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Attention Deficit Returns As You Get Older

By , 7/27/2011 at 11:29 am

“PAY ATTENTION!” is a phrase teachers have to repeat again and again to youngsters. Whether or not attention deficit is of clinical magnitude, most kids have to learn how to pay attention. What you may not know is that this problem returns for most people as they become Senior Citizens.

Does any of this sound familiar: “Where did I put those keys?” “What was it I wanted when I opened the frig door?” “What was that phone number I just looked up?” These memory problems happen because you get distracted and lose attention.

A brain-scan study at the University of Toronto found that older people, compared to young adults, have decreased brain activity in brain areas that enable concentration This means that older brains can’t focus well, because the parts of the brain that enable concentration don’t get active enough. (more…)

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Contemplate and Reflect! : How to use Meditation to improve your Study Efficiency

By , 7/26/2011 at 10:28 am

meditations effects on learningMeditation can be a powerful tool both for your personal and academic life. It is very hard to underestimate the influence mindful meditation can exercise on your cognitive and studying abilities. But what exactly is it doing to enhance our studying? (more…)

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Why people from other countries think Americans are dumb, and other things TV is to blame for

By , 7/25/2011 at 9:32 am

When we got cable in my house, my life changed forever. In Venezuela, this means going from watching old TV shows in syndication dubbed in Colombian Spanish; to watching the same shows and more in their original language with Spanish subtitles. At first, I was somewhat apprehensive and complained loudly to my mom my genuine fear that Fran Drescher’s voice would not stay true to the nasal, whiny tone of the Spanish audio on Venezuelan national television. Hold back the vicious criticism, I was only nine years old at the time. It was important to me. But soon I came to appreciate the benefits of watching the Nanny in its original Queens English with somewhat mistranslated subtitles. (more…)

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How complicated is your brain?

By , 7/21/2011 at 9:14 am

One of my pet peeves when it comes to talking about the brain and drugs is the oversimplification that occurs when we talk about “chemical balance.” Our brains are complicated-more complicated than we can easily comprehend-and we should not casually simplify how they work. Unfortunately, that is exactly what pharmaceutical companies do when they try to sell you a pill that will cure your “chemical imbalance.”

I’d like to share with you a great explanation and a good read on how complicated the brain kinda is. As the Neuroskeptic puts it, “the concept of a ‘chemical imbalance’ in the human brain is one of the most fantastic oversimplifications in science, and one of the worst legacies of the modern pharmaceutical industry.” He goes on to compare this “chemical imbalance” concept to equating how the brain works as how soup works.

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What’s a better read: the internet or a book?

By , 7/20/2011 at 11:56 am

Interning at an e-learning startup involves many hours of, well, being on the internet, or more specifically on the computer, eyes glued to a screen. Having been an intern at Brainscape for almost five months now, while I love interning here, I have first handedly experienced the downside of staring at a computer all day. My eyes hurt, and I get headaches sometimes. That could be because I forget to wear my glasses half of the time.

However, in order to give my eyes a break, on the way to and from Brainscape, I have started reading books on the subway. Not listening to books on my iPod or reading them on an Amazon Kindle or an iPad, but I completely unhook myself from technology, pull out a physical book and read it, which bring me to the subject of this post.

Which is better? A book in your hand, or reading a book online? (more…)

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The Instability of Memory

By , 7/19/2011 at 9:41 am

Memory. So much of what makes us us are our memories. Imagine your life without memories and it hardly seems like it’s your life, does it? We believe that what we remember is fact. Sure, you may have gotten in a fight with your husband, and in the end you can’t remember what you were fighting about, but you are certain you remember exactly where you were when he proposed.

What if I told you that our memories are not certain, that they can be false and even change. If your memories change, you’re still you, right? Yes, don’t worry, you are. But it’s true, your memories do change. Jared Tanner, who writes for BrainBlogger, wrote a great summary of how labile memory is. Read on below or here, and keep reading the Brainscape Blog for more articles on memory.

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On Screen with Vicki Davis, the Cool Cat Teacher

By , 7/18/2011 at 9:00 am

“You can’t have excellence in education without global collaboration.”  Those were the first words Vicki Davis uttered in a great vinterview I had with her over Skype this afternoon, and they mean a lot coming from her.  Vicki is one of the most significant leaders of the movement toward connecting K-12 students with their global peers to work together on meaningful projects.  Through her prominent blog (The “Cool Cat Teacher“) and through the Flat Classroom Project, which she co-founded, Vicki has facilitated dozens of key initiatives under a single umbrella through a growing network of affiliate educators and a slew of Web 2.0 tools that allow students to collaborate asynchronously more effectively than ever before.  Vicki reminds us of the recent Business Week study showing that 1 in 5 of us will be on a first-name basis with someone in India within the next 5 years, and highlights that our schools have no excuse not to foster a future workforce with a global mindset.

Please watch our discussion below, and be sure to watch out for Vicki’s upcoming book: “Flattening Classrooms, Expanding Minds”.  Oh, and don’t forget to tell Vicki what you think! (more…)

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Once Blind, Now Mice Can See

By , 7/14/2011 at 8:52 am

A couple months ago I posted Ed Boyden’s TED Talk on his work in Optogenetics. Optogenetics is a newish (and awesome) field of research looking into the applications of light sensitive receptors first found in algae. It is amazing that we now have a means to selectively and precisely activate and deactivate (and thus control) neurons in mammals. One successful application of optogentics has been to blindness.

Below is a video demonstrating how the research of Ed Boyden and Alan Horsager has made once blind mice, sighted mice.

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Don’t go to college for Computer Science. I’ve got a better idea.

By , 7/13/2011 at 8:16 am

Dear young aspiring software developer,

Congratulations on your decision to pursue a career technology!  These are very exciting times for today’s up-and-coming computer scientists, and the world desperately needs more of you right now.  Thank you in advance for all that you are likely to do to improve our lives in the future.

Before you get started, however, I’d like to take this opportunity to prevent you from making a mistake that could set you far behind your peers: going to college for Computer Science. (more…)

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Brainscape’s Newest Addition: Ike Wilson, Content Manager

By , 7/12/2011 at 9:09 am

Brainscape is proud to announce the addition of Ike Wilson, Educational Content Manager, to the Brainscape Team. Bringing Brainscape’s core team from 3 to 4 employees, Ike will take charge of existing and future educational content and partnerships, helping secure Brainscape as a leader in the future of educational technology. (more…)

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