Sunday, October 31, 2010

Super Summary for Chapter 2

The chapter started out by defining knowledge workers and how they have shaped the character, leadership and social profile of the modern age. It then went on to say that we have created an SAT-ocracy or regime in which access to the good life depends on the ability to reason logically, sequentially, and speedily. Today though we are moving into an era in which L-Directed thinking won't be enough. The writer gives three reasons for this shift.
ABUNDANCE- He talked about the abundance of shops and what we can buy. He talked about how this prosperity has made people think more of beauty, spirituality, and emotion which are more R-Directed. One quote that was quit interesting to me was: "The United States spends more on trash bags than ninety other countries spend on everything" I noticed that that quote was interesting to the people who summarized before me. Another quote from the auther was: " For businesses it's no longer enough to create a product that's reasonably priced and adequately functional. It must also be beautiful, unique, and meaningful........In an age of abundance, appealing only to rational, logical, and functional needs is woefully insufficient."
ASIA- This section talked about how L-Directed white-collar work is migrating to other parts of the world. It can be done a lot cheaper there. It talked about if routine L-Directed work can be done for less overseas then workers here will need to command a new set of aptitudes. They will need to use R-Directed abilities tackling the big picture rather than the single component.
AUTOMATION- This part started out discussing John Henry vs. the new steam-machine and how it was a parable of the Industrial age. It showed that the machines could do some things better than human beings. This is so much more true today. It compared the computer to the human thinking. A computer is faster, stronger, and full of more information than a human mind. They don't get tired, or get a headache, or choke under pressure. Antomation has changed the work force. Doctors can use the computer to diagnos symptoms. People can use the computer to handle a divorce or set up a will. The computer can share specialized knowledge quickly. We can use automation for a lot of L-Directed thinking that we used to depend on people for.
Conclusion of the chapter- The three above forces are tilting the scales in favor of R-Directed thinking. The writer asked what happens next and then said he is going to examine that in the next chapter.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

I was very interested in the first chapter and how it talked about how each side has different functions. The part in the first chapter that talked about the spouse having to go get the most important ingredient for dinner and how the brain picks up on that really hit home to me. I have worked with a student that had brain damage. She would have picked up on the going to the store part, but would be oblivious to anger or annoyance of others. It made it very hard for her to relate.
The book is easy to read, and I have enjoyed it so far.

Section 1 Response

Sharla,
As I was reading your summary I was focused on the first section number 4: The left hemisphere analyzes the details, the right hemisphere synthesizes the big picture. I wish my left would help out my right a little bit!
Chapter 2
We sure need to pass alot of tests to be able to get to where we are. So it seems that India has many more "smart" people in their country....pretty soon is there going to be anyone working in the United States? Or will India be running our country? What do we need to do to produce that many "smart" people?
Chapter 3
Japan has focus so much on academics and now says thats an outdated approach. They are trying to foster more creativity, artistry, and play. I don't think we will ever see such a thing on our National Standards that are soon to be!

Section 1 Response

After reading this section of the book I thought it was interesting to try and understand really how both sides of our brain really work. How each has a job just like we tell our students you have a job of learning the materials and I have a job of teaching the materials you need to know. The next part of this section is also something to really think about as we are becoming more technology based as more and more jobs are being taken over by machines rather than humans. How our world is becoming so dependent on technology that it will be interesting to see in the future how our children survive in a world that everything seems to be fast-paced and readily available to them with a click of a button.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Super Summary for Section 1

Super Summary for Section 1 of A Whole New Mind

Chapter 1 focuses in on the differences between our brain’s hemispheres. It goes through a series of explanations for how each side handles the same input or situations. There are four key areas that the author centers around:

1. The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body, and the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body.
2. The left hemisphere is sequential, and the right hemisphere is simultaneous.
3. The left hemisphere specializes in text, and the right hemisphere specializes in context.
4. The left hemisphere analyzes the details, and the right hemisphere synthesizes the big picture.

This quote identifies the Savior vs. Saboteur Mentalities of right brain and left brain thinking:

“Many popular writers have written that the right hemisphere is key to expanding human thought, surviving trauma, healing autism and more. It’s going to save us. It’s the seat of creativity, of the soul, and even to great casserole ideas.”

This quote sums up in a poetic way the differences between the hemispheres:

“…even the most powerful computers in the world can’t recognize a face with anywhere close to the speed and accuracy of my toddler son. Think of the sequential/simultaneous difference like this: the right hemisphere is the picture; the left hemisphere is the thousand words.” p. 19

Chapter 2 – Abundance, Asia and Automation: social and economic forces.

This chapter focuses on the shift that is happening as more and more emphasis is being put on the skills of right hemisphere thinking over the long dominating left hemisphere ways of looking at the world and success in the world.

Abundance: Whoa – here is a quote worth contemplating – “The Unites States spends more on trash bags than 90 countries spend on EVERYTHING. In other words, the receptacles of our waste cost more than all of the goods consumed by over half of the world’s nations.”

Our left brains have made us rich. Businesses have moved from providing for the “needs” of consumers to providing for the “wants” and also not only “wants” but wants that are beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. We are living in a time when the standard middle class have few needs that aren’t being met, yet human satisfaction is still low. This has accelerated humans’ search for meaning and beauty in the world.

Asia: Outsourcing has become a huge issue due to the ability to purchase goods and services from countries in Asia at a fraction of the cost of producing them ourselves. “One in four IT jobs will be offshored by 2010.” This is forcing our knowledge workers to develop skills that cannot be produced overseas.
Automation: The stories of John Henry (super-human physical laborer) and Garry Kasparov (super-human chess player of our time) give examples of how things once thought to be only reached by a select few are now being surpassed by machines. This has forced professionals to develop aptitudes that computers can’t do better.

Chapter 3 – Explains High Concept and High Touch

The main characters in our present day and days to come are the “creators” and “empathizers,” two very distinct right brained skills. We have moved from and economy built on people’s backs to and economy built on people’s left brains to an economy emerging that is built on people’s right brains. In other words, the services and products that will keep our economy going are those that are “high concept,” meaning artistic and novel as well as “high touch,” meaning the ability to empathize and understand the subtleties of human interactions.

As new generations are entering the university setting, a shift has taken place. The Master’s of Fine Arts has become the new hot area of study. The shift is from IQ to EQ for success in the world. There is also a shift to more devotion to meaning and transcendence – in other words, the quality of life. “Meaning” has become the new “Money” in this Conceptual Age.
Design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning are the new 6 senses.

Introduction to the 6 Senses – these will increasingly guide our lives and shape our world.

Monday, October 25, 2010

A Whole New Mind - Or Is It???


I think this image represents the essence of this book, from what we have read thus far. The two sides of the brain handle different concepts and emote differing responses, but work in conjunction with one another. I think my sides are balanced - hope so anyway!!!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Is the traditional business world at war with creativity?


The title of this picture appears to sum up our book exactly. I was very surprised to find something to tie in so completely. What I find very interesting about this picture is that the right-brainer in me says, "Where is the creativity in the photograph?" The picture doesn't really show traditional thinking being at war with creativity. A left-brainer must have created this photo.

A Whole New Mind Image


I have not read the book yet, but I chose this picture because I thought that it showed the difference between left-brain and right-brain thinkers. Some people think that right-brain thinkers are a little ditsy sometimes. I have a feeling that the book is going to teach us how right-brain thinking is the way of the future.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

What's Your Brain Like?

I chose this image because I like how it gives such a wonderful picture of how our mind functions. There is value and importance to each side, yet they are so different. I am looking forward to this literature circle to explore this idea more deeply and understand more about how new generations are functioning.

A Whole New Mind - Book Image

I chose this image because the rows remind me very much of myself. I am a very analytical and sequential thinker. I like things to be lined up and I like to cross off items on a "to do" list. I have a very hard time sometimes just letting things flow and I believe sometimes I have a hard time letting go of some of the control. I chose this book because I thought it would give me some insight into how I could be more creative and intuitive.
HOLLY MEHLHAFF

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Using our heads and brains with technology

I chose this image because I am definitely using my head and brain an awful lot with this class, but at the same time I like the challenge. So far I am learning if I miss one simple step or don't have the complete step by step directions it can be very difficult to use technology. It is like the concept of a young child not learning to crawl and going right into walking. They miss an important step in their new start in life and all the steps that need to be taken.

Welcome to Literature Circle One!

Your Super Summarizer schedule is as follows:

Section One--Due October 28, Sharla Cass-Steever
Section Two--Due November 4, Sandra (Sandy) Fairbrother
Section Three--Due November 11, Janis Mathis-Anderson
Section Four--Due November 18, Holly Mehlhaff
Section Five--Due December 2, Kathy Cruse
Section Six--Due December 9, Andrea Elwess