You are here: Home / Archives for Education

Who Wants More Reality?

August 26, 2010 By 3 Comments
NFL uses augmented reality to mark the down lines

Previously published on Psychology Today.com "Positively Media" ---------- Sometimes when new technology is introduced, you get a glimpse of the future. The iPad was like that for me. Now Samsung is introducing the Galaxy Tab (tablet) on September 2. This time, the glimpse of the future comes from their marketing pitch not their product. The top item the Galaxy Tab offers those who want “more”? Augmented reality. Samsung's Galaxy is an interesting and slick entrant in the tablet field. Size-wise, it's halfway between the size of a cell phone and an iPad with a screen big enough to see things without squinting. (I’ve heard the iPad called an iPhone for old people.) Personally, I really didn't expect to like the iPad as much as I do, but I carry it everywhere. It's pretty hard to be an Apple-killer these days, but Samsung got a couple of things right that Apple missed in the first generation: the camera/video function. It is those added features that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Augmented Reality, Education Tagged With: , ,

Media Psychology: No Easy Answers (or Careers)

June 4, 2010 By 6 Comments

I frequently get requests for information about how to pursue interests in the field of media psychology.  I am always honored to represent the field and share my views and advice.  The following is typical of several letters I have received recently. I am currently completing my last year as an undergraduate in psychology. I discovered Media Psychology last year in a Popular Culture course but I have found it very difficult to find ANY postgraduate training in Media Psychology.  I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction, as I feel that Media Psychology is the next step to my career, but am finding it difficult to get started.  I would appreciate any advice. I appreciate the enthusiasm for media psychology.  Media psychology is a new field. There are few "official" programs, there are no clearly defined career paths, and there are no easy answers. What is media psychology?  Media psychology is the applied study of what happens when people interact with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, Psychology

Online Safety: Educate not Legislate

May 27, 2010 By 3 Comments
2010-05-25-Future-Social-Media-Logos

Previously published in Psychology Today "Positively Media." Facebook’s recent privacy control changes have triggered a big response of concern, indignation, and pages of analysis. One thing you have to love about social media, when people are ticked off, you find out pretty fast. Facebook is doing some rhetorical back-pedaling but when people are angry, they demand solutions—often in haste and not often rationally. This has added fuel to the political fire to regulate social networking sites like Facebook. It’s time to take a deep breath and realize that we need a longer view to achieve a solution that is both effective and sustainable. That solution is education, not legislation. We need to redefine media literacy to include understanding how media technologies work and how they are used, not focus on content. We need to elevate media literacy to media citizenship. Facebook violated a social contract with its users. People are rightfully frustrated … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Culture & Society, Education, Social Media & Networks Tagged With: , , ,

Social Media Addiction: Engage Brain Before Believing

May 23, 2010 By 2 Comments
2010-05-22-150x-SM-pill-bottles

Previously published in Psychology Today "Positively Media." When you see the headlines about social media addiction, take a deep breath. Exhale. I know this sounds radical, but don’t go by the news articles. Find the actual study and read it. Don't just read the results; see how the researchers define what they are measuring. This is important because 1) sometimes studies just don’t make sense, 2) sometimes things that are only correlated get reported as being a 'cause', and, 3) the people writing the articles don’t always read the actual studies before they write—even whey they are real journalists. Psychologists, parents, educators and politicians frequently talk about how important it is to teach kids media literacy so they can critically use, produce and evaluate media. Evidence suggests that this is not a skill that should be reserved for the young. There has been a little flurry of news articles and blogs recently about social media addiction. First of all, it … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cognition, Education, Emerging Technologies, Social Media & Networks
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »