This New Study Reveals Why. [The Debrief]: “A new study published in Communication Research suggests that people often prefer news that aligns with their existing beliefs, a tendency known as “selective exposure.” According to the new research, this habit is particularly noticeable in the United States, where partisan divides and “echo chambers” are becoming more… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Education
Public Trust in Scientists and Views on Their Role in Policymaking
“A majority of Americans say they have confidence in scientists to act in the public’s best interests. Confidence ratings have moved slightly higher in the last year, marking a shift away from the decline in trust seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. A new Pew Research Center survey of 9,593 U.S. adults conducted Oct. 21-27, 2024,… Continue Reading
Literacy Statistics 2022-2023
Literacy Data and its impact on the Nation Illiteracy has become such a serious problem in our country that 130 million adults are now unable to read a simple story to their children 21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2022 54% of adults have a literacy below 6th grade level 45 million… Continue Reading
Punctuation is dead because the iPhone keyboard killed it
“Apple sacrificed commas and periods at the altar of simplified keyboard design. Android Authority’s Rita El Khoury argues that the decline in punctuation use and capitalization in social media writing, especially among younger generations, can largely be attributed to the iPhone keyboard. “By hiding the comma and period behind a symbol switch, the iPhone keyboard… Continue Reading
Make It Yourself
“Across the world creative people are making high quality things of all kinds and sharing their work freely with all of humanity. Make it Yourself is a digital book that showcases this incredible talent, bringing together over 1000 useful DIY projects to demonstrate just what is possible when you make things yourself. Each featured item… Continue Reading
The Mushroom Color Atlas
Because this is beautiful – “The Mushroom Color Atlas is a resource and reference for everyone curious about mushrooms and the beautiful and subtle colors derived from dyeing with mushrooms. But it is also the start of a journey and a point of departure, introducing you to the kaleidoscopic fungi kingdom and our connection to… Continue Reading
Do audiobooks count as reading?
Financial Times – [unpaywalled] We’re in the midst of a listening revolution — and a new debate over text versus voice – “The numbers are eloquent. In the US, 52 per cent of adults have listened to an audiobook, and revenue from the audiobook market jumped to $2bn in 2023, according to a 2024 consumer… Continue Reading
Election Grief Is Real. Here’s How to Cope
Scientific American [unpaywalled]: “…Is it possible to cultivate more resilience to this kind of grief in the future? Yes. Increase your tolerance for ambiguity and keep increasing your tolerance for uncertainty. We hate uncertainty in this culture. There is, in fact, a tolerance for ambiguity scale. It was born out of a scale now called… Continue Reading
How the death of cursive is complicating our elections
Fast Company: “The death of cursive has become a problem for voters and election officials. Young people who vote by mail and were never taught cursive risk having their ballots tossed if the signature they sign on their mail-in ballot envelope doesn’t match the signature on file, which the state uses to verify their identity.… Continue Reading
For Teens Online, Conspiracy Theories Are Commonplace
News:iterary Project: News Literacy in America: A survey of teen information attitudes, habits and skills (2024). “American teens spend hours each day scrolling social media platforms, immersing themselves in an often-confusing stream of entertainment, ads, news, rumors and conspiracy theories. Young people need the knowledge, skills and habits of mind to assess the credibility and… Continue Reading
This Election Should Not Determine the Fate of Libraries
EveryLibrary – (But it Might Have) – “Libraries have never been immune from political and social movements, but we have behaved as if we are somehow a special place, a place apart from these fights. The last three years of censorship and discrimination fights should have been a wake-up call for our library organizations, stakeholders,… Continue Reading
Freedom to Read Advocates Notch a Legal Victory in Alaska
Publisher’s Weekly: “After a favorable legal ruling in August, freedom to read advocates in Alaska have scored a significant victory in court over would-be book banners. In an October 31 filing, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District in Alaska agreed to pay $89,000 to settle claims that the district improperly removed dozens of books, including several… Continue Reading
