Unit 11

Unit 11:
Development & Aging with the Internet
 IMPORTANT: Assignment #4 for this Unit will require some forward planning.

Unit 11: Assignment #1 (due before 11:59 pm Central on MON JUL 20):

  1. Watch the song “Ya Got Trouble” from the musical, The Music Man, which was set in 1912. [A transcript of the lyrics is here.]
  2. Read the context for the song “Ya Got Trouble.”
  3. Read Burnett’s (2015) spoof article, “Toddlers Pose a Serious Risk to Smartphones and Tablets.” (Spoof means “a humorous imitation of something … in which its characteristic features are exaggerated for comic effect.”)
  4. Then, watch Professor Gernsbacher’s lecture video, “The Internet and Development.” [A transcript is available here.]
    1. Read this (2018) tweet explaining the “Fear Feedback Loop.”
    2. Read this pair of (2018) tweets, in which the Journal of Adolescence asks, in the first tweet, “Why do we want to believe that tech is destroying kids’ lives?,” and the question is answered in the second tweet by a researcher at Oxford University.
  5. Optional Reading: If you’re interested in learning more about the history of pinball and its relation to Fortnite, feel free to read this (2018) article in the Smithsonian magazine, titled “What the Popularity of ‘Fortnite’ Has in Common with the 20th Century Pinball Craze.”
  6. Go to Unit 11: Assignment #1 Discussion Board and create a new post of at least 200 words in which you answer these two questions:
    1. Which finding (from Professor Gernsbacher’s lecture) of a positive effect of the Internet on development do you appreciate most — and why?
    2. Which reason for why these positive effects are not better known (that Professor Gernsbacher raised in her lecture, perhaps illustrated by the above tweets) do you appreciate most — and why?

Unit 11: Assignment #2 (due before 11:59 pm Central on MON JUL 20):

  1. Read the abstract of UNICEF’s (2017) report, “How does the time children spend using digital technology impact their mental well-being, social relationships and physical activity? An evidence-focused literature.”
  2. Skim read Mills’s (2014) scholarly article, “Effects of Internet Use on the Adolescent Brain: Despite Popular Claims, Experimental Evidence Remains Scarce.”
  3. Read the abstract of Przybylski and Weinstein’s (2017b) empirical article, “Digital Screen Time Limits and Young Children’s Psychological Well-Being: Evidence From a Population-Based Study.”
  4. Read Molina’s (2018) article, “Maybe You’re Being Too Strict with Your Kid’s Screen Time, Study Suggests,” which is a popular press article about Przybylski and Weinstein’s (2017b) article study.
  5. Read the abstract of Przybylski and Weinstein’s (2017a) empirical article, “A Large-Scale Test of the Goldilocks Hypothesis: Quantifying the Relations Between Digital-Screen Use and the Mental Well-Being of Adolescents.”
  6. Read the University of Oxford’s (2017) press release, “Children’s Screen-Time Guidelines Too Restrictive, According to New Research,” which is a press release about both Przybylski and Weinstein (2017) studies.
  7. Read a summary of the Pew Research Center’s (2018) report, “Teens Who are Constantly Online Are Just as Likely to Socialize with Their Friends Offline.”
  8. Read Samuel’s (2015) article, “Parents: Reject Technology Shame.”
  9. Now imagine the following scenario. A family friend or relative who is a parent of either a pre-school-age child or an adolescent has learned that you’re taking a course called “Psychological Effects of the Internet.” Therefore, this family friend or relative asks you for scientifically-based advice about
    1. whether the Internet is re-wiring their child’s brain (what you learned from the UNICEF abstract and the Mills article);
    2. what’s the best amount of screen time their child should experience (what you learned from the abstracts of Przybylski and Weinstein’s studies and the articles you read about those studies); and
    3. whether the parent should be a limiter, enabler, or mentor to their child’s use of the Internet (what you learned from Samuel’s article).
  10. Go to the Unit 11: Assignment #2 Discussion Board and make a new post, of a least 200 words, in which you write a hypothetical email to this parent. In your hypothetical email,
    1. identify what age child this hypothetical parent has (pre-school-age or adolescent), and
    2. answer the parent’s three questions (as listed above in i. above) according to the age of this hypothetical parent’s child.
    3. When answering the parents’ three questions, be sure to mention the authors’ names of the articles you are telling the parent about.

Unit 11: Assignment #3 (due before 11:59 pm Central on TUE JUL 21):

  1. First, it’s a great idea to learn (from Grammarist.com) the difference between spelling the word aging as aging versus ageing.
  2. Next, read all the article abstracts and data summaries provided below. All of these articles (and just about every article in the contemporary scholarly literature) show positive effects of Internet use on the cognitive, physical, and psychological aspects of aging.
    1. Berner et al. (2019) “Maintaining Cognitive Function with Internet Use: A Two-Country, Six-Year Longitudinal Study“
    2. Czaja et al. (2017) “Improving Social Support for Older Adults through Technology: Findings from the PRISM Randomized Controlled Trial”
    3. d’Orsi et al. (2014) “Socioeconomic and Lifestyle Factors Related to Instrumental Activity of Daily Living Dynamics: Results from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing”
    4. Elliot et al. (2014) “Predictors of Older Adults’ Technology Use and Its Relationship to Depressive Symptoms and Well-being”
    5. Erickson and Johnson (2011) “Internet Use and Psychological Wellness During Late Adulthood”
    6. Jinmoo et al. (2015) “Internet Use and Well-Being in Older Adults”
    7. Kaman and Lang (2020) “Internet Use and Cognitive Functioning in Late Adulthood: Longitudinal Findings from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)“
    8. Kobayashi et al. (2014) “Internet Use, Social Engagement and Health Literacy Decline During Ageing in a Longitudinal Cohort of Older English Adults”
    9. Minagawa and Saito (2014) “An Analysis of the Impact of Cell Phone Use on Depressive Symptoms among Japanese Elders”
    10. Schehl (2020) “Outdoor Activity among Older Adults: Exploring the Role of Informational Internet Use“
    11. Schloman et al. (2020) “Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Devices Among the Oldest-Old: Loneliness, Anomie, and Autonomy“
    12. Xavier et al. (2013) “Internet Use and Cancer-Preventive Behaviors in Older Adults: Findings from a Longitudinal Cohort Study”
    13. Xavier et al. (2014) “English Longitudinal Study of Aging: Can Internet/E-mail Use Reduce Cognitive Decline?”
  3. Now, read through Pew Research’s (2017) report, “Older Adults: Barriers to Adoption and Attitudes Towards Technology.”
    1. The Pew Research report presents five barriers that older adults face in using digital technology and the Internet. These five barriers are marked (and numbered) in red.
    2. The Pew Research report also presents five positive attitudes that older adults have about digital technology and the Internet. These five positive attitudes are marked (and numbered) in green.
  4. Go to the Unit 11: Assignment #3 Discussion Board and make a new post of at least 200 words in which you discuss
    1. one of the five barriers OR one of the five positive attitudes mentioned in the Pew Research.
    2. You must choose a barrier or a positive attitude that no one else in your section has yet discussed.
    3. And you must discuss that barrier or positive attitude in reference to at least five of the abstracts you read.
    4. For example, because of the barrier you chose (from the Pew Report), what positive effects (from the abstracts) are older adults less likely to experience?
    5. Or, for example, because of the positive attitude you chose (from the Pew Report), what positive effects (from the abstracts) are older adults more likely to experience?
    6. When discussing the abstracts, be sure to mention the author/s’ name/s.

Unit 11: Assignment #4 (due before 11:59 pm Central on TUE JUL 21):

  1. First, do all three of these activities:
    1. Read Nudd’s (2014) article, “Perfect Match: Brazilian Kids Learn English by Video Chatting With Lonely Elderly Americans.”
    2. Watch CNA’s (2014) video, “Speaking Exchange.” [A transcript is available here.]
    3. Read Kazimi’s (2014) article, “10 Ways to Help Older People Use the Internet.”
    4. Watch Bouygues’s (2018) holiday commercial, which demonstrates sharing technology across the life span.
  2. Then, spend ONE HOUR teaching an older adult (anyone over age 60) how to do something new on the Internet (for example, how to use Skype or FaceTime, how to do something new on Facebook, how to send text messages on their mobile phone, how to use Snapchat, Instagram, etc.).
  3. IMPORTANT:
    1. You do NOT need to conduct the training session in person. You can conduct the training session via Skype, FaceTime, even phone.
    2. But you DO need to take a photo documenting some aspect of the training session (e.g., a selfie, screenshot, or other photo). AND your photo needs to document the actual training session (not simply a phone log showing that you called or a text message log showing that you texted or a screenshot of other preparatory work). The photo needs to document some activity during the actual training session.
    3. When trying to identify someone over age 60, consider your relatives, your friends, your co-workers, even the relatives or friends of your friends or co-workers. If you’re still having trouble identifying someone over 60, email Professor Gernsbacher (who is over 60).
    4. Your training goal is to avoid situations like these. But be aware if you friend your grandparents on Facebook you could get FB comments like these, or if you teach your grandparents to text you could get text messages like this.
  4. Go to the Unit 11: Assignment #4 Discussion Board and describe, in at least 200 words:
    1. how old the older adult was;
    2. what you taught the older adult;
    3. what they learned;
    4. what aspects of Nudd’s (2014) article, CNA’s (2014) video, and Bouygues’s (2018) commercial inspired your training session; and
    5. what aspects of Kazimi’s (2014) article guided your training session.
    6. Lastly, embed (not attach, but embed) your image documenting your training session, as mentioned in c.2. above, following the guidelines in the Course How To; be sure to appropriately size your image.

Unit 11: Assignment #5 (due before 11:59 pm Central on WED JUL 22):

  1. Meet online with your NEW Chat Group (which you formed during Unit 8) for a one-hour text-based Group Chat at a time/date that your Chat Group previously arranged.
  2. Prior to your one-hour Group Chat, each member of the Chat Group must do ALL of the following:
    1. Learn a definition of the Digital Divide.
    2. Read the one-page extract of Vick’s (2017) article, “The Digital Divide: A Quarter of the Nation Is Without Broadband.”
    3. Read the two-page extract of Education SuperHighway’s (2017) “Annual Report on the State of Broadband Connectivity in America’s Public Schools.”
    4. Read Pew Research Center’s (2018) summary “Nearly One-in-Five Teens Can’t Always Finish Their Homework Because of the Digital Divide.”
    5. Read Romm’s (2020) article, “‘It Shouldnʼt Take a Pandemicʼ: Coronavirus Exposes Internet Inequality among U.S. Students as Schools Close their Doors.”
    6. Watch SoulPancake’s (2017) video, “If You’ve Never Heard of the ‘Homework Gap’ This Video Will Shock You.” [A transcript is available here.]
  3. During your one-hour Group Chat:
    1. Begin by summarizing what you learned from Vick’s (2017) and Romm’s (2020) article, Education SuperHighway’s (2017) report, the Pew Research Center’s (2018) summary, and SoulPancake’s (2017) video.
    2. Then, from Vick’s (2017) and Romm’s (2020) article, Education SuperHighway’s (2017) report, the Pew Research Center’s (2018) summary, and SoulPancake’s (2017) video identify
      • What surprised you the most?
      • What surprised you the least?
      • What are the benefits to K-12 students having access to high-speed Internet in their schools and in their homes?
      • What are the barriers to K-12 students having access to high-speed Internet in their schools and in their homes?
    3. Finally, as a group, brainstorm three creative ideas for bridging the digital divide.
      • What resources would be needed for each of your three creative ideas for bridging the digital divide?
      • Where could those resources (for each of your three ideas) come from?
  4. At the end of your one-hour Group Chat:
    1. Nominate one member of your Chat Group (who participated in the Chat) to make a post on the Unit 11: Assignment #5 Discussion Board that summarizes your Group Chat in at least 200 words.
    2. Nominate another member of your Chat Group (who participated in the Group Chat using the browser Chrome on their laptop, rather than on their mobile device) to save the Chat transcript, in PDF, as described in the Course How To (under the topic, “How To Save and Attach a Chat Transcript”), and attach the Chat transcript, in PDF, to a Unit 11: Assignment #5 Discussion Board post.
    3. Nominate a third member of your Chat Group (who also participated in the Chat) to make another post on the Unit 11: Assignment #5 Discussion Board that states the name of your Chat Group, the names of the Chat Group members who participated in the Chat, the date of your Chat, and the start and stop time of your Group Chat.
    4. If only two persons participated in the Chat, then one of those two persons needs to do two of the above three tasks.
    5. Before ending the Chat, your Chat Group should try to arrange the time for the Group Chat you will need to hold during the next Unit (Unit 12: Assignment #5).

Unit 11: Assignment #6 (due before 11:59 pm Central on WED JUL 22):

  1. Complete the Unit 11 Review Sheet (which is a fillable PDF; refer to previous Units’ instructions for how to download, save onto your own computer, rename, and then fill in a fillable PDF).
    1. Rename the filled-in PDF to be YourLastName_PSY-532_Unit11_CourseReview.pdf.
    2. Remember that each Review Sheet in this course will be cumulative, so be sure to fill in ALL pages.
  2. Continue to work on your Term Project.
    1. If you’ve chosen the Whole Course option, overview/journal the current Unit. Take a screenshot of your overview/journal of the current Unit.
    2. If you’ve chosen the Deep Dive option, begin assembling (or otherwise organizing) your completed research into your final product. Take a screenshot that demonstrates how you are assembling your completed research into your final product.
    3. Compose at least 200 words describing the work you’ve done so far on your Term Project. Remember that you should be allocating about two hours per Unit to your Term Project.
    4. Save your 200 words as a PDF that includes your screenshot and that is named YourLastName_PSY-532_Unit11_TermProject.pdf.
  3. Go to Unit 11: Assignment #6 (which is an Assignment link, not a Discussion Board) and
    1. use the “File Upload” tool to attach/upload your completed Unit 11 Review Sheet (click “Choose File” to attach/upload your filled-in PDF);
    2. click on “+ Add Another File” to attach/upload your 200-word composition about your Term Project (saved in PDF; remember to include your screenshot in your PDF); and
    3. immediately after submitting your assignment, check to make sure that your filled-in PDF is really filled-in (that it isn’t empty) and that your PDF about your Term Project is also attached and complete.

Congratulations, you have finished Unit 11! Onward to Unit 12!