Al Sharpton
Who is the author and what are his/her credentials?
http://www.aeispeakers.com/speakerbio.php?SpeakerID=568
The Huffington Post is the publisher/sponsor of this article.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Huffington_Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and blog, featuring columnists and various news sources(Wikipedia). This website provides a variety of alrticles: news, blogs, original content, politics, business, entertainment, technology, popular media, life & style, culture, comedy, healthy living, women's interest, and local news.
(I got all of this from Wikipedia)
What are the leanings or biases of the author/publisher?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Huffington_Post
The Huntington Post claims that their political views don't affect how they cover their news, but reps. of the republican party believe that the Huntington Post writer's are hostile to their views.
They have also been criticized by several science bloggers and also online news sources for including articles by supporters of alternative medicine and anti vaccine activists and censoring rebuttals written by science bloggers before publishing.
(I got all of this from Wikipedia)
http://usliberals.about.com/od/thepressandjournalist1/p/Profile-Of-Rev-Al-Sharpton-Activist-Msnbc-Host.htm
Rev. Al Sharpton is a democrat, so that could make his articles biased. He is also a Baptist minster, so that could also make his articles biased.
What is the context of the argument? What preceded or provoked how others have responded to it?
Sharpton makes the argument that birth control/contraception isn't a religious freedom, or the federal government, but it's the right of women everywhere in the world. This provokes people to respond because the opinions/views on this issue are very controversy and usually extreme. You are either completely for it or completely against it. He also brings up in the article about how certain religious hospitals wouldn't provide birth control/contraception options for women and that the government has made some of them provide these options no matter what religion the hospital is.
(All of this came form the article)
I think that the argument in this article is put together very well, and seems very convincing. Knowing, the author is a minster, gives him good ethos. He also uses pathos and logos in his article.
"Contraception Isn't a PR Game; It's a Woman's Right" By: Rev. Al Sharpton
Who is the author and what are his/her credentials?
http://www.aeispeakers.com/speakerbio.php?SpeakerID=568
This is a link to information about the author who wrote the article. "Rev. Al Sharpton is one of America's most-renowned civil rights leaders" (AEI Speakers Bureau). He is committed to equality for all people. Sharpton ran as a U.S. democratic candidate in 2004. In February 2007, he was called "the most prominent civil rights activist in the nation" by the New York Daily News. Sharpton started his ministry at a very young age. A few years after his first sermon he was licensed to be a Pentecostal minister. His civil rights career began at a young age too.
Who is the publisher or sponsor? What does the organization typically publish?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Huffington_Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and blog, featuring columnists and various news sources(Wikipedia). This website provides a variety of alrticles: news, blogs, original content, politics, business, entertainment, technology, popular media, life & style, culture, comedy, healthy living, women's interest, and local news.
(I got all of this from Wikipedia)
What are the leanings or biases of the author/publisher?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Huffington_Post
The Huntington Post claims that their political views don't affect how they cover their news, but reps. of the republican party believe that the Huntington Post writer's are hostile to their views.
They have also been criticized by several science bloggers and also online news sources for including articles by supporters of alternative medicine and anti vaccine activists and censoring rebuttals written by science bloggers before publishing.
(I got all of this from Wikipedia)
http://usliberals.about.com/od/thepressandjournalist1/p/Profile-Of-Rev-Al-Sharpton-Activist-Msnbc-Host.htm
Rev. Al Sharpton is a democrat, so that could make his articles biased. He is also a Baptist minster, so that could also make his articles biased.
What is the context of the argument? What preceded or provoked how others have responded to it?
Sharpton makes the argument that birth control/contraception isn't a religious freedom, or the federal government, but it's the right of women everywhere in the world. This provokes people to respond because the opinions/views on this issue are very controversy and usually extreme. You are either completely for it or completely against it. He also brings up in the article about how certain religious hospitals wouldn't provide birth control/contraception options for women and that the government has made some of them provide these options no matter what religion the hospital is.
(All of this came form the article)
I think that the argument in this article is put together very well, and seems very convincing. Knowing, the author is a minster, gives him good ethos. He also uses pathos and logos in his article.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Logos Abuse
http://blogcritics.org/scitech/article/the-healthy-skeptic-dont-fall-prey1/
This link will take you to a website criticizing Hydroxycut weight loss supplement. This is an example of logos abuse because in this article it says that Hydroxycut claims that, fitness competitor and model, Brandy Flores' figure is due to their product. This is completely false. The "Before" picture they show of Flores is right after she delivered a baby, which they failed to mention in the ad. They make the product seem to work better than it actually does.
https://www.asseenontv.com/belly-burner/detail.php?p=293063&v=best-sellers
This link will take you to "The Belly Burner" video. This is an example of logos abuse because they only show/talk about the best results. They don't mention the "normal" or "not so good" results. It also says in small print that "results vary", which means not everyone is going to lose as much weight as the people on the commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ojjrLARMzA
This link will take you to the Lunesta commercial. This is an example of logos abuse because they say things like "clinically proven" and only talk about the "good results" not the "bad". They don't give both sides of the story. But they do say that results may vary.
This link will take you to a website criticizing Hydroxycut weight loss supplement. This is an example of logos abuse because in this article it says that Hydroxycut claims that, fitness competitor and model, Brandy Flores' figure is due to their product. This is completely false. The "Before" picture they show of Flores is right after she delivered a baby, which they failed to mention in the ad. They make the product seem to work better than it actually does.
https://www.asseenontv.com/belly-burner/detail.php?p=293063&v=best-sellers
This link will take you to "The Belly Burner" video. This is an example of logos abuse because they only show/talk about the best results. They don't mention the "normal" or "not so good" results. It also says in small print that "results vary", which means not everyone is going to lose as much weight as the people on the commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ojjrLARMzA
This link will take you to the Lunesta commercial. This is an example of logos abuse because they say things like "clinically proven" and only talk about the "good results" not the "bad". They don't give both sides of the story. But they do say that results may vary.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Pathos In Ads
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gspElv1yvc
The link above will take you to an ASPCA video about animal abuse and neglect. This video uses pathos (emotions) to make us sad and feel bad for the abused animals that they show. The animals they show sometimes have injuries and always look really sad. They also have the song "In the Arms of an Angel" by Sarah McLachlan, playing in the background. The song adds to the sadness the animals already bring to the commercial. The goal of the commericial is to get you to donate money to the ASPCA, to help rescue abused animals and find them a new, loving home. They made sure when they made this commercial to make it convincing so that people will donate money. When they show the sad, abused animals and have the song playing it makes you really sad which makes you to want to donate money to the organization. I know everytime this commercial comes on the TV, I have to change the channel because it's way to sad and I almost cry every time I see it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o22o1PuuXo
This link will take you to a Proactiv commercial. In this video they have singer, Katy Perry, promoting Proactiv acne solution. They use a star in their commercials because it glamorizes the product. If a celebrity uses the product then it makes you want to use it because you want to be like them. They use pathos by making you feel happy that there is a "cure" for acne and that celebrities use it. They also show before and after pictures. The before pictures show a lot of acne and then the after pictures show a clean, clear face with no acne. This is also using pathos because it gives you "hope" that your acne will go away, if this product made other peoples' acne go away. They also say that they will give you three free gifts with your purchase. At the end of the commercial they say "... a combined value of $72 for just $19.95. This can make you feel happy because you think you're getting a good deal and some free gifts with your purchase.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSAje0EgYjY
This link will take you to an Apple iPhone 4S commercial. Apple uses pathos in this commercial by showing a parent taking pictures of their daughter at the beach. This could make you want to buy the product because of the nice beach scene in the background and showing a parent taking picture of their daughter and being able to edit the pictures and tweet them or post them online instantly right from the phone. They describe all the features of the phone which makes even more appealing. There is music playing in the background that is happy and kind of puts you in a good mood. This makes you want to buy the product.
The link above will take you to an ASPCA video about animal abuse and neglect. This video uses pathos (emotions) to make us sad and feel bad for the abused animals that they show. The animals they show sometimes have injuries and always look really sad. They also have the song "In the Arms of an Angel" by Sarah McLachlan, playing in the background. The song adds to the sadness the animals already bring to the commercial. The goal of the commericial is to get you to donate money to the ASPCA, to help rescue abused animals and find them a new, loving home. They made sure when they made this commercial to make it convincing so that people will donate money. When they show the sad, abused animals and have the song playing it makes you really sad which makes you to want to donate money to the organization. I know everytime this commercial comes on the TV, I have to change the channel because it's way to sad and I almost cry every time I see it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o22o1PuuXo
This link will take you to a Proactiv commercial. In this video they have singer, Katy Perry, promoting Proactiv acne solution. They use a star in their commercials because it glamorizes the product. If a celebrity uses the product then it makes you want to use it because you want to be like them. They use pathos by making you feel happy that there is a "cure" for acne and that celebrities use it. They also show before and after pictures. The before pictures show a lot of acne and then the after pictures show a clean, clear face with no acne. This is also using pathos because it gives you "hope" that your acne will go away, if this product made other peoples' acne go away. They also say that they will give you three free gifts with your purchase. At the end of the commercial they say "... a combined value of $72 for just $19.95. This can make you feel happy because you think you're getting a good deal and some free gifts with your purchase.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSAje0EgYjY
This link will take you to an Apple iPhone 4S commercial. Apple uses pathos in this commercial by showing a parent taking pictures of their daughter at the beach. This could make you want to buy the product because of the nice beach scene in the background and showing a parent taking picture of their daughter and being able to edit the pictures and tweet them or post them online instantly right from the phone. They describe all the features of the phone which makes even more appealing. There is music playing in the background that is happy and kind of puts you in a good mood. This makes you want to buy the product.
Friday, January 27, 2012
My Relationship to Reading & Writing
I enjoy reading certain types of books, but there are some that I don't really care for. I like to read love stories, mysteries, stories about real life (it doesn't necassarily have to be true, just that it's possible to be true), and anything I can relate to. I enjoy reading these types of stories because I like to be able to relate to what I'm reading. Mysteries are probably my favorite genre of books, even if I can't relate to them, I like to try to figure out the mystery. I don't enjoy reading text books, older stories, most science fiction and stories about war. I just find these all kind of boring. They really just don't interest me.
I really enjoy writing. I like to write things that allow me to be creative. I enjoy writing horror stories or mysteries. I'm not a fan of writing essays. I just don't think it allows me to be creative because for an essay you have to do research and have to write about a certain topic. You don't get to make anything up, which is why I don't like writing them.
I really enjoy writing. I like to write things that allow me to be creative. I enjoy writing horror stories or mysteries. I'm not a fan of writing essays. I just don't think it allows me to be creative because for an essay you have to do research and have to write about a certain topic. You don't get to make anything up, which is why I don't like writing them.
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