Re imagining critical thinking in the digital age

1. Re-Imagining CriticalThinking in the DigitalAgeNarrowing the Gulf Conference March 30, 2012 Presenters: Matthew Bodie, M.A. Cher N. Gauweiler, Ph.D. 2. The Bottom Line We live in an ecosystem ofinterruption technologies(Carr, 2011). 3. The Shallows 4. Defining our termsWhat is text?What is media?What is message? 5. Analyze this!What is the message?Who is the messenger? 6. An Experimenthttp://slate.me/Ha4xXm 7. Points to Ponder #1 How can someone critically think quickly? Has skimming become our dominant form of reading? 8. The Same? Or Different? (Best, 2004) 9. Strategies to try Give a purpose for reading. Slow down when reading. Teach students how todetermine importance. Other ideas? 10. Points to Ponder #2 What has happened to the role of authorand reader? Are we all authors? http://bit.ly/Ha4V8q 11. Question. QuestionIt is time to elect the world leader, and yours is the decidingvote. Here are the facts about the three leading candidates: Candidate A: He associates with crooked politicians, andconsults with astrologers. Hes had two mistresses. He alsochain smokes and drinks up to ten Martinis a day. Candidate B: He was ejected from office twice, sleeps untilnoon, used opium in college and drinks a large amounts ofwhisky every evening. Candidate C: He is a decorated war hero. Hes avegetarian, doesnt smoke, drinks an occasional beer andhasnt had any extra-marital affairs. 12. Strategies to try Question authority! Cross-check references 13. Point to Ponder #3What is relevance? 14. Strategy #3 Ask questions, such as: Which stories are trending? Which point of view is being privileged? Which points of view are being emphasized? Learn how redefine issues. Access alternative sources. Put events in historical perspectives. 15. References Best, J. (2004). Confusing numbers. In More damned lies andstatistics: How numbers confuse public issues (pp. 44-46).Berkeley, CA: Berkeley University of California Carr, N. (2011). What the Internet is doing to our brains: Theshallows. W. W. Norton and Company: New York. Paul, R. & Elder, L. (2006). How to detect media bias &propaganda in national and world news, 3rd ed. Foundationfor Critical Thinking. www.criticalthinking.org