Asperger's Conversations

Forget CNN: Go with the Data when following Fargo Flood Levels

I love that moment to moment data on all aspects of the Red River in North Dakota and Northern Minnesota are readily available online.

 

Of course I've been to Fargo and it's surrounds a number of times and the "human story" is important, too.  But network news rarely provides us with the data...for that we turn to the net. 

It may sound strange to relate this to Applied Psychology (and even Autism or Asperger's) but don't we need a more public display of the data?  With so many parents and professionals looking to do the right thing for affected kids with regards to social skills training and other interventions, we should consider a more "open" approach to outcome data.

Is Twitter Describing Conciousness?

I was skeptical when I first started tweeting on Twitter.   At first I was bored...even with my own postings.  My fascination "grew slowly then all of a sudden."  In following the meandering thoughts and ideas of others -especially of those who interest me, I felt an impact:  How to better heat my home, deal with teenagers, new music, radical thoughts, not so radical thoughts, new video clips, medical information, rental cars, macular degeneration aids...and all this within days.  It was if Twitter was not only "describing conciousness" but even "expanding conciousness." 

My friends and colleagues ask, "where do you get the time to do all this?"  Why don't they believe me when I say all this happens in only a few minutes a day...and most days I don't even bother with Twitter!  My students in my Seminar in Applied Psychology are equally fascinated...many of whom are just beginning to experiement with Twitter (we followed Kirstin during spring break last week as she battled with her fear of flying during a trip to San Francisco:  "I made it" she Tweeted to us...and later reported feeling our "Twitter-like support."

And other web 2.0 experiments have produced amazing results...For e.g., just before break we used Skype to bring my student Danielle in to the class when she was away from school in the Dominican Republic.  She didn't want to miss class knowing that author Shawn Shea ("Happiness Is...") would be coming to talk about her favorite book.  She got to listen in, ask questions, and let Dr. Shea know how much she loved his book, all from her family's apartment in the Dominican Republic...to our class in Keene, New Hampshire.

And, author John Elder Robison ("Look Me in the Eye") continues to post comments on my students' blogs where they posted critiques of his book.  Imagine the excitement when a world reknown author provides online feedback on a student's book report!  While most student papers eventually yellow on the shelf and eventually see the trash can in a prof's office, my students' papers attract responses and stay alive...long after the class is finished (for better or for worse).

From blogging to Twitter...academics should consider these tools for teaching.  And psychology researchers should consider using Twitter to study the daily lives and conciousness of our students.

Thoughts on Culture and Psychology from Santa Fe, New Mexico

Great visit this week to Universty of New Mexico Health Science Center (special thanks to Pat Osbourne who has developed a terrific program in neurodevelopmental disorders).  Here are some thoughts (on video) on culture and psychology filmed in the Square in Santa Fe: