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The //One// //Book, One Conference// event on Nicholas Carr's book //The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains//. The discussion, with Mr. Carr in attendance, will be **7am-7:45am on Friday, October 28, 2011, 101H**

From the AASL Ning in the book discussion led by AASL President Carl Harvey, Carl remarks, "In “The Shallows,” Carr asks the question: “As we enjoy the Net’s bounties, are we sacrificing our ability to read and think deeply?” Carr then describes throughout the book how human thought has been shaped through the centuries by “tools of the mind” — from the alphabet, to maps, to the printing press, the clock and the computer. Our brains, the historical and scientific evidence reveals, change in response to our experiences. The technologies we use to find, store and share information can reroute our neural pathways.

= //Carl's discussion questions for each chapter:// = = = =Discussion - Chapter 1= Carr writes, “My mind isn’t going – so far as I can tell – but it’s changing. … And what the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation” writes Carr. How do you think the idea of how we get/handle information in short burst should /has changes out instructional practice in the school library?
 * [|Carl Harvey][|The Shallows - Book Discussion]
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Carr starts to share his story of working with technology. Depending on when you were born, there are probably many of his experiences that the same as yours with technology. What have been some of the biggest changes you’ve notices in that time? How has it impacted what you’ve done in the library?

=Discussion - Chapter 2= I have really enjoyed reading everyone's comments and thoughts on Chapter 1. I think we're going to have a lively discussion as we continue through the book. Here are some discussion questions from Chapter 2, but please feel free to add your own questions, thoughts, and ideas as well!
 * [|Carl Harvey][|The Shallows - Book Discussion]
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How do our experiences impact our perceptions? Thinking about the connection with Gary Hartzell and the work he has done in how administrators understand school libraries. How can we create experiences that will better educator today and future administrators?

There are two trains of thoughts shared in Chapter 2 whether nature or nurture have an impact on how our brain learns? What are your thoughts?

On page 41 Carr writes, “Evolution has given us a brain that can literally change its mind – over and over again.” How do you think this impacts how we prepare students for their future in the library?

What role do you think neuroplasticity plays in students who have over time developed habits that they can’t learn or succeed?

=Discussion - Chapter 3= Carr writes on page 55 about the intellectual ethic - a set of assumptions about the nature of knowledge and intelligence.
 * [|Carl Harvey][|The Shallows - Book Discussion]
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One page 56, “The debate between determinists and instrumentalists is an illuminating one. Both sides command strong arguments.” What do you think?

What are some of the turning points in history that have been marked by history? What have been some turning points in your library program when it comes to technology?

=Discussion - Chapter 4= I love how the discussion is going off in lots of directions. Thanks to those who have posted their own questions or favorite quotes from each chapter. I think it continues to make the discussion even richer! Here are some thoughts from Chapter 4: On page 75, Carr writes, “As soon as the introduction of word spacing made writing easier, authors took up pens and began putting their words onto the page themselves, in private. Their works immediately became more personal and more adventurous." How do today’s technology tools affect the writer’s voice?
 * [|Carl Harvey][|The Shallows - Book Discussion]
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Carr writes on page 81, “Not everyone become a book reader, of course. Plenty of people – the poor, the illiterate, the isolated, the incurious – never participated at least not directly, in the Gutenberg’s revolution.” What group/groups do you think might be left out as book move to a digital format? How can we in the library help those groups?

What do you think Carr meant when he wrote, “But the world of the screen, as we’re already coming to understand, is a very different place from the world of the page.

=Discussion - Chapter 5= The weeks are flying by! Thank you to everyone who has been sharing their thoughts and ideas. Make sure to let your librarian colleagues they can join us at any time during the discussion. Here are some starter thoughts from Chapter 5!
 * [|Carl Harvey][|The Shallows - Book Discussion]
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At the end of this chapter, Carr talks about the Bronx Library and how it has been making changes to be more innovative and conducive to the technology needs of their patrons. What are you doing in your library?

On page 104, there was a quote from Tyler Cowen, “When access [to information] is easy, we tend to favor the short, the sweet and the bitty.” How do you think that applies to our students? Our staffs? How does that impact the instruction needed in the library?

On page 100, Carr talks about hyperlinks in text. When reading online, do you think hyperlinks in the text is more helpful or more of a distraction? Why?

=Discussion - Chapter 6= Just a few quotes and discussion started from Chapter 6, but I imagine there will be lots of opinions!
 * [|Carl Harvey][|The Shallows - Book Discussion]
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From the first paragraph of Chapter 6, Carr writes, “A long sequence of printed pages assembled between a pair of stiff covers has proven to be a remarkably robust technology, remaining useful and popular for more than half a millennium.” So what do you think the future of the book is?

Carr writes, “The high-tech features of devices like the Kindle and Apple’s new iPad may make it more likely that we’ll read e-books, but the way we read them will be very different from the way we read printed editions.” How do you think they’ll be different?

=Discussion - Chapter 7= As we move into another chapter of Carr's books, here are some thoughts to spark our conversation. Please feel free to continue to reply or comment on this or any of the previous chapters. Invite your friends and colleagues to join in as well.
 * [|Carl Harvey][|The Shallows - Book Discussion]
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Carr writes, "With the exception of the alphabets and number systems, the Net may well be the single most powerful mind-altering technology that has ever come into general use. At the very least, it's the most powerful that has come along since the book." Do you agree? Why or why not?

I thought it was interesting that while Carr talked about our lack of focus due to the Internet, in this chapter he talked about how it may be good for older people. "The good news here is that Web surfing, because it engages so many brain functions, may help keep older people's minds sharp." What do you think?

Carr writes, "What we're experiencing is, in a metaphorical sense, a reversal of the early trajectory of civilization: we are evolving from being cultivators of personal knowledge to being hunters and gatherers in the electronic data forest." What do you think?

=Discussion - Chapter 8= Here are some conversation starters for Chapter 8. Remember to keep chiming in for any of the chapters and comment your thoughts and feelings.
 * [|Carl Harvey][|The Shallows - Book Discussion]
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What do you think of Google's goal to create "the perfect search engine"? Will it ever really be able to "understand what you mean and give you back exactly what you want?"

Carr wrote, "Google has succeeded in making the Internet a far more efficient information medium." Agree or disagree. Why?

Carr writes, "Google Book Search manager Adam Mathes grants that 'books often live a vibrant life online, but he says that they'll be able to 'live an even more exciting life online.' "

=Discussion - Chapter 9=
 * [|Carl Harvey][|The Shallows - Book Discussion]
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...Chapter 9....

This chapter had a lot of info. on the brain. I'll be honest, some of it was a bit technical for my brain to handle. But, there was a lot of information about how the web has impacted our long term memory. Here are a couple of quotes: "He [Clive Thompson] suggests that "by offloading data onto silicon, we free our gray matter for more germanely 'human' tasks like brainstorming and day dreaming."

However, Carr doesn't agree, "With each expansion of our memory comes an englargement of our intelligence. The Web provides a convenient and compelling suppliment to personal memory, but when we start using the Web as a substitute for personal memory, bypassing the inner processes of consolidation, we risk emptying our minds of their riches."

Carr also writes, "The Web is a technology of forgetfullness."

So what do you think? Do you agree with Carr or Thompson? Other thoughts?

Discussion - Chapter 10
As I was reading this chapter, three quotes really stood out at me was this one: "Every tool imposes limitations even as it opens possibilities." "The easy way may not always be the best way, but the easy way is the way our computers and search engines encourage us to take." "The simulations of the Net, like those of the city, can be invigorating and inspiring. We wouldn't want to give them up. But they are, as well, exhausting and distracting."