Jj is for Jottings 161. What is Phubbing?
Question: “What is Phubbing?” Answer: “Telephone snubbing.” The word comes from ‘phone’ and ‘snubbing’. It is the act of ignoring people in favour of a telephone. Look around you in almost any public place and you will see numerous acts of phubbing occurring. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 124. Neuroplasticity, Power and Children.
This article follows on from the previous article on neuroplasticity and power. However, I just want to mention a couple more points before moving on to the subject of neuroplasticity, power and children. These points include people’s differing needs for power, and avoiding the negative effects of power. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 107. The Dreaded Apostrophe.
I don’t know why people seem to view it as “the dreaded apostrophe” and have so much trouble with it, more than any other form of punctuation. (For comments on the importance of punctuation in social media, see here.) The basic applications of the apostrophe are really quite easy. Granted, it can get a bit tricky in more advanced situations, but the majority of the population would rarely encounter that end of the scale. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 92. Managing Children’s Screen Time.
The easiest way to manage children’s screen time is to avoid screens altogether as much as possible, by providing alternative activities. Rory, the foal, is looking over Amy’s shoulder, trying to read “Aa is for Alpacas” with Amy, Zack and Zara.
This article on managing children’s screen time follows on from the effects of screen time on children and parents’ screen time.
This has already been covered in the previous article.
Jj is for Jottings 90. The Effects of Screen Time on Children.
Avoiding the effects of screen time on children – Zara, Amy, Seth and Zack reading “Aa is for Alpacas” AND outside.
By now, there have been many studies done on the effects of screen time on children. My own observations on this subject are here and here. And here is an article on parental concerns about screen time. So, let’s have a look at some of the recent research. Continue reading
Jj is for Jottings 73. Prince William on Punctuation and Social Media.
Prince William addressed a group of female students at a London school on the issue of cyberbullying. He talked about the stress of trying to live up to all the faked “perfection” seen online, and he urged students to put down their devices, in order to improve mental health. He said that they need to balance their time with other activities, especially outside, and not to be on a screen all day because “it takes you into a different world.”
Prince William also made the point about how often feelings can be hurt be text messages and social media, saying: “Unless you punctuate it correctly — I’m not the best at punctuation and I’m not the grammar police, either — you can read it in 100 different ways.” He also went on to talk about the importance of emotional intelligence and sharing feelings, but that is not my focus today.
Punctuation – many people ignore it and consider it of no importance, but that is absolutely untrue. A message can be completely changed by those little marks on the page, even without changing the words themselves. Here are a couple of examples:
“Let’s eat, Grandma.”
With the comma, these words indicate that the speaker is talking to their grandma and suggesting that they eat dinner. Watch what happens when you remove the comma:
“Let’s eat Grandma.”
Without the comma, the speaker is suggesting that they eat their grandma!
Another example:
“Please replace the chair’s.” The chair’s what?
Clearly, poor punctuation can interfere with the meaning of the message, and for people who punctuate correctly, each punctuation error is a stumbling block to fluent reading, since one must re-read parts to check what is really meant. In text messages and on social media, the writer is not present for you to check what was really meant; in conversation you can clarify meanings and sort out misunderstandings on the spot.
There is much more I could say about punctuation. I’m sure it will work its way into posts at some point!
Source of photo: World Bank Photo Collection.
Peaceful paddock scene.
Jj is for Jottings 29. More of the Neuroscientist’s Comments.
Continuing the theme from Jottings 28, Baroness Greenfield warns that children who once used their imaginations are now more likely to sit in front of a screen with a menu of choices somebody else has designed. I have heard people say that reading books also stifles imagination, because someone else has imagined the story. This is not the same thing, however. Continue reading
