Immersed in Technology "DIGITAL_NATION" by Frontline

Digital Nation - Frontline Virtually Amazing  

How much of YOUR life is in the Digital World? Multi-tasking, googling for answers at an urge, reading less novels, writing more paragraphs...and on. 

Thank you PBS /Frontline for this extraordinary show reviewing the many, many ways our lives have changed with technology as we rush into a world infused with technology touching our lives - changing the way we learn, what we do, and how we live.  Leaving us with more questions.
 "more and more of our experiences are moving into the virtual world".

That it will change us is certain. Neil Postman stated at Harvard in 1997 -
"ask how it (technology) will change our lives before embracing it".  However, many changes happen without our control and we must learn to adapt - we need to find the balance.

Is Technology is now bringing us back together again in a different way--- IBM office Park hub for 1980's and it is empty but in IBM's Second Life - people are at home, hotels all over the world meet regularly in 2nd Life IBM world. Their  Innovation Strategist reports, "None have met in real life- only know each other from virtual world."

Virtual human Interaction life studies at Stanford University reports how human minds reflect small  distinctions in  differentiating stuff- if it looks real - it can be percieved as "real"-especially if the  avatars wear our real faces. The "Swimming with whales" experiment results show that kids believe they swam with whales at 3 yr old after viewing computer simulations.


Where is this all taking us- with multi-tasking and googling , meeting in virtual worlds, being in the same house whle all in different worlds?

Many things to ponder and this fantastic piece reviews many of our lives' changes and offers few answers but VERY IMPORTANT questions.   Go to PBS for the full version and add your story to Digital_ Nation.  

iPad is sooo cool!

iPad 
Case
After shopping around to find a pocketbook or travel bag, I went to Ebay and got a great iPAD case.
 $10.95 and free shipping - this is a great buy and works really well. Also has a kick stand that slides nicely against the back cover when not in use. It feels and looks like leather and holds the iPAD in place while using it in all positions. Never use an iPad without a case!

APPs  Although I have Pages and Keynote on my Mac- I need SOME creative tools on my iPAD so bought them for about $20 this week and really love the Keynote ( similar to PowerPoint for presentations) but has the most gorgeous and eye captivating wipes and visuals. It is easy to use to make your content look very professional and eye catching especially on The iPad. Plus, you can connect the iPad directly to show it to a group without carrying your computer. Pages ( like Word) is for making word documents for Mac products and transferable to Word documents. The templates for teachers, home, and business produce professional documents.

Urban Spoon: Looking for a place to eat and want more info than Yelp, go to URBAN SPOON. I  love it! It identifies places to eat, maps, reviews, etc in an easy format with a fun spin! iPad version is so easy to view and locates your choices on a map connected with reviews and directions.
With over 25,000 choices in LA alone, it helps as it narrows down the choices by cost, all types of food, and locations.
Games:  I was up late at night this week, trying to get past  Level 4  on "Angry Birds" lite version -video.  Physics problem- solving skills are useful as one uses little birds to tumble down walls of crystal, wood, and bricks surrounding smiling pigs. The animal sounds are annoying and if you turn them down, you miss the tumbling crystal and poofs of success. Yes, I downloaded the HD version and made it to Level 10 in no time. Physics is helpful. Some have said that you can download the iPhone version for one dollar but the iPad version has better graphics.  Thanks, Clenet, for telling me all about tapping for extras, ie. blue birds burst to three, red birds to power thrust, and patience!

iPad in Education: Yes! iPADs are great for schools!  I am a working model of how it is so applicable to the schools and learning and will report to you all.   Students are really excited, so excited that it is becoming a popular choice for birthday and graduation gifts. High school students are leaders and smart about grasping to new things! This is one of them.