This song came on my Pandora station this morning:
I thought while I was getting ready, "Wow, Jack REALLY knows about the scientific method. I wonder if he was conscious of this while writing this song."
Interestingly enough, I was just talking to a student yesterday who wondered how to apply psychology to daily life without sounding heartless. It was a little tough to answer, until I realized that it really came down to what Jack is talking about. You really CAN'T take the effect and make it the cause. It's illogical, not to mention that it is full of hindsight bias. I bet Jack is a pretty smart guy.
So how do you apply psychology to a situation without sounding like a tool? My standard line is "That sounds like an interesting topic. I'd like to know more about it, where did you read that?" If they didn't read it, can't cite a source, or claim 'it's just true', it opens the door for the old critical thinking skills to strike. "REALLY, you don't know?, I'm skeptical about that. I think it would make an interesting study. I recently read otherwise, believe it or not..." and so forth.
It might not make me sound like the most pleasant guy to hang around, but when I do hang around, life is full of interesting conversation, and that might be the best part of critical thinking.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Running Out of Time
I had a conversation with a student today about running out of time. I feel like right now we are running out of time for class. Things have gone by pretty fast, I think students are understanding all of the material, I have tried to hold off on giving a quiz the last week and a half, and now I feel like I'm not sure if you all "get it" or if you are feeling lost and afraid.
Based on reading some blogs, you feel like this:
I get it. That's how I feel too...well, without all of the singing. I'm ready to settle in and feel more comfortable and I think it is going to start soon. I think the quiz on Friday and exam on Tuesday will slow things down a bit and allow us all to reflect on how far we've come as a class of learners.
Sorry I left you with such a bad video. Here's a video that has a nicer feel, a great message, and is from an excellent band.
Enjoy.
Based on reading some blogs, you feel like this:
I get it. That's how I feel too...well, without all of the singing. I'm ready to settle in and feel more comfortable and I think it is going to start soon. I think the quiz on Friday and exam on Tuesday will slow things down a bit and allow us all to reflect on how far we've come as a class of learners.
Sorry I left you with such a bad video. Here's a video that has a nicer feel, a great message, and is from an excellent band.
Enjoy.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
You Gotta Read to Lead...
I'm on the Internet. A lot. It's where I do most of my reading, whether it is on Zite, articles from Twitter, some of my favorite websites, or something that gets emailed to me, the reading I do online is the reading that is relevant to my profession, especially when looking for articles for my classes. Today, I came across this gem:
As a guy that could stand to lose a couple of pounds, it is interesting and intriguing. I know that later you'll read about set points, settling points, and how hunger works in the brain, and I think this is a great application of how it all ties together.
What bothers me about it is that it takes a while for your stomach to tell your brain that it is full. I'm currently reading Gulp by Mary Roach, and I find it really interesting how our body works in conjunction with our brains and the entire process of digestion. I continually am finding things in that book that I can use in class, and eventually I know that I'll sound like either a big nerd or a really really smart guy. Either way, I'll take it. By now, I hope you've started to click on these external links that I've been sharing. You might have found that they are useful and or relevant to what I am writing/explaining. Since this blog is at least partially about food, I'll leave you with this.
As a guy that could stand to lose a couple of pounds, it is interesting and intriguing. I know that later you'll read about set points, settling points, and how hunger works in the brain, and I think this is a great application of how it all ties together.
What bothers me about it is that it takes a while for your stomach to tell your brain that it is full. I'm currently reading Gulp by Mary Roach, and I find it really interesting how our body works in conjunction with our brains and the entire process of digestion. I continually am finding things in that book that I can use in class, and eventually I know that I'll sound like either a big nerd or a really really smart guy. Either way, I'll take it. By now, I hope you've started to click on these external links that I've been sharing. You might have found that they are useful and or relevant to what I am writing/explaining. Since this blog is at least partially about food, I'll leave you with this.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
First Impressions
It's been three days of AP Psychology and though it's been quite a hectic and busy start to the year, I'm truly enjoying the way class is going. Every single year I feel like I am going too fast, forgetting something, skipping important information, not modeling correctly, or not checking in enough. By the end of next week, we'll be in full swing and we'll ALL have a good handle on class and the pacing.
The quiz results from Monday are what I was expecting, but I also expect to see improved results from the test on Friday. As classes, my first impressions are that the students of this years AP Psych class are much more in tune to their own needs as learners. This excites me. A lot. I think I have a great group of students who are ready to be the first class to achieve a 100% pass rate on the AP exam in May. That's the challenge. 100%. Big things in store if we make it there. Huge.
That said, I like to end blogs by sharing something with readers that I find endearing, touching, funny, educational, or just plain ole fun. So here goes:
This is a great song to listen to when you're stressed or down. It always makes me smile.
The quiz results from Monday are what I was expecting, but I also expect to see improved results from the test on Friday. As classes, my first impressions are that the students of this years AP Psych class are much more in tune to their own needs as learners. This excites me. A lot. I think I have a great group of students who are ready to be the first class to achieve a 100% pass rate on the AP exam in May. That's the challenge. 100%. Big things in store if we make it there. Huge.
That said, I like to end blogs by sharing something with readers that I find endearing, touching, funny, educational, or just plain ole fun. So here goes:
This is a great song to listen to when you're stressed or down. It always makes me smile.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Pancakes! Bacon!
It would seem to me that there were quite a few of you who enjoyed the SoulPancake video of Kid President. I think it would be of use to those of you who did to check out the link up there and see what SoulPancake is all about. Here's a bit more for you:
I think one of the coolest things about it is the fact that it is more or less run by a celebrity as a way to "brighten" people's days and inspire others to do great things and even "be nicer". Speaking of great things, some of these blog things are pretty great. There is certainly a pack of favorites that are emerging that I enjoy reading week in and week out. I'm not going to mention them just yet, but let's just say that they are equal parts entertainment and intelligent thought.
Wait, some people haven't been blogging? That's awful. You can do better than that. You have intelligent thoughts too. I'd love to read them. Everyone's blogging? Then you have yet to post the correct url in moodle. Do that soon please, and let me know about it.
Just for fun
Because who doesn't love The Muppets?
I think one of the coolest things about it is the fact that it is more or less run by a celebrity as a way to "brighten" people's days and inspire others to do great things and even "be nicer". Speaking of great things, some of these blog things are pretty great. There is certainly a pack of favorites that are emerging that I enjoy reading week in and week out. I'm not going to mention them just yet, but let's just say that they are equal parts entertainment and intelligent thought.
Wait, some people haven't been blogging? That's awful. You can do better than that. You have intelligent thoughts too. I'd love to read them. Everyone's blogging? Then you have yet to post the correct url in moodle. Do that soon please, and let me know about it.
Just for fun
Because who doesn't love The Muppets?
Monday, January 28, 2013
You REALLY Like Me!!!
Wow,
After reading all those blogs today, this is what I thought of:
I thought of a few other things too:
If someone utters another nice word about me, I just might break. It's like I'm home on the range and discouraging words are seldom heard.
Conversely, class as a whole will be moving a lot faster now that the first week is out of the way. It would seem as though many of you are keeping up just fine, but if you are not, please understand that I make a few assumptions
After reading all those blogs today, this is what I thought of:
I thought of a few other things too:
If someone utters another nice word about me, I just might break. It's like I'm home on the range and discouraging words are seldom heard.
Conversely, class as a whole will be moving a lot faster now that the first week is out of the way. It would seem as though many of you are keeping up just fine, but if you are not, please understand that I make a few assumptions
- I assume you can do some learning on your own
- I assume you can and have read the textbook
- I assume you can figure out most of the technology in class
- I assume that if you don't ask a question, you've understood everything
- I assume that if your grade doesn't look very good, you don't understand the material and you are not brave enough to talk to me or a friend about it
- I assume that you like The White Stripes
That said, let's get ready for week two. Don't forget to check out Dat's power rankings, where the games are made up and the points don't matter.
-Mr. D
Monday, January 9, 2012
Welcome!
Adapted from Mr. Cantor's AP Psychology Blog
Hello and welcome to your AP Psychology blog. This site will be a useful tool for you to keep up in AP Psych. You will also create your own blog. Read through this whole assignment before beginning to work on your new blog.
Most of you are familiar with the idea of a Blog, which is short for "Weblog," essentially a web space where people can post ideas, opinions, share links, etc. Some popular blog sites with which you are probably familiar include this one, Blogger, but also ones such as MySpace, WordPress, Facebook, and others.What made blogs revolutionary is that they provided authors with the ability to easily share their ideas and resources with audiences in a way that was never possible.
While most of you are familiar with using blogs for social purposes -- to keep in touch with friends, discuss matters of daily life, etc., -- most of you are not familiar with using a blog for academic purposes, to extend conversations that begin in the classroom or with your reading. In this way, academic blogs, while they have a social aspect, are much more focused as learning tools. Blogs have been found to have an enormous positive impact on students, in that they:
*Promote critical and analytical thinking
*Are powerful promoters of creative, intuitive, and associative thinking
*Promote analogical thinking
*Are a powerful medium for increasing access and exposure to quality information, and
*Combine the best of solitary reflection and social interaction
So how will you be using your academic blog in this class?
Good question.
The answer is that you will be using it in several ways. Consider your audience. First, you will be using it to learn how to blog. Remember, your audience for an academic blog is much different than your audience for a social blog. When you are writing for a social blog, your audience usually consists of your immediate social group -- your friends. However, when you are writing an academic blog, your audience is much different, consisting of teachers, professors, scholars, or others throughout the world who may have in interest in your academic topic, so how you express yourself becomes an important focus. For example, you would not write for a teacher or a professor the same way you would text message a friend. The language you use will be much different as will the form and content. You will also be using your blog to complete class writing assignments.
An added bonus is that this medium is paper free, so we're engaging in academic work that is both online and environmentally green.
ASSIGNMENT #1
Creating Your Academic Blog
(If you have already created your blog, skip to Writing Assignment #1)
Even though many of you have social blogs, when you create your academic blog it will have a distinctly different look. Go to Blogger.com to create your site.
Once you have created your site please be sure to post a link on Moodle under "Introductory Assignment" so that we are able be create a link to it this site. (If you have done this already you should see your name - linked to your blog - appear to the left)
For example, the full URL address of this blog is http://dreierwollersheim.blogspot.com./
Your first blog writing assignment should be your first post.
Blog #1
(10 points)
First explain your expectations for this course. What are you looking forward to and/or apprehensive about? What topics are you most excited to learning about? How do you expect this class to be different from your other classes this term?
Next, complete your "normal" blogging assignment with regard to your first reading assignment (Prologue and Chapter 1) **See Weekly Blogging Assignment handout (bright yellow) for further instructions.
Hello and welcome to your AP Psychology blog. This site will be a useful tool for you to keep up in AP Psych. You will also create your own blog. Read through this whole assignment before beginning to work on your new blog.
Most of you are familiar with the idea of a Blog, which is short for "Weblog," essentially a web space where people can post ideas, opinions, share links, etc. Some popular blog sites with which you are probably familiar include this one, Blogger, but also ones such as MySpace, WordPress, Facebook, and others.What made blogs revolutionary is that they provided authors with the ability to easily share their ideas and resources with audiences in a way that was never possible.
While most of you are familiar with using blogs for social purposes -- to keep in touch with friends, discuss matters of daily life, etc., -- most of you are not familiar with using a blog for academic purposes, to extend conversations that begin in the classroom or with your reading. In this way, academic blogs, while they have a social aspect, are much more focused as learning tools. Blogs have been found to have an enormous positive impact on students, in that they:
*Promote critical and analytical thinking
*Are powerful promoters of creative, intuitive, and associative thinking
*Promote analogical thinking
*Are a powerful medium for increasing access and exposure to quality information, and
*Combine the best of solitary reflection and social interaction
So how will you be using your academic blog in this class?
Good question.
The answer is that you will be using it in several ways. Consider your audience. First, you will be using it to learn how to blog. Remember, your audience for an academic blog is much different than your audience for a social blog. When you are writing for a social blog, your audience usually consists of your immediate social group -- your friends. However, when you are writing an academic blog, your audience is much different, consisting of teachers, professors, scholars, or others throughout the world who may have in interest in your academic topic, so how you express yourself becomes an important focus. For example, you would not write for a teacher or a professor the same way you would text message a friend. The language you use will be much different as will the form and content. You will also be using your blog to complete class writing assignments.
An added bonus is that this medium is paper free, so we're engaging in academic work that is both online and environmentally green.
ASSIGNMENT #1
Creating Your Academic Blog
(If you have already created your blog, skip to Writing Assignment #1)
Even though many of you have social blogs, when you create your academic blog it will have a distinctly different look. Go to Blogger.com to create your site.
Once you have created your site please be sure to post a link on Moodle under "Introductory Assignment" so that we are able be create a link to it this site. (If you have done this already you should see your name - linked to your blog - appear to the left)
For example, the full URL address of this blog is http://dreierwollersheim.blogspot.com./
Your first blog writing assignment should be your first post.
Blog #1
(10 points)
First explain your expectations for this course. What are you looking forward to and/or apprehensive about? What topics are you most excited to learning about? How do you expect this class to be different from your other classes this term?
Next, complete your "normal" blogging assignment with regard to your first reading assignment (Prologue and Chapter 1) **See Weekly Blogging Assignment handout (bright yellow) for further instructions.
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