No Time to Think Essay Example for Free

No Time to Think Essay This week we were asked to analyse the following papers and a TED Talk presentation reflecting on how the accelerating pace of life and the distractions/noise in form of new means of communication are affecting our concentration and vanishing our â€Å"sanctuary† where we can dedicate time for thoughtful reflections. * â€Å"No time to think: Reflections on information technology and contemplative scholarship†, David M. Levy. (2007) * â€Å"Speed and the Unsettling of Knowledge in the Digital University†, Ray Land, (2011). TED Talk â€Å"5 ways to listen better†, Julian Treasure, (2011) Distractions serve anything but the knowledge It is true that today’s digitisation and networking tools speed up the pace of our communicative exchanges. In the other hand, these increasingly attractive tools are stealing our time and helping to distract us. These distractions serve anything but the knowledge because seriously limit our ability to focus and attention (and hence learning). Nowadays many people believe that reading an entire book is less attractive than commenting on their friends photos on Facebook or, open multiple tabs in a browser and quickly discover everything that is happening. It is precisely the possibility to access an incredible amount of information through the current digital technologies and encounter endless possibilities of knowledge that challenges our inability to build mental representations. Given the monumental supply of information obtained through the mass media, especially the Internet, the individual focuses his attention by very few moments in the data exposed on computer screens as they navigate through new links. However, the quality of these connections often contrasts with the amount of information, which are hardly assimilated because there is no time or effort to establish relations between concepts and thus, creating new meanings. As a result, individuals have habitual concentration difficulties, especially when connect with other people and at the same time read information in various news sites. It is not by chance the use of terms such as connect, Liked† and off to describe relationships between people. It is as if the email’s boxes or the tweets call us all the time so that messages must be read and answered immediately. The schools adopting the digital education model have already evidenced these concentration problems. The use of new technologies in the classroom econfigures everyday identities of their teachers and students and thus, their own teaching practice in the presence of the students’ limitless access to information through the Internet. I believe that the teachers, as the digital immigrants, and students, as the digital natives, are overwhelmed with the emancipatory potential of the Internet that in somehow they are experiencing a sense of loss as pointed out Ray Land: â₠¬Å"Paradoxically this may be experienced as a sense of loss as an earlier, more secure stance of familiar knowing has to be abandoned as new and unfamiliar knowledge is encountered†. The temporary downside of this digital turn is a viral pact of mediocrity, through which teachers and students pretend to teach and learn, to the extent that the contents of academic papers are copied and pasted in the text with less and less reasoning being developed. New teachers adapted to this modus operandi disregard ethical issues and do not refute the information that the student presents through consultation online. Improving concentration in the digital environment Considering the above scenario, I believe that we need to re-think our strategy to overcome distraction and increase our capacity to learn in digital environments. As David M. Levy mentioned: â€Å"It might well be possible to begin to explore different modes of thinking – routine and creative modes, as well as obsessive mind chatter – not only to develop more nuanced and refined understandings of these processes but to understand how to encourage or discourage them†. The starting point could be the understanding of the mechanisms of human attention, decode how it works and even how to develop it. I personally think that concentration is not innate to the human being, but a skill that can be taught throughout life and can always be improved. Recently I read an intriguing book called â€Å"The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force† (Jeffrey M. Schwartz and Sharon Begley, 2003) about the brain plasticity, which is the neurons’ ability to redistribute according to need and training. The conclusions regarding the brains ability to rewire itself and the idea that meditation may be driving neuroplastic changes are quite inspiring in the book. For J. Schwartz and S. Begley, the best way to ensure attention is to choose challenging activities. If the task is so hard that we almost cannot do it, will certainly require more focus. However, it is not always clear that we like or feel challenged by everything that we need to do. Sometimes the work is simply annoying, but still needs to be done. In these cases, the trick is to turn it into a kind of game, focusing on one phase at a time. Overcome steps, one by one, can leave the whole process more attractive. Something like the â€Å"gamification† strategies, i. e. points and titles that some programs or applications give each task is accomplished. Being totally concentrated has to do with the state of â€Å"flow† discussed in the week 4 of the IDLE course. The psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi tried to understand the phenomenon by calculating the amount of information that our neural networks are capable of absorbing. He reached a number: only 110bps (bits per second). Listening to someone talking, for example, requires the processing of 40bps. That means, there are 70bps left in to use for distractions around. So we can scribble on paper or think in others to-dos while listening to the conversation. Using the 110bps in an activity would be the equivalent of what Csikszentmihalyi calls flow† that state of absolute concentration that makes us not even notice the time passing. Finally, the schools should debate more about the negative effects of distraction, the importance of the â€Å"white space† (or the sanctuary as we call at IDLE, the creation of physical spaces or times on the calendar for uninterrupted, unwired thinking and connection) and encourage students to apply basic practices to promote personal â€Å"white space†. These practices include: create a student routine, make lists with the priorities of the day, learn to organize time and to collect relevant study materials, learn to book time to solve everything else outside of the studies (a good way to fend off distractions is to take them out of our heads) and learn to absorb and to reflect on what has been collected.

Irish Bagpipes (Brian Boru pipe) :: essays research papers

Irish Bagpipes (Brian Boru pipe) The bagpipes have been a huge part of Irish music for many years. Today the bagpipe is synonymous with Scotland, but the pipes really came from Ireland. The earliest bag pipes date back to 4000 B.C. in the Middle East, where a bagpipe is found in Chaldean sculptures. This evidence shows it is ancient, certainly as old as the harp and nearly as old as the drum. Greeks, Egyptians and Romans all marched to the sound of the pipes to battle. As for Ireland, a seventh-century account at the palace of Da Derg in Bohernabreena, County Dublin, lists people who came to pay homage to King Conaire the Great in 35 B.C., tells of nine pipers who came from the fairy hills of Bregia (County Meath), "the best pipe-players in the whole world," who are listed by name as Bind, Robind, Riarbind, Sihe, Dibe, Deicrind, Umal, Cumal & Ciallglind. The bagpipe was even given place in the Brehan Laws of the 400s. Here it is called the cuisle, meaning "the pulse," being a reference to the blood pulsing through one's veins. It's also in reference to the hum that comes from the drones. At the great Feis' held at Tara, the pipers occupied a prominent position. The pipes (called a cuisleannoch) were one of the favored instruments down to the last Feis that was presided over by King Dermot MacFergus in 560 A.D., there after Tara's Halls were silent. After the Irish embraced Christianity, the bagpipe was used in church service to sustain the sacred chant or as a solo instrument. Depicted in one of the panels on the High Cross of Clonmacnois (dated about 910 AD) is a sculpture of a man playing a bagpipe standing on two cats. It is clear that the bagpipe existed in Ireland long before Scotland. The bagpipe is believed to have made its way to Scotland with the Dalradians upon their exodus from County Antrim across the Irish Sea at about 470 A.D., when Prince Fergus MacErc lead his clan in the invasion of the lands of the Picts at present Argyle. The difference in the Scottish and Irish bagpipe is their name and the number of drones. The Scottish refer to their bagpipe as "the Great Highland Bagpipe," which today has three drones: one bass and two tenor. The Irish call theirs "the Great Irish Warpipe," which has two drones: one bass and one tenor. Irish Bagpipes (Brian Boru pipe) :: essays research papers Irish Bagpipes (Brian Boru pipe) The bagpipes have been a huge part of Irish music for many years. Today the bagpipe is synonymous with Scotland, but the pipes really came from Ireland. The earliest bag pipes date back to 4000 B.C. in the Middle East, where a bagpipe is found in Chaldean sculptures. This evidence shows it is ancient, certainly as old as the harp and nearly as old as the drum. Greeks, Egyptians and Romans all marched to the sound of the pipes to battle. As for Ireland, a seventh-century account at the palace of Da Derg in Bohernabreena, County Dublin, lists people who came to pay homage to King Conaire the Great in 35 B.C., tells of nine pipers who came from the fairy hills of Bregia (County Meath), "the best pipe-players in the whole world," who are listed by name as Bind, Robind, Riarbind, Sihe, Dibe, Deicrind, Umal, Cumal & Ciallglind. The bagpipe was even given place in the Brehan Laws of the 400s. Here it is called the cuisle, meaning "the pulse," being a reference to the blood pulsing through one's veins. It's also in reference to the hum that comes from the drones. At the great Feis' held at Tara, the pipers occupied a prominent position. The pipes (called a cuisleannoch) were one of the favored instruments down to the last Feis that was presided over by King Dermot MacFergus in 560 A.D., there after Tara's Halls were silent. After the Irish embraced Christianity, the bagpipe was used in church service to sustain the sacred chant or as a solo instrument. Depicted in one of the panels on the High Cross of Clonmacnois (dated about 910 AD) is a sculpture of a man playing a bagpipe standing on two cats. It is clear that the bagpipe existed in Ireland long before Scotland. The bagpipe is believed to have made its way to Scotland with the Dalradians upon their exodus from County Antrim across the Irish Sea at about 470 A.D., when Prince Fergus MacErc lead his clan in the invasion of the lands of the Picts at present Argyle. The difference in the Scottish and Irish bagpipe is their name and the number of drones. The Scottish refer to their bagpipe as "the Great Highland Bagpipe," which today has three drones: one bass and two tenor. The Irish call theirs "the Great Irish Warpipe," which has two drones: one bass and one tenor.

Young Love and Relationships

Young Love and Relationships Everybody feels love at one time or another, be it a love for a family member or a friend. Some people fall in and out of love on a regular basis while others take time to find just the right one. Everyone experiences this differently. Love between two people is distinct and exceptional. Although being in love with someone is easy and free, love is still a powerful emotion that can build and destroy. Since majority of the youth in our society start with their first love and relationship at the age of thirteen, many are also fooled.Many confuse true love with infatuation. Although this is not entirely a bad thing, still many are often caught in sticky situations. (i. e. Pre-marital Sex, Teenage Pregnancy, Heartbreak, Suicide) Objectively, Webster says that the meaning of true love is a  sweetheart or  a  truly  loving  or  loved  person. Furthermore more, Webster also defines relationships as an emotional and sexual association between two pe ople. As for me, I believe that true love and relationships are the ones that God continuously give us. In 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 (NIV), it is said that â€Å"Love is patient; love is kind.It does not envy; it does not boast; it is not proud. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking; it is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight on evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects; always trusts; always hopes; always perseveres. † True love is often confused with romantic love (infatuation) since both are all consuming and overwhelming, and if teenagers are not guided well, things can spiral out of hand. But when guided and founded with the will of God, years would go by as love develops into a real and secure emotional.The verse stated above shows what true love is really about. True love never asks for anything in return; it never gets tired of giving. But amidst all these, giving still has its boundaries. That is why everybody, mainly teens should know that unconditional love has nothing to do with sex, exploitation or subjugation. Right now, teenage girls around the world are getting pregnant because they thought having sex with their boyfriend proves love. But what did they get? Being left behind, an ounce of heartbreak and a baby to take care of at such a young age.Was getting their lives destroyed worth the few hours of pleasure in bed? I believe not. However, some are pressured into marriage as a sense of responsibility, but statistics show that although things may start like a fairytale, ninety percent of the teens that get married due to unplanned pregnancy get divorced or separated within a span of six years. You see, there is a right time for everything, for real love waits for that. Love never fails to forgive and it sacrifices for the other, but these sacrifices should have its limits – one that would ensure that no one gets hurt.Shakespeare, one of the greatest playwright and love advocate, compared romantic love to being intoxicated in his play â€Å"The Tempest†. Romantic love often clouds a person's judgment causing him to be confused on what the right decisions should be. It is like drug or alcohol that it takes over all the person's senses, somehow causing him to make many big decisions with all the wrong motives. Most of the time, lovers base their decisions on each other considering how they can be of help to each other. Together, they continuously grow emotionally and spiritually.Now, don't get me wrong. There is a big difference between depending on each other for the better and not being able to live without the other. The latter is a mere infatuation or romantic love. For example, a person in a long term and serious relationship gets offered his dream job, but the job requires him to move to another country, thus leaving his partner behind. The person being left behind would probably force the other to stay and because romantic love can be really selfless, he would stay. And what if he chooses to leave? What would you do?Would you stop living your life just because the other chose to live his dreams? In real love, both should be encouraging each other to fulfill their dreams whether or not they do it side by side or far away from each other. Love can wait. If two people are meant for each other God will make a way because the will of God can never be broken. He will be the One opening doors for the two persons to meet. Arnel Pineda once sang a song with the lyrics â€Å"too much love can kill you†, and indeed it can. In a relationship, be it just a fling or a serious one, we can never be sure if that relationship would last.We are never sure if the person we are with right now is the person we are going to be with in the next ten or twenty years. And when we love someone too much, we believe that we cannot live life without him. That is why losing him may cause us to stop living our lives. This is not real love. Just like an old s aying being passed around for centuries, â€Å"Too much of anything is bad. † This proves that truly loving someone should never be too much because true love does not cause harm, but instead brings harmony. Furthermore, True love is selfless; infatuation is too much.Since romantic love is extremely selfless, a person may sacrifice everything and simply live his life for the other. This is wrong because any relationship is not exceptional from conflicts. And to top it all, we don't know for sure if this person we are having a relationship with, is the one we would last with. That is why a relationship should have a strong foundation with God. It has to continuously grow according to God's commands and laws. We also have to be able to have something in our personal life to back us up. Something that would keep us busy if anything goes wrong with the relationship. i. e. Spiritual Lives, Family and Friends, School Organizations, Work)Loving and having relationships is really har d to understand. When our heart unites with another, we feel a strong connection being formed. But when the connection is cut without understanding, the results can be disastrous. (i. e. Suicide) These kinds of incidents can be avoided if we take time to reflect and slowly grow as wisdom and understanding comes. In our generation today, teens often rush into relationships without building a strong foundation to be able handle them.A heart without enough strength to handle the trials of a relationship is like standing on thin ice forcing it not to break. But no matter how hard we try to stop it from breaking, it will crack. That is why, love and relationships should not be rushed because there are many trials and situations that only time can face and overcome. Therefore, losing someone we love should not stop us from living because there is someone better, destined by the will of God, to be with us. Love comes with a lot of perks, but at the same time comes with great responsibility and understanding.There are numerous kinds of things a misguided love or relationship can cause, be it suicide, murder or pregnancy. These points must be taken into serious considerations to prevent people from committing the same mistakes over and over again. This is also for the youth to be more guided when it comes to loving and relationships because many young lives are at risk when it comes to an unguided relationship. That is why the youth should always be guided and must know all these responsibilities in order to have a good relationship, and of course, one that will develop to grow and last.Moreover, love is one of the most amazing feelings a person can feel if used in the right way. And in the end, love will always be a powerful force. Whether we let it work its magic or try to repress it, love is still and always will be an inevitable force that binds us all. Source: Dictionary meaning of true love. Retrieved from: http://www. merriam-webster. com/ Bible Verse. Retrieved from: http://www. biblegateway. com/ (2013). Marriage. Retrieved from: http://www. pregnancyoutreach. org/articles/marriage

The Controversy Over Internet Censorship Essay - 1152 Words

The Controversy Over Internet Censorship For many people, using the Internet has become practically a new way of life, especially for college students and the like. Various types of information can be accessed at the touch of a button: anything from encyclopedias, to surveys and essays, to articles from magazines, and adult sites. Anyone who pays for their Internet service is usually offered space for his or her own web page, and even many free services provide space for personal web pages. All of this available space can be used for any number of reasons: posting newsletters for community groups, advertising for businesses, or just voicing one’s opinion. For those of us who know how to use this information, or at least how†¦show more content†¦Others feel that the government should step in and penalize anyone whose writings could be offensive. Many of these people have expressed their opinions on the Internet, and have made several good points. Legislation on Internet Censorship In a statement made by Senator Leahy in January 1997 suggesting legislation to repeal the Internet Censorship Provisions of the Communications Decency Act. The Communications Decency Act penalizes anyone who sends inappropriate material to a minor, or posts these materials where a minor might see it, with two-year jail terms and large fines (Leahy, 2). Senator Leahy states, â€Å"The first amendment to our Constitution expressly states that ‘Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech.’† Leahy also expresses his fears that other members of Congress may not realize that the people at risk of committing a felony under the CDA are not child pornographers, sex offenders, and purveyors of obscene material. Legislation has already been passed in order to prevent the distribution of these kinds of materials to minors (Leahy, 1). â€Å"Banning indecent material from the Internet is like using a meat cleaver to deal with the problems better addressed with a scalpel,† due to information assessed by one court estimating that â€Å"the percentage of Internet addresses providing sexually explicit content would be well less than one-tenth of 1Show MoreRelatedEssay Arguing the Opposition of Censorship867 Words   |  4 PagesArguing the opposition of Censorship For centuries, government nations and society have been withholding certain pieces of information from the public to ensure safety and prevent catastrophic out bursts; this detainment of public knowledge is called censoring. Censorship started in the early twentieth century, when profane literature began to surface in the wake of World War I; ever since then its been a normal part of all society. 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