I wonder... How long did it take me to write this blog post?

This week for my curiosity blog post, I decided to challenge myself to do three curiosity topics. These three topics are based on education, Psychology, and Social media. Feel free to comment and ask any questions! 

Education: How have modern technologies changed the way of teaching?
This question is very relevant to the present because technology is such an important thing. Many people rely on technology during this time and age. This made we think about how much education has changed because of technology. Learning is now ubiquitous because it is accessible because of technology. Learning is now more than a teacher writing information on a chalkboard. New hardware and software are emerging constantly to provide teachers with a way to make sure that students are engaged while learning. In a 2016 report by Ofcom, they found that 41% of 5-15-year-olds own a smartphone, while 44% of 5-15-year-olds own a tablet. These numbers increase by around 90% for people aged 16-24. For this reason, many schools and universities are now using portable devices instead of using books as a learning tool. According to a study commisioned by education technology charity tablets for schools, which looked at a representative sample of 671 states and independent establishments, nearly 70% of primary and high schools in the UK now use tablets or computers. Use of these devices can vary from class to class, but further research has shown that technology can help children that struggle with school. The internet is a powerful learning tool that provides access to information about anything around the world in a large range of formats, such as video, slideshow presentations, games, blog and many more! Many schools already have WIFI access. Equipping schools with WIFI that is fast, secure and safe will help teachers maximize the value of the internet in their own classroom. With the internet, students can show more creativity when doing projects and presentations. Classrooms used to be a room, with four walls, 24 desks and a shiny apple on a teachers desk. But with technology, classrooms have evolved into an amazing, immersive experience. With new wireless technology, learning doesn't stop when the bell rings and the students leave the room. With platforms such as google docs and google forms, students are able to collaborate and help improve each other's work. They have a chance to work with teachers and get feedback from each other. Students that do homeschooling can use Skype or another video chat platform can work with teachers over video chat! Modern technologies have molded learning in a new way that we never saw coming 55 years ago! 

Psychology: Is stress really harmful?
Feeling stressed can be perfectly normal, especially during times like exams. You might find that being stressed can motivate you to focus on your work, but then again, at other times you feel overwhelmed and can't focus on anything. While stress affects everyone in different ways, there are two major types of stress: Stress that's beneficial and motivating- good stress- and stress that causes anxiety and even health problems-bad stress. According to experts, stress is a burst of energy that basically advises you on what to do. Stress can have many advantages. For instance, stress can help you meet daily challenges and motivates you to reach your goals. In fact, stress can help you achieve goals more efficiently. It can even boost your memory. Stress is also a vital warning system, producing the fight-or-flight response. When the brain perceives some kind of stress, it starts flooding the body with chemicals like epinephrine, norepinephrine and, cortisol. This creates a variety of reactions such as an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. Additionally, the senses suddenly have a laser-like focus so you can avoid physically stressful situations such as jumping away from a moving car- and be safe. Stress can improve how your heart works and protect your body from infection. In one study, individuals who experienced moderate levels of stress before surgery were able to recover faster than others who had low or high levels. Stress is key for survival, but too much stress can be detrimental. Emotional stress that stays around for weeks or months can weaken the immune system and can cause high blood pressure, fatigue, depression, anxiety and, even heart disease. In particular, too much epinephrine can be harmful to your heart. It can change the arteries and how their cells are able to regenerate. Stress is an inevitable part of life, but you can improve the way you respond to stress and avoid or change some of the situations that create negative stress. 

Social media: Can the use of social media, lower teens self-esteem?

This question is brought up a lot at school, that's why I decided to share my opinion on the matter. I think that social media can influence youth to do many things that were unthinkable 30 years ago. Social media has its good parts and its bad parts. With social media, people can perceive themselves as something that they aren't. When beautiful models post images on Instagram, they will get noticed, a large fragment of those people are adolescent teenagers. As we all know, no one is perfect, but these people perceive themselves as perfect and, when a young girl or boy, who doesn't look like that model starts to think that they have to fill that expectation. They feel that they have to be that beautiful and if they aren't they start to doubt their own individual beauty. They think that they have to be as beautiful as someone else. Many young teens feel like they aren't good enough, they have a bad self-image. When they see those photos, they feel that they have to be like that. But since they aren't, they think that they are not good enough. No person should think that about themselves. I think that use of social media can indeed lower teens self-esteem. Social media has its good parts, such as communication with family overseas. But the stereotypes and impossibly skinny figures can cause people to doubt themselves.