Media Production Project

--Original published at Sidney's college blogs

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), has continued to rise in numbers. The former 1 in every 68 children has now risen to affecting 1 in every 59 children. There has never been a reliable way to predict the onset of autism within a child. Scientists from the University of North Carolina and Chapel Hill and Washington University School of Medicine performed a study to predict this onset very early in life.

An fMRI machine was used to scan the brains of 59 infants while sleeping. Of the 59 infants, 18 were female and 41 were male. Each infant in the study was six-months old and had an older sibling who was diagnosed with ASD. Infants were excluded from the study if they had any previous genetic conditions, premature birth, low birth weight, maternal substance abuse, contraindication for MRI, or family history of psychosis, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. The fMRI recorded brain functions based on the fluctuations of blood flow in the brain. Each infant was scanned twice, ensuring no head movement interfered with the imaging.

When the infants reached 24 months of age, they underwent behavioral assessments. The results of the various assessments were analyzed by clinicians for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Questionnaires were also filled out by the parents of the children in the study. Assessments given resulted in information regarding their cognitive, behavioral, and developmental abilities. These assessments helped to identify the validity of the brain scans. The brain scans from when they were six-months-old were then compared to the results of their behavioral assessments at 24-months-old. This included their social interactions, communication, motor development, and repetitive behavior.

The scores of the assessments were plotted on a graph. There was a clear linear separation between those with ASD and those without ASD. A correlation between infants’ brain activity and their repetitive and social behaviors was found by the researchers. Early brain activity in infants can accurately predict the diagnosis of ASD later in life. The study correctly predicted the diagnosis of nine out of eleven babies. It also correctly predicted the absence of diagnosis of ASD in all 48 infants. This study is able to be generalized to a new sample of infants. The findings in the study need to be tested and expanded more in the future. The prediction of ASD at 24-months-old may be too young, but it does correlate correctly. This test is very expensive, so as advancements are made in the future, this imaging can be done when there are genetic and screening technologies that indicate a strong likelihood of the child having ASD.

I actually really enjoyed this project overall. I was able to learn more about a disorder that I am very passionate about. Taking on the role of a journalist was actually a lot harder than I expected it to be. We had a deadline just as a journalist would have. However, that was not the hard part. The hard part of this paper was scrunching 9 pages of information into 460 words. There was a lot of important information from the actual research study that I had to leave out. I left out all of the different assessments that were given to each child. These assessments held a lot of information as to what autism consisted of and the signs that they looked for. I opted for just generalizing the assessments that were given and a few of the behaviors that they looked for in them. I also had to leave out information regarding how they took the brain scans. Each scan was taken at a certain magnification, direction, weight, angle, and other factors. The images were taken in frames. This allowed for the researchers to discard any frames that contained movement of their head. They then compiled the rest of the frames for the correlative analysis. Although I was not able to include this type of information in the journal article, I do think that I was able to touch upon the main parts of the study. I think that journalists have a hard job. They are responsible for summarizing a huge study into just a few hundred words. They need to be certain to include only the most important pieces of information in order to meet their number of words that are allowed.

(460 Words)

Link to Article: https://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/49624/title/Study–Infants–Brain-Activity-Patterns-Predict-Autism-Risk/

Link to Scholarly Article: http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/9/393/eaag2882

Spotlight Blog 3

--Original published at Sidney's college blogs

For the last spotlight blog, I decided to gather information about year-round schooling. Growing up I can always remember my mom saying that she would much rather all of us sibling be in year-round school. She always wanted this because even though we were home all summer, she hardly ever got to see us because she was working every day. She wanted more frequent breaks even though they were shorter so that she would be able to take off some work to send time with us. As a kid, her idea never seemed appealing to me, but my opinions may have changed since then.

In schools who are on the summer vacation program, there are only vacations in the summer and a few days off here and there for holidays. In schools with a year-round program, there would be a greater frequency in breaks. This program still operates on 180 school days over the course of the year. There are just more breaks in between this amount of time. This frequency in breaks allows for not only the student, but also the teachers to recuperate and not burn out early in the year. The longer time in school allows for the students to cover more material in class. The books within the schools are hardly ever covered completely. The extended time allows for this missed material to be covered and the critical lessons would no longer be rushed or skipped over. If schooling was year-round, there would be very little distinction between one year and the next year. Because there is very little distinction, the more advanced students would be able to move to the next grade with ease and faster than the others. It allows for a faster advancement for students. During the summer, students are not challenged to use their critical thinking skills. Without exercising this critical thinking, the students lose a lot of information over their summer break. Because of this lost material, teachers often have to spend vast amounts of time reteaching things from the previous year. Instead of one long break, frequent, shorter breaks will allow for a higher retention rate. This will allow for the teachers to spend less time reteaching in the beginning of the year as well.

Although there are various reasons supporting the year-round schooling program, there are also plenty of reasons not to enroll students in the program. Because the summer months are hot, electricity bills tend to rise a lot. If students were still in school during the summer, the bills for the schools would also likely increase. Many public schools already suffer from a lack of funds, and this would not help the school budget at all. A large component to growing and learning is having the ability to go outside and play. This is vital to healthy development in children. The summer months allow for them to be able to spend that time outside and take a break from the school walls. Children with attention difficulties may struggle with a year-round schedule as well. They need those breaks to be away from a strict and confined area. This can cause more behavioral problems with those children. Another down-fall to year-round schooling is for the older students. Highschool students need to work to pay for college, bills, and their future plans. This would not allow for the students to have enough time off of school to really hold a job and make a decent amount of money for their future plans. Families may have a hard time scheduling family vacations due to not having a distinct summer vacation. This also goes along with band and other extracurricular activities. They use these summer months to prepare their music, marches, and other components for their club. The activities could run into problems in that regard. Lastly, the year-round program for schooling is not conclusively proven to benefit the students academically.

In my opinion, year-round schooling would be a great option for students. Growing up I would never agree with this, but now that I graduated, I would rather have more frequent breaks rather than just my summer off. I can remember sitting in class the first week of school, and I would not remember anything from the previous year. I think that year-round schooling would allow for better academic excellence in students. I know that many kids just stay inside and play videogames their entire summer. This in no way helps them grow or flourish in their academics. Short breaks would allow for the student to not burn out and lose motivation. These short breaks would allow for playing and down-time without it being excessively long. I do understand that the schools would suffer financially, however, I think that adaptations can be made to support those changes. I also think that having more successful academic students is more important than an electricity bill. It may make planning a vacation in the summer harder to do, but many students get a permission form to fill out to approve a trip anyway. I agree with my mom’s opinion when I was little. I think that students would benefit overall from having shorter, more frequent breaks, rather than one long one.

Resources:

https://www.screenflex.com/reasons-why-year-round-school-is-a-good-idea/

http://www.nea.org/tools/17057.htm

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/education_futures/2014/07/_year-round_schooling_3_common_arguments_against_it.html

https://www.verywellfamily.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-year-round-school-621001

https://www.thoughtco.com/year-round-education-6742

First Impression Post Week 16

--Original published at Sidney's college blogs

For this week’s first impression post, I decided to explore the campaign Change Direction, in option number 2. The campaign is used to encourage people to open up about mental illnesses. For such a long time, people avoided talking about mental illnesses. Having a mental illness always made others either act uncomfortable or rude towards that person. This campaign helps to break this stereotype for those with mental illness. Their goal is to bring others together to form a support group for them. Talking about mental illness is okay, it is not a bad thing. This is important for people to know and realize. The site says that 1 in every 5 people have a mental illness. Unfortunately, having a mental illness is fairly common. On the positive side, it allows for people to relate and form bond to better themselves in these areas. I feel as though the campaign would be effective as long as the audience was listening. We all grew up hearing the countless presentations and programs on drug use, and they stick in your mind. I think that if this program is introduced as persistently as drug awareness programs are, then it would be very effective. They would understand that it is a serious deal, it is not something to joke around about or to take lightly. I think a strength of this program is the ability to change the bad stereotype on those with a mental illness. A weakness to the campaign is that there is always the possibility of people not taking it seriously. However, I think that if it is portrayed correctly, this would not be a problem. I think that if this campaign was set up at Elizabethtown College, a lot of people would benefit. The site has the 5 warning signs to look out for in yourself or others. This would be very useful for everyone to know in college. You get down on yourself and you get stressed out to the max while in college. Having negative thoughts and emotions are inevitable in college no matter where you go. Knowing all of this information that this program has to offer would benefit everyone in some way or another. Whether it be for themselves, a friend, or someone they meet later on in life. You never know when you will be in a tough position, so this information could be helpful for now and later. I think the best way to reach the campus would be through dedicating an entire week to it. There could be flyers around campus and in the bathroom stalls with the 5 warning signs and different information on it. There could be different games to play while educating the college students about these mental illnesses. If I have learned anything at college, it is that a college student will do just about anything for a free t-shirt. I think that almost everyone takes mental illnesses seriously in college. I think many would be willing to learn about the facts and what the campaign has to offer.

Blog Post Week 15

--Original published at Sidney's college blogs

For this week’s first impression post, I decided to do option 1. I watched the video, and it honestly made my heart race and my head was going a million miles an hour. I can not even imagine going through what these people go through on a daily basis. I have mentioned before that I am a huge fan of the show Criminal Minds. Those with schizophrenia are often depicted in this show. For example, there was an episode where a man was on a train and he ended up holding everyone in the train hostage because he believed that FBI had put a tracking device in his arm. He believed that the government knew everything about him and that they were after him. This episode showed his schizophrenic state by having a “man” behind his shoulder at all times. This represented the voice that he battled with inside of his head. The “man” standing over his shoulder would give him the ideas about the FBI. He would tell him if someone needed to be shot and ultimately what the outcome of the situation would be. He completely filled his head with insane thoughts and feelings. There were also delusions that he saw in the episode. He would imagine the people on the train telling him that he is stupid, and that the FBI already knows everything about him. No one said these things to him, but he imagined it himself. That episode reminded me greatly of the video I watched. In neuroscience, we recently learned about those who had schizophrenia, and it is truly a fascinating, but horrible disorder to have. The video put you in perspective as being the person who has this disorder. The person had no clarity and no control over themselves. The voices within his mind completely overtook his thoughts and his actions. The part that really surprised me was that the voices were able to convince him that the pizza and the medication were poisonous. So much that the pizza box actually said “Poizzon.” I am really glad that I was able to watch this video and see how a day in the life of someone with schizophrenia really is. I could never imagine having to deal with voices inside of my head determining my entire life.

Spotlight Blog #2

--Original published at Sidney's college blogs

The D.A.R.E. program stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. This program is taught to thousands of schools throughout America, including a numerous amount of other countries. It includes education in the topics of bullying, internet safety, over-the-counter prescription drugs, and opiates. The D.A.R.E. program has curriculum for those in elementary, middle, and high school, and is a “highly acclaimed program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence.” Because the program is taught by local police officers, it is thought to develop that relationship between the student community and the police officers. All law enforcement agencies are committed to the D.A.R.E. program and wish to reduce the supply of drugs in the community. This program has connections and oversight from professions in various fields, such as education, scientific, and law enforcement. Because many other preventative curriculums like the D.A.R.E. program are often directed to one specific group, they decided to design this program to cover a large ground of topics instead of just focusing on one. This ensure that the program will reach in more ways than just one. Instead of focusing on never using drugs, the program focuses on social-emotional principles. This encourages the decision-making process to choose not to do drugs. If they are already doing drugs, it may encourage them to stop or decrease their usage. These are the claims that the D.A.R.E. website makes, but are they correct?

The phrase “Just Say No” was used by the D.A.R.E. program for a substantial amount of time that the program was around. The reality of the children actually using those words were unlikely and did not seem realistic. Because of this, a lot of school districts began to pull the program from those schools. If it was not going to be effective, there was no sense in paying for the program. This resulted in a great financial deficit for the D.A.R.E. program, so they changed their focus from drugs, to building character. One focus of the program up until the 4^th grade is personal safety. A few others are anger management and coping techniques that do not involve the use of drugs or medications. There is no evidence yet to show the increase within this new strategy of program. An abundance of studies have been in place to test the effectiveness of the program. The results are that more than 30 of the studies have noted that the D.A.R.E. program did not deter students from using drugs. Although the studies did not find a decrease in drug use, they did find a decrease in the likelihood of the students using the program in the future and over time. In one study, 7 percent of 8^th graders, 18 percent of 10^th graders, and 22.7 percent of seniors reported that they smoke marijuana. However, 5 years pervious to these percentages, only 5.8 percent of 8^th graders, 13.8 percent of 10^th graders, and 19.4 percent of seniors reported smoking marijuana. Another study was when a survey was filled out by participants when they were 10 years old. They filled out the same survey when they turned 20 years old. Those who were in the D.A.R.E. program and completed it were not less likely to smoke marijuana or tobacco, drink alcohol, use illicit drugs, or fall into peer pressure than those who did not complete the D.A.R.E. program.

In attempts to revise the program again, a new model of the D.A.R.E. program that was introduced was Keepin’ it REAL in 2009. Instead of police officers giving the education, they jut used trained classroom instructors and this model was aimed for 12 to 14-year-old students. It then evolved to 5^th and 6^th grade by 2013. The education within the new model was brought by prevention experts. This helped the program out, leaving an actual decrease in those who used drugs. The new program is educating them on real life experiences and the effects of drug use rather than pushing “Just say No” to the students.

From the many studies conducted, it is clear that the D.A.R.E. program struggled a lot for a long period of time. I can remember the various activities and assemblies I attended throughout school involving this program. It was just seen as an opportunity to not attend class and do something fun. It never stuck with me throughout my life, and I know that my small school district was one of the many to pull the program. I think that programs educating students on the effects of drugs, or as used in the prompt, sexual education, is important. Even here at Elizabethtown there are signs and flyers everywhere giving the facts about sexual relationships and the diseases you can contract. There are also many flyers and signs giving the facts about drinking safely and what to do if something should happen. There is importance in knowing the facts and risks that you face in making decisions. However, I do know that in middle school and high school, these programs were annoying and repetitive. When you hear the same thing over and over again, it becomes less effective. I do not think that actual programs are beneficial to have within school districts, but I do think that setting a couple days aside throughout the year to educate the students on the risks of their decisions, could be more beneficial.

Resources:

https://dare.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw5LbWBRDCARIsALAbcOc69-Tqa7OjZMF9IaFRfU0pQu4UJAdcCHJ0y93voj-2r6XL1JgrZCcaApZxEALw_wcB

https://www.dualdiagnosis.org/drug-addiction/dare-program-work/

First Impression Post Week 9

--Original published at Sidney's college blogs

For this week’s first impression post, I chose to write about the non-verbal cues that people give to indicate their emotions. I tend to be a very understanding and sympathetic person, so reading people’s facial expressions comes pretty easy to me. However, this test has shown me otherwise. I scored an 11 out of 20 on this emotion test. Personally, I found that this test was ridiculous and overly dramatic. The few that I got correct were facial expressions that are commonly displayed as being happy, sad, and other various simple expressions. Some of these facial expressions were absurd, like one of the faces they used to depict pain. The face was completely scrunched up and I remember saying to myself, “Who would ever make this face?” This test would have been better if the pictures were of people when they were genuinely feeling these emotions. It was plain to see that they were forced facial expressions. It is hard to understand what someone is feeling or thinking when they are forcing a facial expression that they were told to act out. For example, there was a picture of a woman who was very clearly forcing a smile. I marked that it would be “politeness” due to the fake smile ad lack of excitement in the face. The correct answer was “happy.” I found that the pictures were very misleading and confusing at times. The content that described why each face was which emotion was sometimes contradicted by the picture that they used. Although the information below the pictures seemed to be very factual and correct, I do not think that this is an accurate test at all. I think that I am much better at judging someone’s emotions in a real-life context. You can see their body language and read the way their face changes through the time you are with them.

First Impression Post Week 7

--Original published at Sidney's college blogs

For this week’s first impression post, I decided to write on the approaches to addiction. I read the article that was linked from New Hope Recovery Center. The abstinence approach is a model in which the addicted user of drugs or alcohol will discontinue the use of the abused substance completely. Many will recommend this approach to battle addiction because of the easy relapse they can have. If they are still using the drug some, they will use it in an abusive way. This is why abstinence is preferred by many.

The harm reduction approach does exactly what the name says. It is put in place to reduce the risks and harm of the drug use. Although it may seem as though it is a method to condone the behavior, it just acknowledges that no matter what, the destructive behavior is going to happen. Those in support of this approach promotes less destructive ways in response to these destructive behaviors. For example, although it is illegal to use heroine, many clinics will have clean needles available for them to use so they are not getting diseases from sharing needles with others. I also heard a while ago that a few Sheetz gas station stores are going to be trying out a new light within their bathrooms. There has always been a lot of overdoses in their bathrooms, so a few stores are going to have a blue light put in them so that it makes the addicts unable to find their veins.

I do not believe that either way is the right or wrong way to help with addiction. I believe that the end goal of abuse should be abstinence, but I believe that the harm reduction is needed to be able to get to that point. The reduction should be in place to help ease the addicts off of their behaviors. I believe that once the user is addicted, they are always going to be susceptible to it when they are put around it, so the abstinence is needed.

If I had a family member who was addicted to a substance, I would want their end goal to be complete abstinence from that substance. Although that is the end goal, I think that it is important to remember that it is not going to happen right away. It is a long process, but it is doable. I would be thankful and appreciative of the alternatives that are out there to help my family member to not be so destructive in their using. The reduction is needed before the ultimate goal can be reached.

Spotlight Blog 1

--Original published at Sidney's college blogs

Divorce was always frowned upon for a very long time. It was not until recent years that divorce has become more and more common. Families used to stick together because it was the right thing to do, or because they wanted to ensure their children of a normal childhood. Does an unhappy marriage guarantee a normal childhood though? Are children better off with their parents separated? Or does divorce leave children damaged and broken? There has always been controversy over these types of questions. In this first spotlight blog, I will talk about both the negative and the positive effects divorce can have on children.

From FamilyMeans, there is an article called What Are the Effects of Divorce on Children? This article understands that children react and respond in various ways. Not all children are going to react in an understanding way in response to the divorce, but not all children will be defiant in reaction to it either. Each child will react in a different way than others will. This article compiles a variation of negative responses that are common from children who have experience their parents going through a divorce. The major negative responses that are listed are poor academic performance, loss of social activity, difficult adaptability to change, sensitive to emotions, anger and irritability, guilt, destructive behavior, health problems, and a loss in faith for marriages and families.

The FamilyMeans elaborates on each of these negative responses from children. Divorce changes the child’s whole life. They will likely think about it a lot and try to understand it all. This leaves the child distracted and interrupts their focus. This leads to poorer academic performance. They are unable to fully focus due to the distraction. During this time, they may experience a difficult time relating to others. They may feel singled out and as if they are the only one who has gone through this. These feelings can result in a lack of sociability. The newness of the situation can cause an adaptability problem for children as well. They may have to learn a new house, a new school, new friends, and many other things may affect the child to have a hard time adapting to different situations. Through this time, they need an outlet to talk to. The emotions of it all can build up, making them emotionally sensitive. When they can not find an outlet to release these feelings to, it can result in a build up of anger and irritability. They may take the anger out on their parents, themselves, friends, and others. Although it may only be temporary, sometimes the anger stays with them for a long period of time, affecting them as whole. Some children may develop guilt due to their inability to understand why the divorce took place. They often place the blame on themselves, and the guilt builds up. If the guilt continues after a long period; depression, stress, and other health problems can arise. This ties into the increase of health problems. The stressful time can take a toll on children. They may lie awake at night due to a difficulty sleeping because of their stress. This lack of sleep can lead to a weakened immune system, making them more susceptible to getting sick. Other psychological problems may arise as well. If conflict is left unresolved, children are likely to rebel in destructive ways. This can lead to abused drug use later in life or addiction. FamilyMeans reports that research shows that children who experience divorce are likely to divorce their spouse later in life as well.

I found this article from FamilyMeans of great use due to the credibility it holds. Within each section, they have links that lead to a study done to support the information they provided. To emphasize the negative effects that divorce has on children, I gathered information from Darthmouth. The article from their website is Risk and Resilience in Children Coping with Divorce. Many topics that were discussed in the FamilyMeans article are also discussed within the Dartmouth article.

A topic that has not been discussed previously is the financial aspect of a divorce. The family may need to move to a less expensive area, making the school weaker for their academics. Although not always detrimental, the lesser income can influence children in indirect ways. Another topic emphasized within this article is the toll that remarriage and re-partnering can have on children. When the parent starts seeing someone who does not share the same biological ties, children are resilient to form a bond with the stepparent. Children may internalize behaviors, such as anxiety, depression, and low sociability. They may also experience externalized behaviors, such as aggression, defiant behavior, and low self-regulation. Just as the article from FamilyMeans, this article also recognizes that children can develop into stable adults, but it also acknowledges that there are common difficulties that children face throughout the divorce process. I found that this was a credible source due to it being a journal of science. There are numerous studies and articles about various topics on this site.

Although there have been many negative views on divorce, there are also people who believe that divorce can be beneficial for children. The article, 8 Ways Your Children Can Benefit from Divorce from SurvivingDivorce, claims that the negative aspects of divorce are the only things that are focused on. This article acknowledges that divorce is going to be hard and it will be an adjustment, but the divorce can be a positive thing. Children are often caught in the middle of a high conflict marriage. They constantly see the lack of respect and they benefit when they are no longer put in the situation. They no longer have to take sides and be put in uncomfortable situations within the fighting. If parents are open with their disapproval of each other and that the marriage is just not working, the divorce can bring relief to children. Being away from the hostility can benefit them, rather than keeping them in an unstable environment. When the parents are able to remain civil with each other and maintain a positive relationship, the children are able to see the maturity and look up to that. They respect the way their parents handle the situation, and they learn that relationships can be saved even when you are no longer together. Another way the child may benefit is by getting the proper parenting they should be getting. If the parents are consumed in fighting with each other and fighting, then the child is often left in neglect of proper love and care. When they divorce, the parent is then able to love and care for their children properly again. The parent may also cherish that time with their children more. Normally there is split custody, so they value the time they have with them more. This values time with them can create a stronger one-on-one bond between the child and parent. In the negative aspects of divorce, the idea of remarrying and cohabiting with someone else was an issue. In this article, it brings the positive that they may gain the sibling they always wanted. They will have more extended family to lean on and get to know. It also took a positive look at moving into a new house. The new house can bring the opportunity for the child to make many new friends.

If the child is older and has younger siblings, they can take on a role of maturity and responsibility. They often feel as though they need to take care of the younger siblings and make sure that they are okay. This enhances their strength and responsibility at a young age. The last point that SurvivingDivorce makes is that the children may have a better understanding of life. They may be more tolerant, caring, and helpful because of the situation they went through. Without this hardship, they may have never learned to be so mature and take such responsibility. I found this to be a credible source because it is a source from a divorce coach. There are many articles regarding divorce on this website. To reinforce the ways divorce can influence children positively, I gathered information from the article Benefits of Divorce for Children from TotalDivorce. This source is from a factual website about divorce. It gives the laws of divorce, lawyers to contact, child custody and support, and what to expect after the divorce. It also gives links within the article to the study that they took this information from.

The TotalDivorce article has a few points that were not mentioned within the article in SurvivingDivorce. Children who experience their parents getting a divorce often have better communication skills. They learn to communicate between each parent with deadlines and events. The changing between houses also enforces organizational skills. They may need to know which different bus to take home a certain day, and which clothes and books they need to pack. They may also have better time management skills. It ties into the organizational skills that they develop. They know when they are going to be with which parent. This will influence their motivation to get things done, such as assignments. The last positive point that this article brings is that the children will develop good relationship building skills. They meet and get to know people due to their parents meeting others. They learn this skill at an early age rather than later in life as most people do. It teaches them how to adapt in various ways and builds them as a whole.

Overall, I believe that both sides have reasonable arguments. However, I agree that divorce has mostly negative effects on children. Although it was looked at as positive for children to be mature and responsible, I believe that it pushes the children out of their adolescence. They should not have to take on the responsibilities that they are taking when their parents get a divorce. I feel that they are forced to grow up way too soon. I do not think that if a child experiences a divorce that they will be forever damaged and unhappy, but I do believe that it leaves lasting hardships on the child. The constant bickering and fighting may be strenuous to the child, and the divorce may ease that, but the other factors of the divorce may over ride that and cause more harm on the child. Although I can see how some may take these positive outlooks as plausible, I do not agree that divorce truly has positive outcomes on children.

Resources

First Impression Post Week 6

--Original published at Sidney's college blogs

For this week’s first impression post, I chose to write about how memory is related to study habits. For this first exam, I chose to go back through the notes from class and retype each of them. When I was finished typing those notes, I went through and typed the notes that I took that were not on the guide and put them where they needed to be. I did this in hopes that it would stick to my mind more with the repetition. Seeing the grade I received, this obviously did not work well for me for this exam.

For the next exam coming up, I plan to use the website Quizlet.com to create flashcards and use the learning techniques they have available. There is so much material that is learned in this Psychology course, so it makes it hard to narrow down what is needed to know. It also makes it hard to study all the information. Last semester I struggled in Biology, but I eventually found what worked better for me in that class. I would find videos online to watch about the different topics covered in class. I would then take notes on the videos as I watched them. I think I may need to find videos on certain things in this class as well to be sure that I understand the concepts. I also have a hard time associating people with their theories or experiments. I need to find a better way to remember those as well. I’m hoping that the flashcards will help me remember these better.

I’m ready to learn how to learn better for this class.

First Impression Post Week 5

--Original published at Sidney's college blogs

For this week’s first impression post, I chose to write on the violence in video games. I have a little brother, so I know first hand that video games have gotten extremely graphic and cruel. I don’t believe that these video games should be banned, but I do believe that they should be monitored with what is allowed to be put out to the public. Although they have age requirements and suggestions on some games, it does not completely guarantee that the children will not get ahold of the game some way or another. Children are susceptible to many things and are influenced by everything they come in contact to. The impression that such violence and cruelty is okay can leave them with a misunderstanding between what is right and what is wrong. When children play video games, they become immersed in them. When shot and killed, they often throw a fit out of anger and a lot of them will use vulgar language. This shows that the violence in these games can bring out a darker side by just getting killed in a game. They often take them way too seriously.

The amount of school shootings, and just mass shootings in general, have been increasing. A number of them have been due to children. The thought that someone could shoot another person absolutely blows my mind. I think that the video games make it more appealing and makes it easier for them to do. As mentioned, children are developing and are influenced by everything they come in contact with. If they are exposed to such violence all the time, then they are going to have the impression of violence left on them.

If children are going to be exposed to violence, I think that the parents should be fully aware of the graphics and the events that take place in these video games. Playing in moderation would also help the children to not be fully emerged in violent acts all the time. With this being said, I do not think a ban should be placed, but I do think the companies should be more careful to what they give out to the public.