I notice that I have very few grammatical errors, and most of them include the use of commas, colons, and apostrophes. My common errors included the improper placement of colons and commas (”Indians“,  “:) and the misuse of an apostrophe, not indicating plurals or possessive nouns (Tompkins‘).  

In my Restak essay, MLA citations were more common, such as a book title in quotation makrs (“The New Brain“) where it should have been, The New Brain.

Works Cited

Gladwell, Malcolm. “A Critic at Large. ‘Running from Ritalin,’” 

The New Yorker 15 Feb 1999: 80.

Restak, Richard. The New Brain. Emmaus: Rodale Press, Inc.,

 2004. 38-60.

Overcoming the Challenge

The use of technology is very important in today’s society, and in fact, strengthens the balance between the freedom of an individual to construct to maintain and to continue to grow an authentic moral identity because it enables us to connect not only to ourselves but everyone around us in a more efficient way that was not possible before. First, the author establishes a personal definition for education, the role of texts and the use of technology; and shares the assumptions and personal expectations that she had regarding texts. Then, the author discusses how the reading by Dr. Richard Restak challenged that assumption; according to Restak’s suggestions that as time progresses our attention is split into so many different ways that it becomes difficult for us to focus on one thing. Next, the author realizes that it was in writing an essay in response to that challenge that she can incorporate the use of texts and techonology in order to expand on her own definition of education. In conclusion, the author notes that technology doesn’t have to overcome one’s life as much as it may be a helping tool to strengthen his/her ability to adapt to changes and expand their horizons.

Abstract

Psychology’s early allegiance to behaviorism and experimental methods led many to disparage personality approaches throughout much of last century. Doubts about personality psychology’s viability culminated in Mischel’s assertion that measures of personality account for modest amounts of variance in behavior. In the years immediately following this critique, interest in personality research waned and many psychology departments dropped their training programs in personality. Throughout the past two decades, however, personality psychology has enjoyed a resurgence. The authors discuss several possible explanations for personality’s comeback and then describe the emergence of a promising symbiosis between personality psychology and its sister discipline, social psychology. The article concludes by noting that although this emerging symbiosis is likely to continue bearing considerable theoretical fruit, the traditional distinction between personal, situational, and interactional determinants of behavior continues to be useful within appropriate contexts.

Third: What is your current idea and practice regarding your personal use of technology and how are your ideas and practices related to your idea and practice of your own education?

Personally, I don’t know how I would live without the current technological advances that we have today. Most people will say that there was a time when it didn’t exist, or did, but not to this extent, and people made it though. Though that is true, with the way that the world is constantly changing, I find that the best way to keep up with it is through the use of technology. I cannot recall a time in my life that I didn’t have a computer or access to the internet. Every semester so far, without fail, I either have an online class or a class with assignment requirements. I think it is a great source for information and and excellent way to view the works of many, and with respect to blogging, access to realms of information waiting to be noticed all in one place.

Second: Again, with a year of reading and writing (almost!) behind you, what is your current idea and practice regarding the role of texts, both reading and writing them, in your life and in your education?

After taking this course in particular, I have come to realize that texts says way more than what’s written in black & white on the page. From the education aspect of texts, I now find myself reading and re-reading all of my material, taking detailed notes, and asking specific questions to help me to fully understand the topic. Ususally, when I am reading for my own entertainment, I tend to read books that truly lack substance. Since this class and learning about texts, I have begun to read a great deal of educational information with out being asked to or graded on.

First: After your first year at FAU, with almost a year of coursework behind you, what is your understanding of your education?  What does the word mean to you?  What is your education for?  Knowing what you know now, after this year’s experiences, how will you proceed?

To me, education includes many things. First, knowledge, then the ability to retain that knowledge. During my first year at FAU, I have come to find out that there are many classes that I am taking that cover basically the same aspects of the criminal justice field. So, to me, education means gaining experience and knowledge that will last a lifetime. After this year’s experience, I will continue to further my education and make the most of it. 

“…Images began replacing words as the token of information exchage” (Restak 67). Restak feels that texts may not be as important in today’s changing society.

” Images reinforced by recorded sound, take the place of words, numbers, and other ciphers with which humans have traditionally communicated.” (Restak 68)- Imagesmay soon be used in education as the main source of information, instead of texts.

“According to a study carried out at NINDS by Marina Nakic, merely viewing violent or aggressive images such as those routinely encountered on television and in movies, is sufficient to activate the prefrontal cortex” (Restak 69). This could represent a startling number of people who may seem to be normal, but are severely affected by simply seeing a particular incident.

” When encountering images of emotional neutral or positive scenes the hemispheres remain in balance.” (Restak 72)

” While words on a page open us up to ideas and communication with others, images do not reveal ideas as thoroughly as words do and offer only elemental communication with others.” (Restak 74) Images would be interpreted differently based on who is viewing them, therefore, can have no significant value in education.

“The demands upon the new brain right now are increasing” (Todd E. Feinberg, Restak 40).  Society is changing, therefore we must adapt.

“It’s important to note that neuroscientists and experts within the field are increasingly dissatisfied with ADHD being called a disorder, they prefer to see ADHD as a distinctive type of brain organization.” (Sam Horn, Restak 44). This just goes to show that, even though right now, we consider ADHD a disorder, it is soon becoming another way of doing things, but not because we want to, but societal changes warrant these changes.

“In contemporary society, speed is the standard applied to almost everything we do” (Restak 50). The book provides an example of this new standard with radio or TV ads that mention the fine print at a rapid speed, this is important because it proves that this is the exact reason why we have to increase our ability to listen at faster speeds.

“While it’s true that we can train our brain to multitask, our overall performance on each task is going to be less efficient than if we performed one thing at a time” (Restak 57). This is very important to note, because an example would be driving and talking, or in today’s society text messaging. You may think you have it all down pat, but you are limiting your ability to focus on driving while performing these other tasks.

 ”The brain works at its best with the activation of different, rather than identical, brain areas” (Restak 59). This is a great thing to know because the point of this chapter is not that we cannot or should not multitask, but when multitasking, we should exercise different areas of the brain because there is no competition between skills.