Book review: Conquer Cyberoverload

I recently read the book Conquer cyberoverload: Get more done, boost your creativity, and reduce stress, by Joanne Cantor. Joanne Cantor (Ph.D) is an internationally recognized expert on the psychology of media and communications. Dr. Cantor is the Director of the Center for Communication Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Joanne Cantor's compelling book describes how the "marvelous technological advances have interfered with our creativity and productivity to an alarming extent." She illustrates how information-based multitasking has negatively impacted learning, productivity, and creativity. Chapter 4 titled, "How information overload blocks creativity" is full of interesting information on how the brain works (surrounding the creative / innovative process).  Innovative / creative breakthroughs come when the brain is relaxed, something that she argues, the brain has less-and-less time to do as we plug ourselves into "our powerful, portable electronic gadgets," and continuously connect ourselves to more information through things like RSS and twitter feeds.

What I like about her books is that she provides "practical steps" on conquering cyberoverload.  Step three provides some brain-enhancing ways to promote creativity - read the book to see the entire list.  One item that resonated with me is to "choose a break of the low-information variety (avoid TV, the Internet, messaging); don't add more information to an already overwhelmed memory capacity." Dr. Cantor concludes that it is during these low-information variety breaks that we will realize our most innovative and creative ideas.

The Granny Cloud - Sugata Mitra

Simply watch this video. Sugata Mitra's ideas are worth spreading.

Stats can be fun! - Hans Rosling

This is worth watching. How does he do this?

OpenIDEO - new challenge

Calling on innovators! OpenIDEO has a new challenge out - "how can we improve sanitation and better manage human waste in low-income urban communities?" This challenge is a partnership with Unilever and Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor to explore sanitation issues in Ghana.

Anderson Cooper - How schools 'Race to Nowhere'

Here is a CNN report by Anderson Cooper talking about the file 'Race to Nowhere.' In this short piece Cooper says, "some students really struggle with the expectations of success - how do we help them with that?" I think this is the wrong question. We need to be asking something like this... "Why are we defining success in such a narrow and restrictive way?" or "How can we value more types of success?"

If you want to feed this idea and learn more - take a listen to Sir Ken Robinson - RSA and Sir Ken Robnison

Conrad Wolfram: Teaching kids real math with computers

There are some great quotes within this video - worth watching.... Get involved with Conrad's work sign up here.

"This is just nuts... why are we using computers to show a student how to solve a problem (math problem) by hand - that the computer should be doing anyway? - it's all backward."

InnovationLab in Northern Colorado

I have been working with Monika Hardy to further the Thompson School District's (TSD's) effort to develop an InnovationLab for Northern Colorado Students. Although it is located within the Thompson Valley High School it is starting to attract students from other schools. Here is a video that demonstrates the learning process that they are following which is Notice, Dream, Connect, Do. In subsequent posts, I will write more about the InnovationLab and the ongoing research (joint research between Colorado State University-CSU and TSD) that I am directing. Meanwhile here is a link to a post that Adam Mackie (CSU graduate student) wrote for HASTAC that describes his observations.