March 17, 2014  Divers and Surfers: The World of the I-Brain
Diver brains and surfer brains are different.  The diver brain
thinks deeply and can hold a line of thought for an extended
period of time, generally without distraction. Imagine going
deep beneath the surface, studying and thinking about the
surroundings, carefully maintaining attention.   There are no
cell phones, Google, or RSS feeds to interrupt the experience.
 In contrast, the surfer brain skims the surface, taking in data
and making rapid decisions and judgments about the data.
 Stimuli are coming from all directions and the brain has to
constantly  decide if it is relevant or not.  Much like surfing,
it is exciting but the brain quickly fatigues.  Moreover,
surfing absolutely precludes the possibility of deep thinking.
In recent weeks, I read  The Shallows by Nicholas Carr and Brain
Rules by John J. Medina, in preparation for the 4-day Learning
and the Brain Conference in February titled, iGENERATION:  HOW
THE DIGITAL AGE IS ALTERING STUDE