Facebook Depression...Really?

Did any of you see the story on the news earlier this week that discussed the harmful effects social media can have on teens' self esteem and mental health? 

A group of doctors identified "Facebook depression" as a condition that impacts teens who obsess over the site.  This is especially true if a teen is dealing with a self-esteem issue. 

Their view is that Facebook provides a skewed view of reality with blatent tactics like friends' tallies, status updates, and photos of people who seem to be having a good time.  Since this online vehicle provides no context, like body language and facial expressions when people communicate, it is difficult to get a true picture of the social landscape that exists for individuals.

Therefore, their premise is Facebook can make kids who are not popular feel worse, and become more prone to depression.  On the other hand, it can enhance social connectedness among well-adjusted teens.

Personally, I feel like this is a bit of a stretch.  I think other deeper issues are already present that result in depression, and that the use of Facebook, may exxagerate the condition. 

On the other hand, sometimes when I look for comments on my blog and have none, and see others have 4 or 5 responses, I wonder...was my topic interesting? (LOL!) ...but I don't get Blog depression...I digress..
 
I do think that we, as educators, must be aware of all of the sociological factors that inhibit or enhance our students abilities to learn.  We have to take into consideration where each individual is developmentally and behaviorally, and adjust our teaching style, tactics, and tools to the unique needs of our learners.

I'd be curious to get your perspective.  What do you think?

Fine Line Between Copyright Infringement and Fair Use

The title of my blog says it all!  As I reflected on the information I read about copyright concerns, it became apparent to me that as educators and individuals, we have to be very careful and cognizant when we decide to use others' material. 

Typically in educational situations, the purpose is well-intended, and that is not enough.  Practitioners and Administrators in educational settings have to be well-versed on what is considered fair use, and what is copyright infringment.  This should be throroughly covered, including training, at point of hire, and reinforced throughout employment.

Three key concerns rose to the top for me when I think about the role of the educator.  I have listed them in order of importance, based on my experience, with the top two listed first.

1. Print media and online materials - Often time when doing research, educators may find material that supplement their lesson plans.  This helps to further educate the student in the topic or content area.  The educator makes enough copies to share with his/her class.  While the fair use policy allows some distribution of printed or online material, the amount of copies, and intended use must be scrutinized before doing so, and/or receiving appropriate persmissions.
2. Computer Software - Software can be moderately expensive to very expensive, and very necessary to perform class instruction.  Because educational funding, in a number of cases, is driven by state funding, it is typical to see a lot of cuts in educational spending.  Therefore, educators have to make a tough decision about what they can personally fund, and what they can live without.  Sometimes, what seems like a creative approach.... burning software or dsitributing a disc to others to load software can result in a copyright issue.  It may be worth the initial investment upfront, versus taking a creative shortcut, that lends itself to breaking the law.
3. Emails - This form of infringment, which is questionable, seems most common amongst educators, and all individuals.  How many times have we read something sent to us in email, and shared it because we thought it would be good for others to know?  Though questionable, I think we should exercise some judgment, and in doubt, don't...

Will Human Resources (HR) Leave its Human Element Behind as it Relies on the Aid of Technology?

Recently, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) asked a special expert panel on technology to comment on technology trends in the HR sector.  The overall consensus is technology is being leveraged by HR to benefit almost every aspect of daily operations.

Some of the study findings point to:

• Expanded use of technology for delivery and utilization of HR applications on a service basis for employees, i.e. recrutiment, internal mobility, performance managment, career pathing 
• Internet-based self-service applications are improved and are better integrated into other work processes
• Significant growth in the use of e-learning
• Heightened awareness of HR data privacy – an increasingly important issue given the rise of identity theft using employee information
• Increasing outsourcing of human resource information technology systems
• Increasing transition to paperless payroll

 The question, however, is will HR leave its human element behind as it relies on the aid of technology?

I think technology used properly within the HR realm will help increase efficiency within the HR business unit within organizations.  It can help take away some of the administrative nightmares that HR faces on a daily basis, and allo them to focus on developing key and critical talent necessary for the sustainability of the organization.  I would love to hear what you think... 

Open Source Goes to High School

What an innovative approach to education in the 21st century!  I think it is an excellent idea. 

Using an open source approach to schooling not only prepared students for global workforce readiness, it takes a holistic view of the student.  It helps students to think critically, boundary span, enhance cross-cultural collaboration,  promotes creativity, and helps students increase learning agility.  These skills will help students be more adept with dealing with personal, social, economic, and political issues on a global scale.

Some of the aspects the video highlighted that make this such a positive experience is the flexibility that it provides students to take part in other learning opportunities that they may not otherwise have in a traditional educatioonal enviornment.  In addition, it allows educators to make changes in the curriculum on the fly.  They can engage in a real time assessment and evaluation process, and improve the curriculum and learning for the class and the individual students. 

The open source approach may not be for everyone.  I think it is more geared for the self-directed learner.  That is why there should continue to be options available in the school system to allow greater choice by the parents, students, and administrators.

Overall, I fully support this model because it helps us to look at learners in a completely different way; individuals in which we have to find ways to maintain interest and excitement, we must be flexible in how we teach, and most important, we must promote lifelong learning.

Elementary, My Dear Watson!

Did anyone watch Jeopardy this week?  IBM's Watson supercomputer gave Jeopardy players a real run for their money this week, and ultimately overpowered the top human champions that had previously appeared on the show.  Watson succeeded with only using 80% of the processing power of the human brain.  That means Watson still had a lot more information that it could have handled and processed.

It is amazing how the incorporation of technology on the long running show, helped Jeopardy to capture the highest ratings the show has had in six years.  Viewers tuned in to the end just to see the battle between "man vs. the machine". 

In addition, it was also a commercial for IBM, helping the technological giant reinvent itself.  This launched a partnership between IBM and several entities to explore a collaboration that will help advance capabilities in the healthcare industry.  In addition, IBM is also in discussion with a major consumer electronics retailer to use this type of technology to interact with consumers to help them with buying decisions and technical support.

This just goes to show how technology plays a critical role in society with shaping the growth of businesses, new innovations, and helping with marketing.  From a sheer educational perspective, informal learning is one of the the most widely used and powerful ways that individuals learn.  This is day to day learning that takes place outside of the classroom, and in our homes.  What a great draw to learn something new!


If you are intersted in what is behind the building of Watson, click on the below link...

HAS EMAIL BECOME THE NEW SNAIL MAIL?

The USA Today article posted by Dr. Mosley, 'E-mail has become the new snail mail'..., was very eye-opening to me.  I am a "Gen Xer", and remember using typewriters, writing interoffice memos, and relying on the postal system and fax for disseminating information.  Just reading the article was culture shock to me, almost like my generation was becoming extinct right before my eyes. 

As I shifted from my initial thoughts, I really started to seek a better understanding of the message being delivered in the article.  Email is likely to remain a primary effective method of communication, especially for the workplace.  Advancements in technology have enabled real time communication and data at our fingertips. Alternative communication methods, like texting and instand messaging, and social media, like twitter, facebook, wikis, and blogging have resulted in email being a slower form of communication.  So it is not that email is going away.  It is just not efficient in certain situations.

I agree with the article that it is critical to select the best form of communication based on the audience and based on the situation.  I think as educators, it will be key for us to be able to identify the learning styles of our audience and customize our communication based on individual learning styles.  The content being delivered may also influence the manner in which we deliver information.  I think it will be critical for us to remain agile as we examine the future of communication.