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Annotated Bibliography

Does using the internet actually make you smarter?

Jude Raj Professor Malcolm Campbell English 1102 3/18/2013

Raj 2 Annotated Bibliography Ehrenstein, Claudia. "Does The Internet Make You Dumb? Top German Neuroscientist Says Yes - And Forever." Worldcrunch. DIE WELT, 12 Sept. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2013. This popular article discusses a well-known scientist, Dr. Manfred Spitzer, who believes that the internet and use of digital technology makes individuals dumb. He uses the phrase digital dementia to describe his theory. Dr. Spitzer claims to have performed many tests and studies on the topic. Spitzer has written a book and has accumulated a wealth of scientific information according to the article. His study mainly focuses on one aspect that he believes decreases intelligence which is multitasking. He firmly believes that multitasking is not something that should be encouraged for the future because focused concentration is necessary. The article goes on to talk about how Spitzer believes that classrooms should ban digital use in the classroom and how people should rely more on physical activities rather than computers. In evaluating the article, Spitzer does indeed have a book and a legitimate background. However, Spitzer pins the reason for why the internet makes you dumb on multitasking. Multitasking does not have to be a restriction to intelligence because it can be a stimulus as well. Spitzer does not believe in this. Thus, for the usefulness, I think this article has a clear counterargument on my topic, but its not very strong. The argument isnt strong enough when compared to the other pieces of evidence I have accumulated. Nonetheless, I plan on using it because of the strong reliability and perspective this article offers.

Raj 3 Gaudin, Sharon. "Using the Internet Makes People Smarter, Study Finds." Computerworld. N.p., 20 Oct. 2009. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. This article explains how an experiment done on middle aged people shows that using the internet can actually make you smarter. They discovered this by comparing two groups. The experimental group had to spend at least 2 hours on the internet every day for a week. The control group did not use the internet. The scientists compared this experimental group with a control group and found that the experimental group made improvements with memory power and decision-making. In conclusion with the experiment, the scientists determined that the internet can help improve ones intelligence and ability to learn. Although this article is a great example of my topic, it is a little biased because it only looks at the effect on older people and not on youth. Both groups, the control and the experimental group, consist of old adults that are over 50. However, the scientists claim they focused on older adults because they will be more unfamiliar with computers than younger people. Younger people would not be a good group to study with this experiment because they are already used to computers. I consider this article useful because although it may not address the general population, it does show that the internet can have a positive effect on people, even though they might be the part of the older generation. It is useful because it is an experiment that has specific results and these results are legitimate.

Raj 4 Glassman, Michae, and Min Ju Kang. Intelligence in the Internet Age: The Emergence And Evolution of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT). Computers in Human Behavior 28.2 (2012): 673-682.Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. This scholarly reviewed journal article discusses the evolution of a new concept called Open Source Intelligence (OSINT). The theory behind OSINT is the ability of humans to search for, gather, and organize information. The article claims that this is important for humans because it allows us to find quick solutions to problems and avoid using other exhaustive means of finding a solution. The article goes on to talk about how OSINT is developing and starting to increase in the current generation because of the use of technology. The article states that the internet sharpens OSINT in humans because of search engines such as Google. Since the internet is a vast source of information, people who use it train their skills to find their desired information and use it to their advantage. By doing this, the article claims that our generation has turned out to be smarter because of our ability to solve problems using OSINT. The article is very factual and has many examples that support OSINT. I think the article will be very useful because this is an interesting theory that supports my topic. It shows how the internet can make you smarter and it does this by discussing a scientific concept (OSINT).

Levine, Joe. "TC Media Center from the Office of External Affairs." Learning Because We Want To. Columbia University, 1 May 2012. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. This online article explains how technology is innately motivating. It explains how people want to use their smartphones and computers to learn more. It also states that we want to learn because technology is interesting and motivational. According to a scientist

Raj 5 in the article, theories that were once hard to test with learning are now easier to understand through the use of technology. The scientist also mentions that he is trying to find ways to apply technology to learning because it is motivating. One example the article uses is an online game called Lit2Quit which is a game that engages smokers and presents an outlet for them. Rather than smoking, they use the game as an outlet for their desire to smoke because the game interacts in the same way smoking does. I liked this article because it was interesting how the article strongly adhered to the idea that technology was inherently motivating. I think this would be very useful to my topic because it gives a strong basis for why the internet could make you smarter. This basis would be that the internet makes you smarter because you are interested and motivated by it.

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